Spotlight on… jobs in Plymouth

​Home to well over 250,000 people, Plymouth in Devon is second only to Bristol in terms of populous areas in the South West. It’s recently been named one of the friendliest places to live in the UK as well as the best city in the UK for families to live.

Shipbuilding Heritage

Plymouth’s Devonport dock has been a key location in marine and shipbuilding since the 16thcentury. Over the years it has expanded to become the largest naval refit dockyard in Europe, at approximately three miles from end-to-end.

As the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Royal Navy, it probably won’t surprise you that there is a huge demand for marine and shipbuilding talent here. Currently, Morson have around 400 contractors working on jobs in Plymouth at the Devonport site in a wide range of roles within marine and shipbuilding. These roles are focused around the repair and refitting of Type 43 frigates, submarines and amphibious craft.

Being the prime location for the refitting of naval surface ships and submarines means that our client in the area is looking to maintain and increase its workforce over the next few years, creating hundreds of new jobs in Plymouth. This is not without its challenges, but Morson are uniquely placed to address these thanks to our broad cross-sector expertise. With many roles, from electrical to technical design engineers, there are currently a wide range of positions available in the area, and the skills required for these are often found within other sectors.

Crossover Talent

As with many other industries, there are skills that are used within marine and shipbuilding that are transferable from other fields of engineering. For example, many electrical roles have transferable skills that translate well into fields such as submarine maintenance, and the ability to obtain SC cleared status while working at Devonport can open up your career options across many other sectors and industries. Morson has a unique foothold across many sectors where these transferable skills are particularly relevant for roles at Devonport.

In addition, with the recent announcement of the green light at Hinkley Point C, this area of the country is set to become a hub for job opportunities. Indeed, in the South West region as a whole has a large part to play in engineering in the UK. The vast majority of the largest aviation companies in the world have a sizeable base in the region and one of the key specialisms in the region is new energy systems – specifically nuclear and marine renewables. These provide further opportunities for cross-skilling.

Paul White, Morson Account Manager at Devonport Royal Dockyard, has been a recruiter in the area for many years and explains the wealth of opportunity he sees in Plymouth

We see a lot of contractors moving on from petrochemical shutdowns into marine and shipbuilding. It’s often surprising from just what industries the skills can be transferred from.

Morson are the sole supplier to Devonport for skilled workers on these exciting naval projects, and with the client looking to grow and expand in the near future, with refit work on Type 45 frigates, it’s never been a better time to see what jobs in Plymouth and Devonport can offer you – from whatever career background you might be.

If you’re interested in jobs in Plymouth, please have a look at our current available positions here.