Navantia UK is recruiting 60 skilled workers at its Methil yard in Fife and has raised its commitment to recruit apprentices across its UK business from 500 to 750 by 2030. The announcement was welcomed by the Scottish Secretary, Douglas Alexander, who visited the yard on Monday 26 October, where the new apprentices will work on building three Fleet Solid Support ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The news was published on GOV.UK on 28 October 2026.

Jobs at Methil now

The 60 skilled roles now being recruited include welders, platers, riggers, scaffolders and painters, following the yard's second new vessel export contract. The workforce at Methil has already grown from 180 to 275 since Navantia UK acquired the yard in January 2025, and 75 apprentices are now training at the site. Investment in the yard has reached £26.7 million, including a further £12 million announced this year for training facilities, modern machinery, infrastructure and new technology. Ministers toured the yard during the visit and saw the newly completed paint shop.

Why the yard is expanding

Alexander said the UK Government had worked hard to secure the future of yards such as Methil, and that a busier order book, a growing workforce and a large increase in apprenticeships showed what was possible when government and industry work together. He described the growth as part of a new age of industrialisation for the UK, with Scotland at its heart, and said government support for the sector was delivering skilled jobs and growth for communities across Scotland. The apprenticeship increase to 750 by 2030 covers Navantia's UK business as a whole, not Methil alone, so applicants should check the company's own recruitment pages for which roles are based at which yard.

Sources: GOV.UK, Traders Union.