Babcock taps AR for new welding school
Defence giant Babcock has opened a new welding school in Bristol that will use AR alongside traditional training techniques to upskill apprentices.
With the expansion of defence programmes at the heart of government growth plans, demand for welding skills is only set to increase. However, according to Babcock, much of the existing welding workforce is approaching retirement age. Coupled with a decline in welding apprenticeship opportunities, these trends spell a future shortage of welders without remedial action.
Sited at Babcock’s south Bristol facility, the new welding school has been established to arrest the skills decline and provide the company with a steady stream of welders, not only for defence but also for its nuclear and infrastructure segments.
“There is a well documented shortage of welders and it is critical to a great deal of what we do in Babcock, not just on this site, but of course across some of the other infrastructure work we do and some of the nuclear work that we do,” said Neal Misell, chief executive of Mission Systems at Babcock.
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