Shipbuilder in welder shortage forced to hire Filipinos

Scottish Politics Reporter THE SNP Government has been shamed for its failures in education after a huge employer was forced to hire 300 Filipino welders because there are not enough in Scotland.

- By David Walker Scottish Politics Reporter

Babcock has a shipbuilding base in Rosyth in Fife and has won a number of major UK Government contracts in recent years, employing thousands of people.

Outsource

Babcock's Rosyth Dockyard was the main site for the assembly and final construction of the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers and has a 10-year contract to provide future dry-docking for their maintenance and repair.

But a major drop in apprenticeships in Scotland, and a cut in spending on colleges, has led to challenges hiring skilled workers. Babcock decided they had to look abroad to keep its work on track.