Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has officially opened BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art Applied Shipbuilding Academy in Glasgow, marking a major moment in Britain’s naval resurgence — and a key milestone in an ambitious programme originally planned under the Conservative Government.
The £12 million facility, located at BAE’s Scotstoun shipyard, was commissioned and developed by the last Government, with construction beginning at the beginning of 2024.
It forms part of a £300 million investment package unveiled under the Conservative administration to modernise the UK’s shipbuilding infrastructure and secure a skilled workforce for decades to come.
Training the Shipbuilders of Tomorrow
The Applied Shipbuilding Academy, which spans 5,500 square metres, offers life-long training to more than 4,500 workers and is already helping deliver critical skills to support the building of the Royal Navy’s next-generation Type 26 frigates.
Since opening its doors to apprentices and graduates in September 2024, the Academy has welcomed nearly 300 new recruits. Its modern training hub includes over 30 teaching zones, a high-tech STEM innovation lab, and even an exhibition and conference centre.
The facility’s standout feature is its newly completed trade hall, opened in December 2024, where trainees get real-world, hands-on experience with realistic ship mock-ups. So far, 60 craft apprentices have completed or begun an eight-week intensive course in trades such as fabrication, welding, pipefitting, electrical work, and sheet metalwork — with 30 more set to join by June.
BAE Boss: ‘An Honour to Welcome Her Royal Highness’
Speaking during the Royal visit, Simon Lister, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Naval Ships business, said:
“It’s a tremendous honour to welcome Her Royal Highness to our Applied Shipbuilding Academy to meet with some of our colleagues and see first-hand how we’re developing the next generation of shipbuilders.
The Academy is an exceptional facility, which will help provide innovative career-long learning and skills development activities for more than 4,500 employees. This will help ensure we have a pipeline of talent available to deliver the best possible equipment to the Royal Navy and our allies around the world as they operate in an increasingly challenging and complex environment.”
Planned Under the Tories: Investing in Britain’s Defence Future
The launch of the Academy and related infrastructure — including the soon-to-be-completed Janet Harvey Hallship building facility in Govan — was announced as part of a Conservative-backed push to revitalise Britain’s naval capability, develop sovereign defence skills, and reinforce energy and national security post-Brexit.
This investment also supports BAE’s role in delivering eight Type 26 global combat ships for the Royal Navy, alongside export variants for Australia and Canada, with potential future orders on the horizon.
As part of the programme’s wider ambition, the modernisation of the Govan and Scotstoun yards is directly tied to Britain’s industrial strength and international alliances — all initiated under the previous government’s defence and industrial strategy.
Boosting Jobs and Skills in Glasgow and Beyond
The Academy is expected to not only safeguard thousands of jobs in the region but also ensure Britain remains a world leader in naval engineering and shipbuilding.
Its combination of digitalisation, advanced training, and hands-on learning reflects the changing face of defence manufacturing in the UK — preparing workers for the ships, challenges, and technologies of tomorrow.
From apprentices just starting out to experienced hands refining their craft, the Academy offers a bold and tangible example of what long-term industrial strategy — and meaningful investment — can deliver.
Source: BAE Systems
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