Maritime Skills on the Clyde

In Scotland, maritime industries have a long history and heritage. The fluctuations in demand and volatility of the sector seen over the last few decades have, however, eroded some of the skills base. Competition for talent with other rapidly growing sectors, such as offshore wind and infrastructure are presenting further challenges for maritime companies on the River Clyde in terms of recruitment, growth and retention of a skilled workforce.

RAND Europe undertook a review of skills availability across maritime companies on the River Clyde and developed a nuanced understanding of workforce demographics and emerging skills gaps. RAND Europe also identified options for attracting and growing the necessary skilled labour centred around collaboration between industry, government and education stakeholders in the region. The research was carried out between June 2023 and August 2024.

This report presents the final analysis of RAND Europe's research findings and should be of interest to the Clyde Maritime Enterprise as well as wider stakeholders in the maritime sector, government departments responsible for the acquisition of naval or commercial vessels and, of course, the National Shipbuilding Office. More broadly, this report might also provide insights for stakeholders in other sectors in need of long-term workforce development and planning.