Balaena Apprentice invited to 11 Downing Street ahead of the Budget

What a moment for our very own Stephen Wright, or Ste as he's better known to his colleagues, family and friends!
 
Yesterday, Ste, one of our recently qualified pipefitters who completed his apprenticeship with us, was invited to 11 Downing Street by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon John Healey, ahead of his Budget announcement in the House of Commons.
 
Ste joined a small group of invited guests in the State Room, where he received a particularly warm greeting from the Chancellor himself, complete with a hug!
 
He also had the opportunity to meet members of the ministerial team and talk about the work we do at Birkenhead, the skills within our 5 shipyards and the people behind British maritime engineering.
 
The Chancellor also reflected on his recent visit to Liverpool, sharing how much he had enjoyed the experience and his hopes for the attention it brings to the local Birkenhead area.
 
The Government's focus on apprenticeships, innovation, backing British businesses and reindustrialising Britain speaks directly to what we're already doing across Balaena.
 
As a British-owned maritime engineering group, we're investing in our shipyards, developing the next generation through our well-established apprenticeship programme and protecting the specialist engineering skills that Britain needs for the future.

Who better to represent that than someone doing the work?
 
Ste is one of the skilled people who make our industry what it is. Having him at Downing Street, meeting the Chancellor and even getting his hands on the famous red Budget Box, is a brilliant moment for him, his colleagues and everyone at Balaena.

Well done, Ste!