Rolls-Royce Submarines has opened a new skills office in Glasgow, which will strengthen the UK’s nuclear engineering capabilities and contribute to the country's nuclear deterrent while supporting job creation.
The government-funded initiative is expected to create more than 100 jobs and aims to leverage the skilled workforce available in Scotland.
Defence minister Maria Eagle officially opened the site and highlighted the government’s focus on strengthening the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, which encompasses the necessary infrastructure and expertise for maintaining the UK's nuclear deterrent capabilities.
The Glasgow office aims to attract qualified professionals and support regional growth without necessitating relocation.
The establishment of the office responds to increasing demand for technical specialists and aims to recruit top engineers for various defence nuclear projects.
The newly created positions will support essential defence programmes, including several ongoing UK submarine projects within the context of the AUKUS partnership involving Australia and the US, as well as the Dreadnought programme.
Rolls-Royce Submarines president Steve Carlier said: “The work we do for the Royal Navy is of critical strategic importance and, to deliver it, we need to harness talent from across the UK, not just from our base in Derby. The opening of our Glasgow office allows us to benefit from the region’s strong pedigree in electrical engineering and add to our existing pool of nuclear experts.
“Powering and supporting the Royal Navy’s fleet of nuclear submarines is a national endeavour, so we’re excited to open our office and secure new jobs in Glasgow, showing the far-reaching, positive impact of the whole submarines programme.”
The announcement reflects the government's dedication to enhancing UK defence capabilities amid global security challenges while reinforcing commitments to international collaborations such as Nato and AUKUS.
Last year, the UK Ministry of Defence allocated more than £2.1bn ($2.64bn) in Scotland, with defence sector activities supporting more than 11,000 jobs across the STEM fields, including apprentices and graduate roles.
With more than 5,000 employees, Rolls-Royce Submarines designs, manufactures and provides in-service support for the pressurised water reactors powering the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.
In March 2023, it was confirmed that Rolls-Royce Submarines would supply all nuclear reactor plants for new attack submarines under the tri-lateral agreement with Australia, the UK, and the US.
Additionally, Rolls-Royce is involved in supporting existing submarine construction programmes such as Astute and Dreadnought through reactor plant delivery and related components. The company also provides operational support globally from its operations centre in Derby while assisting submarines at Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and naval bases at Devonport and Faslane.
In September, Rolls-Royce agreed to sell its naval propulsors and handling business to Fairbanks Morse Defense.
