Committee publication · Correspondence · 5 November 2025 · HC 1223
Letter from the Chief Executive, Society of Maritime Industries relating to Skills for transport manufacturing, dated 23 October 2025
From: Transport Committee
Inquiry: Skills for transport manufacturing
Summary
The Society of Maritime Industries thanks the Transport Committee for an evidence session on skills in transport manufacturing and argues that a predictable, full shipbuilding pipeline is essential to workforce development. The letter warns that fragmented procurement undermines training initiatives and calls for the Committee to scrutinise how government resources the National Shipbuilding Office to align industrial strategy with education policy.
Key findings
- Fragmented or stop-start shipbuilding procurement risks undermining workforce development initiatives government seeks to grow
- A predictable and transparent vessel construction and maintenance programme is foundational for colleges, training providers and employers to invest confidently in apprenticeships and long-term workforce renewal
- The Shipbuilding Skills Delivery Group within the National Shipbuilding Office and OECD input represent a vital bridge between industrial strategy and education policy
- SMI seeks Committee focus on how government can resource and empower the NSO to drive skills improvements at pace and translate OECD lessons into tangible training delivery gains
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Ruth Cadbury MP, Tom Chant MBE, Luke Pollard MP, Society of Maritime Industries, National Shipbuilding Office, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Notable line
“… fragmented or stop-start procurement risks undermining the very workforce development initiatives that government seeks to grow.”
Key Quotes
“A predictable and transparent programme of vessel construction and maintenance is not simply a matter of industrial continuity, but the essential foundation upon which colleges, training providers and employers can invest confidently in apprenticeships, digital upskilling, and long-term workforce renewal.”
“… fragmented or stop-start procurement risks undermining the very workforce development initiatives that government seeks to grow.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗