BABCOCK has welcomed more than 50 new recruits to its Rosyth facility.

The 42 apprentices and 13 graduates will support a variety of projects and business areas at the Rosyth base.

This ranges from assisting on the Type 31 frigates to advanced manufacturing work.

The apprentices will take up positions such as welders, fabricators and both electrical and mechanical fitters, while the graduates start a variety of engineering roles.

Sean Donaldson, managing director of Babcock International Groups’s Rosyth site, who himself started at Rosyth as an apprentice electrical fitter, said: “We are really excited to welcome our new graduates and apprentices to the Rosyth site, and to help the business develop its next generation of talent.

"This is a significant number of new apprentices that we have recruited, made possible due to the Type 31 frigate contract that Babcock was awarded last year.

"A number of our apprentices will support this important work to provide the UK Royal Navy with a fleet of five new general purpose frigates.”

The apprentices and graduates undertook a thorough application process, including online testing and virtual interviews due to the current pandemic, with those selected becoming Babcock employees recently.

Marc O'Hear couldn’t wait to start his role as an electrical apprentice at the Rosyth site, which is his first full-time job since leaving school.

The 17-year-old said: “I had heard that Babcock was a great company to work for and the apprenticeship scheme was highly-regarded.

"I’m looking forward to working on the Rosyth site, learning as much as possible and expanding my knowledge.

“The opportunities and benefits with Babcock are great, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”