Engineering news
Merseyside shipbuilder Cammell Laird has warned that there is both a local and national shortage of skilled tradesmen in its annual results.
The privately owned company spelled out a gloomy future for the shipbuilding industry, stating that a 'large percentage' of the white and blue collar workforces are nearing retirement age and it is experiencing difficulties in replacing them with new employees of the same calibre.
Cammell Laird said that so far it has managed to see little negative impact from this looming skills crisis, which recently completed building sections for the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier.
In fact, the annual results revealed that 2015 was a successful year for the shipbuilder thanks to winning major commercial contracts with RWE, P&O and Irish Ferries. It also completed its first nuclear project with a decommissioning test module at Sellafield and carried out work for BAE Systems on the Astute submarine. This saw an increase in turnover for the financial year from £109.4 million for the year ended 31 March 2014 to £114.7 million. The company recorded a profit for the year after tax of £7.86 million, a fall from £8.16 million in 2014.
However, the company warned that the forthcoming year would see turnover decrease following the conclusion of some major projects, including its work on the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier and three Royal Fleet Auxiliary 13 vessels, as well as a slow down in its refit work for the remainder of the fleet.
It added that while it was optimistic that a number of tenders and discussions in the energy market will “turn into suitable projects” it was the lack of skilled workers that is its greatest risk to the company going forward.
Cammell Laird said: “Whilst the company has been able to manage the growth achieved to date, this is increasingly becoming more difficult. In addition a large percentage of the white and blue collar workforces are near retirement age and it is becoming increasingly difficult to replace them with people of similar experience and qualifications.”
In a bid to tackle this issue the company has established an apprentice training scheme at the local Maritime & Engineering College North West. It said that this was to meet its “committed commercial obligations and future business aspirations”.
The scheme currently has more than 140 employees who are either in training or now fully qualified tradesmen having completed the programme.
Cammell Laird said that it intends to continue to develop into the heavy engineering energy sector and will target bespoke offshore, marine and renewable energy targets.