LJMU ‘summit’ to regenerate UK shipbuilding

Liverpool John Moores University has pioneered a management ‘event' to address the needs of the UK shipbuilding industry.

The university’s School of Engineering hosted an executive project management skills event titled Mastering Shipbuilding Management 2024 (MSM 2024), organised by visiting Professor Tony Graham, Professor Jin Wang and Dr Edward Shaw.

Using themes around management disciplines, shipyard and shipbuilding technology and processes, and the integration of knowledge, the week-long programme brought together leading UK industrialists and experts in maritime engineering, technology and supply chain management.

In part, the event creates a culture of shared learning in the sector and comes in response to the National Shipbuilding Office’s (NSO) new strategy published in September 2023.

The strategy, backed by £4 billion of government investment, aims to galvanise and support shipyards and suppliers across the UK, with new measures including better access to finance, vital skills-building, and funding for crucial research and development into greener vessels and infrastructure.

The NSO endorsed the LJMU event and the Chief Executive Rear Admiral Rex Cox joined leaders from The Border Force, Babcock, The Submarine Delivery Agency, and many independent shipyards, suppliers, and consultancies.

Universities in Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and Australia expressed interest in hosting a comparable event to address their respective countries’ own shipbuilding challenges.

Dr Edward Shaw, said: “Knowledge transfer is key to facilitate the regeneration of the UK's shipbuilding industry. Managing effective ways forward to building the right ships at the right time is paramount to enabling competition on a global scale."

Professor Keith George, pro vice-chancellor of LJMU, said: “With our history in maritime skills dating to 1892, LJMU is delighted to remain at the forefront of innovation and academic support for the industry.”

Mastering Shipbuilding Management was a five-day programme, which hosted experts speakers who were all highly engaging and received positive feedback from an enthusiastic audience. Highlights included contributions from:

• Professor Tony Graham, who spoke about his career in the building of the Royal Navy’s current flagship aircraft carriers, and the RRS Sir David Attenborough.
• National Shipbuilding Office CEO RAdm Rex Cox who spoke about the Refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy.
• Damian Bloor the Director of First Marine International who spoke about high performance shipyard benchmarks.
• Bob Laslett who provided valuable insights on the commercial and legal aspects of shipbuilding from his illustrious career founding major global companies such as Chaucer Group, Onstream Group, and Laslett International Limited.

The success of the event has prompted immediate planning towards Mastering Shipbuilding Management 2025.

Image: Rear Admiral Rex Cox speaking about the National Shipbuilding Strategy.