HUNDREDS of apprentices and graduates are due to be recruited at Barrow's shipyard between now and 2025.

More than 800 early careers workers are due to be brought in by BAE Systems as part of a major recruitment drive across the north of England.

BAE says the region will benefit from record funding into education, training and skills as the company expects to eclipse £1 billion in spending across the UK since the start of the decade.

Apprentices in the region will have the chance to work on flagship submarine programmes, including the SSN-AUKUS, part of a major defence pact between the UK, USA and Australia. 

The company is recruiting for more than 2,400 new apprentice, undergraduate and graduate roles in 2025, which will result in a record number of 6,500 in training, making up approximately 15 per per cent of its UK workforce.

In Barrow there is planned to be 610 apprentice roles, 79 undergraduates and 112 graduates.

An anticipated £230 million investment in education and skills next year will take the total amount spent on upskilling people across the UK since 2020 to beyond £1 billion.

The funding, which BAE says has grown year-on-year since the COVID-19 pandemic, is spent primarily on UK apprentices, graduates and experienced employees, as well as education outreach.

Chief Executive Charles Woodburn said: “As the UK’s largest defence company, we rely on the skill and ingenuity of those who deliver our programmes, which is why it’s so crucial we continue to invest in our people.

“With thousands of roles open for application across the length and breadth of the country and our exciting high technology programmes, there has never been a better time to embark on a new career with us.”

John Healey, Secretary of State for Defence, said: “BAE Systems are a leading light in the UK defence industry and play a crucial role in keeping the men and women of our Armed Forces equipped on the front line.

“Defence offers exciting careers and this investment is a vote of confidence in the UK as a leader for cutting-edge employment, creating highly skilled jobs across the UK.

“National security is the foundation for national stability and growth. Our Defence Industrial Strategy will ensure our defence sector is an engine for jobs and growth, strengthening our security and our economy.”