BAE Systems has announced that it is to open a £25 million apprentice-training facility at Barrow-in-Furness, where it designs, builds and tests submarines for the Royal Navy.

The defence giant said that the 86,000ft² facility will provide “a tailored learning environment”. Its apprentices already work on the Astute-class hunter-killer submarines and the Dreadnought-class ballistic-missile submarines that will ultimately carry the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

The new facility — due to open in 2018 — will include a teaching block, classrooms, offices, craft workshops and welfare facilities.

It will feature submarine mock-up sections that allow apprentices to gain hands-on experience in a controlled environment and help them “develop skills working to the tolerances required to build submarines”.

Tony Johns, managing director of BAE Systems Submarines, said: “The design and build of a nuclear-powered submarine is one of the world’s most complex and technically demanding challenges. It is vital that we have the right people with the right skills to deliver these programmes.”

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: “This investment demonstrates the benefits that our growing defence budget brings for highly skilled jobs in the North West and across the country. It will ensure that we have people with the skills necessary to help modernise our fleet of nuclear submarines.”