BAE upgrades Clyde yards

Shipbuilding on the Clyde has been secured for 20 years thanks to a massive investment in new jobs and training for the next generation of workers. BAE Systems, which will spend £18.5 million on its Glasgow yards, claimed the move restored Clydeside as a “beacon” after decades in decline.

The money will fund manufacturing improvements, the creation of 401 jobs and place a further 70 teenagers in what is Scotland’s largest apprenticeship scheme. The Scottish Executive has contributed £4.1 million of the money through a regional selective grant.

Union leaders believe the cash, which takes the firm’s investment in Govan and Scotstoun to £50 million in six years, will allow BAE Systems to prove it can build more than warships. BAE Systems is building six Type-45 destroyers and is involved in the contract for two Royal Navy aircraft carriers.