Written questions

Shipbuilding: Apprentices

2026-06-04 · Ministry of Defence · HL722 · Official question

Lord Spellar

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what ratio of apprentices to professional staff they consider appropriate when inviting bids to build ships for naval or civil purposes.

Answer

The Department does not require a specific ratio of apprenticeships to professional staff from shipbuilders as part of the tendering process, but all of the shipyards currently delivering major programmes have significant apprenticeship schemes. We fully ...