AS well as maintaining its position as a major player in the construction of the two new British warships, Appledore Shipyard has also found time to launch a new state-of-the-art skills centre.

A former training centre at the North Devon yard has been transformed into a new centre which will provide computing, literacy and numeracy courses for staff.

Bosses also say they envisage opening it up to the wider community in the longer term and say this project has also contributed towards the enormous strides forward Appledore Shipyard has made in the past few years.

The skills centre is a collaboration between the yard, unions and learning centres and is considered by the shipyard team as a unique new initiative.

It will be officially launched on March 15 with the general secretary of the GMB, Paul Kenny, and Devon county councillor and former ship- yard worker Cllr Andrew Eastman from Appledore. Shipbuilding director Andy Hamilton said: "This will be quite an event for us."