FERGUSON Marine of Port Glasgow are taking on more apprentices and completing one of the biggest fabrication sheds in Europe, which bosses say will help them compete for major orders around the globe.

Twenty new apprentices, including five women, start on Monday, joining 15 from last year, and the firm plans to recruit 150 by 2020 for the last commercial shipbuilder on the Clyde.

The new fabrication shed is part of a £12 million investment making Ferguson’s one of the most modern yards and fabrication facilities in the world.

The shed has 16,000 square feet of floor space and towers over 25 metres, enabling the yard to build multiple sections of different vessels at the same time.

Large blocks of ships will then be taken out and assembled on the slipways, meaning that almost 85 per cent of the work will be done under cover.

Managing director Liam Campbell said this would stop weather problems that affected construction in the past when ships were built out in the open, as production is 10 times higher under cover.

Mr Campbell said: “Things are going really well.

“It’s not easy refurbishing a yard while you’re building two ferries for CalMac at the same time, but we have developed a ‘will do’ attitude throughout our workforce, and that is being reinforced by these excellent new apprentices.”

The current £97 million contract for two new 100-metre ferries will see the first completed in May 2018, and the second following a few months later. 

Mr Campbell said: “Any country’s shipping industry is dependent on having capable shipyards to build and service the local shipping markets.

“Our apprenticeship programme will ensure we are securely positioned to capitalise on those opportunities far into the future, with a workforce capable of adapting traditional shipbuilding skills learned in the yard, with the latest innovations in equipment and skills application.

“That’s how we will consolidate our place as one of the leading shipbuilders and fabricators in Europe. We have more capacity for construction than just two ferries at a time.”

The yard has enough work to keep them going for another two years, but Mr Campbell said quotations are being made for orders from Scandinavia to Canada, including for making large steel bases for renewable energy projects, ferries and windfarm support vessels.

He said: “It’s only a matter of time until we win more orders. We have more than 300 workers at the moment and expect to have 400 by the end of the year.”

A total of 350 people applied for the apprenticeships.

Candidates were reduced to 60 by group human relations manager Kelly O’Rourke, who described the number of applications as ‘overwhelming’.

She said: “The process then became even more intense, resulting in a final intake of 20, all of whom came through an exhaustive process of CV sifting, online assessment, a day of practical testing and final interviews.

“The five female apprentices are a sure sign that the work we’ve been doing to attract females into the industry is paying dividends. Until now, we had only two, so to move into 2017 with seven is not only a huge boost for us but for the future of women in marine engineering.”

The apprenticeships are in technical, electrical, fabrication and engineering. Seven existing workers are also included in the new apprenticeship numbers.

The average age of the workforce was 59 when the company was taken out of administration two years ago by billionaire Clyde Blowers chief Jim McColl, but this has now dropped to 47 as part of Ferguson’s long-term plans.

The apprentices include engineer Samantha Simpson, 24, of Port Glasgow, who already has an HNC in nautical science and has sailed around the world as a second officer on deep sea cargo ships.

She said: “I always wanted to go to sea and work on ships.”

Continuing the tradition of family generations going through the yard, Colin Stevenson, 24 of Greenock is the son of Graeme Stevenson, Ferguson’s health and safety co-ordinator, and will be the yard’s first electrician apprentice.

He said: “I was here before as a labourer and was paid off before the company went into administration. Since then I’ve worked on CCTV with a security company, so it’s great to come back again.”

Cameron Cumberbatch, 23, of Greenock, is one of seven existing workers being awarded an apprenticeship, after making his own way through college and gaining qualifications in engineering, carpentry and construction.

He said: “This is a great opportunity.”