University secures up to £7 million to boost defence-related skills

The investment is being made through the Office for Students' Defence-Related Skills Funding Competition
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University secures up to £7 million to boost defence-related skills

The investment is being made through the Office for Students' Defence-Related Skills Funding Competition
The University of Plymouth has been awarded significant funding by the UK Government to expand opportunities for students in programmes including science, engineering, computer science and artificial intelligence.
The investment, through the Office for Students' Defence-Related Skills Funding Competition, includes a commitment of up to £1.7 million that will enable the University to enhance teaching facilities across its campus.
It also provides up to £5.3 million, to be invested between now and 2031, to increase the numbers of students on programmes that are key to defence, security and resilience at a regional and national level.
With more than 2,500 Plymouth graduates already working in those sectors, it will further bolster the University's contribution to the UK defence workforce.
The announcement builds on a number of recent successes for the University and the wider community, which are reinforcing Plymouth's status as a city on the up and a place where people can come to live, work, study and succeed.
Many of these are being driven through Team Plymouth, the city-wide consortium in which the University is a core partner, and they include the investment of £50 million in Plymouth through the Defence Growth Deal and the city's designation as the UK's National Centre for Marine Autonomy.

This is fantastic news for our university and comes at a time of real opportunity in Plymouth and across the South West.

I hope this investment will reinforce the message that this is a place where people can come to learn and earn, enjoying successful careers alongside a fantastic quality of life. Our defence and security businesses urgently need a pipeline of highly-skilled workers and, through this and other initiatives, we are working together to deliver that.

Richard DaviesProfessor Richard Davies
Vice-Chancellor

The funding forms part of an £80 million investment package awarded to 24 universities and colleges across England, and they will be tasked with creating almost 2,500 new student places over five years starting from this autumn.
In an announcement on the GOV.UK website, the Government says the funding delivers on the Strategic Defence Review's recommendation to boost the pipeline of skilled workers who can contribute to the UK's national security.

Plymouth's defence sector is motoring thanks to brilliant companies, a rising defence budget and investment in new docks and technologies. What we now need are more people with the skills to support our national security. This funding for courses that support defence and dual-use careers helps show again that defence is an engine for growth. This funding is a green light to creating more well-paid, good jobs right here in Plymouth helping keep our nation safe.

Luke Pollard.jpg

Luke Pollard
Member or Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Marine Station
In recent years, the University has invested in new teaching and research facilities that are used by students on its science and engineering programmes.
The new funding will enable it to install cutting-edge technology in three of those facilities, including: a £520,000 upgrade to the robotics systems within the Autonomous Systems Test Laboratory of its Babbage Building; a £475,000 investment in marine autonomy platforms and deployment capabilities at its waterfront Marine Station; and a £750,000 upgrade that integrates the University's maritime simulator suite with the maritime cyber security laboratories in its Marine Building.
As well as providing access to new technologies, it will enable the University to increase the numbers of students who can participate in computing and engineering practical activities in the future.
The investment is also designed to increase the numbers of students on programmes across the University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, ranging from civil engineering and computer science to robotics, ocean exploration and data science.

I am very proud that we have secured this investment from the UK Government.

It enables us to enhance the experiences we offer our students, meaning they learn using the latest technologies and gain skills that they can use immediately once they enter the workforce. It will also help them foster greater connections with many of the UK's biggest employers, who we know are looking for their skills and ingenuity once they graduate.

Christopher FogwillProfessor Christopher Fogwill
Executive Dean of Science and Engineering

The ambition is for the University – working together with partners across industry and society – to address the current higher-level skills shortfall and meet demands created by sustained investment at HMNB Devonport, the largest naval base in western Europe.
This will also ensure a strong pipeline of graduates for the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence, defence primes with bases in Plymouth such as Babcock and Helsing, the regional supply chain and the rapidly developing dual-use marine autonomy sector.

We welcome the announcement of this important funding, which reflects both the scale of the opportunity in defence-related skills and the strength of our long-standing partnership with the University of Plymouth. This investment will further strengthen the alignment between industry and academia, helping to equip learners with the advanced technical skills and future-focused capabilities industry needs.

Through Team Plymouth, we already see the tangible impact of close collaboration across business, education and civic partners and this funding will accelerate our shared ambition to develop a highly skilled, diverse workforce and drive sustainable growth for the city and the wider UK defence enterprise.
John Gane.jpg

John Gane
Managing Director of Babcock International Group’s Devonport facility

Double success for our city

City College Plymouth, one of the University's key partners, has also been awarded £2 million through the same funding programme to deliver a series of new science,  engineering and technology programmes.
These courses will be accredited by the University, with staff from our Faculty of Science and Engineering closely involved in programme development, teaching and student support.
The investment means a combined £9 million is coming to the city of Plymouth, further emphasising its place as one of the UK's key centres of defence innovation and skills.
University of Plymouth Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Davies and City College Plymouth Principal Jackie Grubb celebrating the awarding of funding to both organisations through the Office for Students' Defence Related Skills Funding Competition
Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard Davies and City College Plymouth Principal Jackie Grubb celebrating the awarding of funding to both organisations
 

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