Babcock International Group

Take a look at our round-up of some of our stories from across Babcock this week. From contract awards, to inspiring the next generation of skilled workers in Adelaide, to celebrating our impact on the UK economy, it has been another busy week!

This week we hosted a roundtable meeting at our Devonport site in Plymouth to address how we can work with key education providers and employers to tackle skills shortages and support the future growth of the city. The meeting fostered valuable discussions around how we can make a better connection between courses on offer and placements and internships with local businesses, as well as a new piece of research commissioned by Growth Alliance Plymouth - a partnership between Babcock, Royal Navy and Plymouth City Council - to identify the skills gap in the city, specifically around marine engineering, construction and marine autonomy. The UK Ministry of Defence is investing an additional £4.4bn in HMNB Devonport and Babcock’s Devonport Royal Dockyard over the next 10 years in support of critical nuclear submarine programmes, as well as the ongoing work to support surface ships and land operations. With a pipeline of work visible to 2070, it’s vital we collaborate to secure the investment and skills needed to unlock Plymouth’s growth potential for the long-term. Collette McMullen, Babcock Skills Director, said: “Babcock is the largest employer in the South West, outside of the military, supporting 21,500 jobs in the region. We are serious about the future of Plymouth and are spearheading skills development in the region, working closely with partners to break down barriers to entry and underpin pre apprenticeship, apprenticeships and graduate programmes to support the future growth of the city.”

We’ve been awarded a proof-of-concept contract by the UK Ministry of Defence which will enable Ukraine’s armed forces to 3D print military equipment. As prime contractor, we will work with QinetiQ to create digital drawings and Computer Aided Design (CAD) files of military equipment which then can be used to print parts in country, demonstrating our ability to deliver defence support capability whenever and wherever it is required. Tom Newman, CEO of Babcock’s Land Sector, said: “We aim to give Ukraine the capability to recreate the military parts that they need, where and when it really matters. This innovation builds on our engineering expertise and technology capability, giving us further opportunities to optimise 3D printing.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eh52WT4t

We’re pleased to be elevating our nearly decade-long support for SSAFA the Armed Forces charity, by becoming an official Corporate Partner. Focussing on support for SSAFAs mentoring service, our partnership will support the training of volunteer mentors who will provide help and guidance to service personnel transitioning back into civilian life. As a major employer of service leavers and reservists, we value of the unique skills and experiences a military background can bring to civilian careers. We’re proud of our longstanding history of recruiting and developing ex-services personnel and look forward to supporting more service leavers through our partnership with SSAFA. John Howie, Babcock’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, said: “SSAFA’s invaluable work supporting serving personnel, veterans and their families aligns perfectly with our commitment at Babcock to make a meaningful impact on the lives of the armed forces community. We’re incredibly proud to elevate our long-standing relationship with SSAFA to an official Corporate Partnership.” https://lnkd.in/etZ7z6E8

We’re working side by side with NATO training centres supporting the design, planning and delivery of their computer-assisted command post exercises, as well as providing wargaming expertise. Following these recent contract awards, we’re looking for subject matter experts who can join us to ensure Alliance readiness. If you're looking for a new challenge and have the relevant experience, then get in touch: https://lnkd.in/eJcM6k4J

Committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive, we’re pleased to report that Babcock’s gender pay gap has decreased again this year — with our median gender pay gap now at 5.9%, down from 6.7% in 2023. Well below the UK national average of 13.1%, this figure reflects the work we’re doing to build a more inclusive and balanced workplace and our ongoing efforts towards gender parity. While we acknowledge our progress, we know there’s more to do to support more women to thrive in the defence sector. From Illuminate, our women’s development programme, to our improved leave policies and collaboration with the Women in Defence Critical Mass Summit, we’re determined to drive meaningful change and create a lasting impact with our initiatives. Take a look at the report on our website to find out more about how we plan to keep this momentum going: https://lnkd.in/g38tWz4t #GenderPayGap #PayGapReporting

Today we release our latest independent report by Oxford Economics, which highlights our impact on the UK economy in FY2024 and our continuous commitment to making a positive difference to the communities we work in. The report found that we: • Contributed £4.3 billion to UK GDP • Support one in every 550 jobs in the UK through our workforce and supply chain • Continue to support smaller and medium sized enterprises by working with more than 3,800 suppliers across the UK Take a look at the key findings below, and read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eE33cMG7

We’ve had a great week at IT2EC in Oslo demonstrating our comprehensive, end-to-end training capability, and identifying new trends and technologies that will enable us to continue delivering in-depth, tailored solutions to customers in the current geo-political climate. The event fostered valuable conversations and we had the pleasure of meeting with multiple VIP delegates, including senior representatives from the UK Royal Air Force and British Army alongside the Belgian Army and the French Air and Space Academy. It was great to welcome so many people to our stand with Babcock’s Immersive Training Environment and threat recognition training products receiving a lot of interest. Our world-class training solutions are designed to support individual and collective training, ensuring that our customers in both defence and resilience markets can ensure their personnel are ready for any mission.

It’s an exciting time for Plymouth, and as a core member of Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP), alongside the Royal Navy and Plymouth City Council, we’re working together to drive growth potential and regeneration in the region. As an intrinsic part of the fabric of the community, and committed to delivering our ambitious growth plans for Devonport, we’re pleased to continue to play our part in GAP to ensure Plymouth is an attractive and prosperous city for people to live and work in.

Inspiring the next generation is important to us, so last week as part of our science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) engagement we visited Cheltenham College as part of the Cheltenham Education Partnership. Two air ambulances from the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, our aviation partner, landed on the college’s playing fields in the glorious sunshine, and our pilots and engineers helped run a series of workshops, including a show and tell of a helicopter engine and flight planning activity. By engaging with young people through outreach and collaborative activities like this one, we seek to spark an interest in studying STEM subjects and pursuing a rewarding career in the industry, as well as ambition to contribute to programmes of national importance. #STEM