High Quality Apprentices At ESAB Shipweld Final

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24th November 2011

Source: ESAB

High Quality Apprentices At ESAB Shipweld Final

The UK’s best shipyard welding apprentices were put through their paces at the yard currently building Britain's biggest ever ships. Babcock in Rosyth won the team crown at the ESAB ShipWeld 2011 final on home soil, overlooked by the yard where the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers will be assembled. It is the second time Babcock took the “Best Yard” ShipWeld title, having won in 2009 at BAE Barrow.

Sister yard Babcock, in Appledore, produced the top welder this year in 22-year-old Harry Elliot. The runner-up was Joseph Ferris, 21, from BAE Systems Surface Ships in Govan.

The awards were presented after the final competition between 12 apprentices from six UK yards.

Joe Doogan, Manufacturing Director at Babcock and host for the competition, said: This is year three and the quality has gone up and up and that's a credit to the trainers. Apprentices are the lifeblood of the industry and judging by what you're producing here, we are in great shape going forward.

One of the three judges, John Pearsall, said the competition had again been very tight and the standard of welding very high.

He said: They have put their skills on show here. This is a celebration of skills of young people and you have to create skills to create wealth.

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