MARINE
TALENTED WELDERS REQUIRED TO BE PART OF THE SUCCESS WITH BABCOCK
C
reating a safe and secure world has never been more important than it is today. At Babcock,
growing its workforce and developing the skills of its talented team is helping to underpin this purpose. In Rosyth, Scotland, experienced welders are required to deliver one of the most exciting engineering projects in the UK today. Here, we speak exclusively to one of the welding team members working on this programme, Richard. Babcock is a leader in designing,
building, assembling, maintaining, and upgrading warships. Babcock delivers through-life support across the globe and ensures that the UK Royal Navy and international navies go to sea safely. This includes the design and build of five Type 31 general purpose frigates for the UK Royal Navy. The programme, currently in its multi-
ship build phase, is creating opportunities to recruit people with the right experience and skills to be part of something special. Delivering these vessels for this incredible programme will require talented welders, just like Richard. He recalls: “I have always wanted
to work with my hands. Luckily my uncle was a welding inspector, and he suggested a welding apprenticeship. Once I got started, I loved it straight away. The great thing about welding is that you see results immediately.” Home to one of the largest, most
modern waterside manufacturing and repair facilities in the UK, supporting both defence and commercial customers, this site is a fantastic place to be.
So, what does a typical
day look like at Babcock? “Every day, safety is paramount. My manager ensures I understand the task in hand and I have the correct set up so that I am safe, and I am doing the job correctly. I have established a good reputation so the team knows if I am doing a job, they will get a good result,” Richard explains.
Every morning the welding teams meet
up, with the supervisor and manager attending and letting everyone know what the plans are for the day. Right now, Richard is working on the brackets for the pipes to go around the vessel, but often gets deployed to another welding area, keeping the work varied and interesting. Richard adds: “There are two machines
in my area, Kemppi and ESAB, and I find both of them really good to work with. If you are going to one of the other bays, you know you will have everything you need – all the raw materials are there. The units are set up, so I just plug in my torch and start working.”
Toolbox Talks
The teams at Babcock hold ‘Toolbox Talks’. They provide the opportunity for everyone to cover issues from basic housekeeping to weld quality. “Although the safety culture
is ingrained, this is a helpful reminder to make sure you do things like keeping the cables in the cable trays, cleaning up after yourselves, and looking out for your teammates,” Richard explains.
Personal development
Babcock is renowned for providing its teams with training and for promoting internally, so there are clear career opportunities for people going forward. As a leader in the shipbuilding industry,
innovation and challenging what’s possible are at the core of what Babcock does. The team strives for excellence every day and with the Type 31 programme being the first of its kind to be delivered under the National Shipbuilding Strategy, it’s a great opportunity to be part of something unique. Working in one of the smaller teams, Richard points out an example of how this works: “If there’s a challenge, or
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