Rolls Royce Submarines will launch a new nuclear engineering academy in Derby and has opened up applications 200 apprentices for its first intake starting in September 2022.

Backed by the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the Nuclear Skills Academy will be a £15 million state-of-the-art training and research facility at Infinity Park. For the next decade, 200 apprenticeships will be made available each year as part of Rolls Royce Submarines commitment to boosting the country’s nuclear capabilities.

Rolls Royce Submarines is the engineering business which has been powering the UK’s underwater defence for more than 60 years. The launch of the academy comes after Rolls Royce and BAE Systems were awarded contracts worth more than £2 billion to begin the first phase of the replacement of the Royal Navy’s existing fleet of vessels.

Apprenticeships will be spread across four courses – Nuclear Engineering Degree Apprenticeship, Business Degree Apprenticeship, Nuclear Engineering Technician Apprenticeship and Advanced Engineering Apprenticeship.

All four courses offer ‘debt-free, higher education qualifications while earning a wage within an exciting and growing business that supports the UK’s net carbon ambitions’ said Lee Warren, Submarines Engineering & Technology Director, Rolls-Royce.

Steve Carlier, President – Submarines, Rolls-Royce, said: “Being born and bred in Derby, I am immensely proud that we are playing our part in further boosting the area’s reputation for engineering excellence.”