'Skills shortage' hitting Portsmouth defence firms amid need to move 'rapidly' to support Royal Navy fleet

Highly-equipped youngsters are in short supply for several defence businesses in the Portsmouth area - with the government to support addressing skills shortages.

Multiple firms that spoke to The News at the Seawork conference on June 9 reported difficulties in hiring the next generation of engineers and maintenance workers. Despite the heritage that Portsmouth has in maritime engineering and boatbuilding, much of the know-how and experience is slowly disappearing.

Stephen Lee, operations director for UK Docks, said “there is a skills shortage across the country”, especially for traditional shipbuilding, repairs, and maintenance. He told The News: “There’s a huge drive within the maritime sector for AI and technology to replace things, but the traditional skills still need to be done, such as changing valves and welding pipes.”

Rachel Wing, engagement and social values manager at Serco Maritime - the defence giant that facilitates several vital functions for the Royal Navy at HMNB Portsmouth - added: “Within the maritime sector, there is going to be a shortage of skills to fill roles within the future. Considering our role within the naval base and all the jobs there, we need to bring in more people to learn those skills, so the people already there can pass them down to the next generation.”

“This is particularly true in STEM roles. There is always a shortage of engineers, and since we’re moving towards an autonomous future, there is going to be a lot more engineering skills needed.”

“Some of my guys are sadly lacking”

The pressure for more workers comes at a time when major contracts have been signed to maintain the Royal Navy’s fleet, and support operations at HMNB Portsmouth. UK Docks in Gosport, Griffin Marine in Portchester, and Serco Maritime - alongside Golden Arrow and Babcock - had millions of pounds of work awarded to them in the Boats In Service Support (BISS) contract award.

Firms will be tasked with maintaining dozens of Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Ministry of Defence Police vessels. With £283.5m of support spread across nine contracts up until 2033, the roles required are expansive. An additional pressure includes the Royal Navy’s push towards a hybrid force, where conventional warships are supported by autonomous platforms.

UK Docks director Charlie Barley said the shipwright and boatbuilding trade is struggling with having a reliable pipeline of trained young workers. “Engineers now need to have more of an electrical bias due to modern engines and equipment,” he added. “Back in the day with clunky engineering, it was good, but knowing your way around the electrics on a boat is what is required in defence. Military boats on the water at the moment are heavily electric. We need that skill base.”

When asked if enough is being done to upskill the younger engineers to meet the challenges of a hybrid navy, he added: “I can only say what I see and there’s a shortage. There needs to be more of a heavier focus. We’re seeing autonomous boats on the market now and more electronic controls of the engineering systems. Some of my guys are sadly lacking. It needs to come into the NVQs and courses they’re studying.”

Serco Maritime’s business development director, Andy Linegar, said there is a lack of experienced people coming into the firm. The company is taking on their first set of commercial vessel apprenticeships to encourage young people to join the sector. Under the ten-year £850m defence maritime service contract, the company needs to keep tug boat operations at HMN Portsmouth and other infrastructure tasks ticking over.

Mr Linegar said: “Trying to find those at the right level is hard. The energy and enthusiasm is at apprenticeships and growing that capability. We need exciting long-term opportunities for those people, and to get people interested in working for Serco.

“We’re at the cusp of growing the maritime capabilities beyond just serving the Defence Maritime Services (DMS) contract. We want to use the experience to support autonomy and the hybrid navy. Those are real targets of interest for us. We want to use the experience to support autonomy and the hybrid navy. Those are real targets of interest for us.”

Snubs to educational institutions

Firms are being asked to create more apprenticeship programmes, with the government funnelling investment into defence technical excellence (DTE) colleges across the country. None of these were set up in the south east. A bid for a share of the £175m by the South Hampshire College Group, which operates Fareham College, the Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC), and the Centre of Excellence in Engineering, Manufacturing and Advanced Skills Training (CEMAST) in Lee-on-the-Solent, was snubbed.

A similar situation happened with the University of Portsmouth. Their bid for a share of £80m of grants for university placements and facility improvements was rejected, a decision a university spokesperson described as “disappointing”. The institution hosted the minister of defence industry and readiness, Luke Pollard, when he announced the funding. The News understands that no one at the UoP was told about their bid being turned down prior to the announcement.

Jonathon Diffey is the managing director of the ASL grp, an Isle of Wight firm that specialises in producing vehicle and maritime armaments and ballistics. They conduct procurement for various nations, but not the UK. Mr Diffey said it was a shame about a lack of DTE funding in the Portsmouth..

He added: “There was an opportunity missed there. That needs to be relooked at. Without the next generation, there is nothing. I’ve been in the industry for 25 years, and a lot of colleagues are coming to that certain age now. We look around and we need that younger generation to come in. If it’s not us transferring that skillset, there’s no one to train them. There needs to be more support from the government. There’s definitely a lack of funding for it.

“We do our complete training in house, so we do bring those skills into a new workforce. Generally, some of the manufacturing now in the UK is not given enough skills and there aren’t enough apprenticeships. We have to create that in house.”

Jeremy Dale is the managing director for Seasafe, which has been operating on the Isle of Wight for 60 years. They produce maritime pilot inflatable coats, used by Royal Navy pilots, as well as life jackets, life rafts, and other supplies. Mr Dale said much-needed sewing machinists are hard to find.

“There was a strong industry with manufacturing clothing in Portsmouth and on the Isle of Wight, but all of that has disappeared. We’re still in that era and make sophisticated weather coats for pilots all around the world. We need that skillset, but it’s a different world. Youngsters aren’t coming through. Getting them more involved in practical skills at school would be very useful, but sewing doesn’t come very high on the list.”

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Mr Dale said education has been doing the wrong thing for a long time by “trying to get everyone into university”, which he described as “nonsense”. He’s hopeful that the focus returning to teaching skills will eventually filter down. Seasafe currently isn’t offering apprenticeships, he said, due to a prohibitive financial landscape. The company recently lost out on an MoD contract due to a preferred bidder overseas undercutting them on costs.

“We need to move on very rapidly and encourage that more,” he added. “Due to the wages, we may as well pay someone who is mature and we can train them. he systems have been blown away. They’re totally wrong, but I hope they’ll go in the right direction. I might be too old by that time.”

Griffon Marine has increased its workforce by 24 per cent due to the BISS contract, which has included 11 new apprentices. Head of support Andy Weaver said the company was able to attract skilled workers from other businesses, bolstering the very keen apprentices. “I think we’re making a lot of the right noises to local councils and communities for recruitment. As long as people keep investing in the youngsters. There seems to be a lot of job opportunities in the Portsmouth area. As long as the kids can stay off their phones, we’ll be ok.”

How can this be solved?

Mr Lee said larger companies need to invest in traditional and mature apprenticeships to retain the qualities needed in the industry. “One of the challenges the industry will face is the retention of those skills,” he added. “We need to see the government helping industry, and small and large companies. Some of the policies made and pending are going to have a big impact on what businesses can invest in, and how much they can invest in it. We need to know what’s coming down the line.”

Ms Wing said early engagement in schools at a young age is needed to encourage them to take up exciting roles in the sector. She added: “When you go into a school and ask them what they want to be. They might say police officer or doctor, but less people say they want to drive a boat. Talking to them about all the careers the maritime sector has to offer is a really good opportunity.

“There’s a lot of exciting careers. The more we can do to speak to children about those the better. You’ve only got to go to Portsmouth Harbour and the naval base to see all the exciting opportunities there.”