A new Clyde Maritime Alliance has been launched to bring together major shipbuilding, engineering, skills and public-sector organisations around investment, workforce development and future maritime projects on the river, according to Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.
Founding members include BAE Systems, Babcock International, Dales Marine Services, Ferguson Marine, JFD, Malin Group and Peel Ports Clydeport, alongside Glasgow City Region, Skills Development Scotland and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.
Scottish Enterprise and the UK Government are providing seed funding for the alliance, which has been established through a Memorandum of Understanding intended to give the Clyde maritime sector a more coordinated voice on skills, infrastructure, investment and supply-chain growth.
The organisation follows work by businesses operating along the Clyde to assess whether the region has enough people, skills and industrial capacity to deliver existing programmes while competing for further work.
A study carried out with RAND Europe found that five of the Clyde’s largest maritime employers, Babcock Marine, BAE Systems, Dales Marine Services, Ferguson Marine and Malin Group, employ almost 8,000 people between them.
According to the alliance, that total is close to the number of skilled workers recorded when RAND last benchmarked the workforce across Scotland’s shipyards in 2003.
The workforce spans structural trades, systems engineering, naval architecture, outfitting and other specialist maritime disciplines, with the alliance seeking to retain and expand that skills base as existing shipbuilding and support programmes continue.
Stuart Patrick, Chair of the Clyde Maritime Alliance, said: “This is an important step forward in how we enable industry on the River Clyde to deliver economic benefit to the region. Forming the Clyde Maritime Alliance is a clear signal of intent: that we are ready to work together to deliver growth and opportunity for the Clyde and the businesses, people and communities who depend on it.”
He added: “The River Clyde has a proud maritime heritage, and the businesses within this Alliance are the custodians of that legacy today, building, maintaining and supporting vessels that matter to Scotland and the UK. But this is about more than protecting what we have. It’s about looking forward: securing the skills pipeline that will allow the Clyde to win and deliver the next generation of work, invest in innovation, and ensure maritime engineering continues to thrive here for decades to come.”
Skills and infrastructure
The alliance builds on the Clyde Maritime Skills Programme, developed by maritime employers with Skills Development Scotland, Glasgow City Region, local authorities and colleges.
That programme was supported by £2 million of Scottish Government Economic Intervention funding and used to test approaches to workforce planning, training and collaborative delivery across the sector.
The CMA’s initial priorities include skills and workforce development, inward investment, joint funding bids and work on larger strategic projects along the river.
Among those priorities are the Scottish Maritime Technology Park and Inchgreen, with the alliance aiming to bring industry and public-sector bodies together around investment and funding for both.
A small secretariat team is also planned to coordinate activity and assist members with funding bids and delivery.
Stephen Flynn, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, said the Scottish Government had provided more than £1.3 million to help accelerate the alliance and support engineering and maritime skills programmes across the Glasgow City Region, alongside £30,000 from Scottish Enterprise to establish the organisation.
Flynn said: “Maritime and defence are growth sectors and as investment in UK and allied defence capabilities continues to grow, Scotland is well placed to seize the opportunities that come with it.”
He added: “Realising that potential requires skills, investment and collaboration that no single organisation can deliver alone. The Scottish Government is proud to support the Alliance and will work with its members and partners as that work progresses.”
UK Government Minister for Scotland Melanie Ward pointed to defence activity on the Clyde and elsewhere in Scotland, including shipbuilding, submarine support, cyber, space, radar and electronic warfare.
She said: “The UK Government is delivering a defence dividend to support Scotland’s maritime sector – including through our Defence Investment Plan – as it continues to deliver critical national infrastructure. From Clyde and Rosyth shipbuilding, to Faslane and submarine support, to cyber, space, radar and electronic warfare, Scotland remains central to UK defence capability.”
Ward added: “This Alliance will help unlock high-quality jobs, boost skills, and drive inward investment across the Glasgow City Region and beyond.”
Lucia Retter, Deputy Director of Defence, Security & Justice at RAND Europe, said the earlier study had brought together industry, education, skills bodies and government to establish a common picture of the Clyde’s workforce requirements and economic potential.
She said: “The creation of the CMA shows how a clear vision based on robust evidence can turn shared ambition into meaningful change.”
The alliance is now seeking additional members from the maritime supply chain, education sector, investment community and public bodies as it moves from its initial formation into longer-term work on skills, infrastructure and industrial growth.
