GCRE training pilot to help former steelworkers

The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) and Neath Port Talbot Council have announced plans for a new skills programme to help former Tata steelworkers find employment in the rail industry. With funding from the Tata Transition Fund being delivered by the UK Government, the ‘Access to Rail Engineering Programme’ will be run at the GCRE site near Onllwyn and help 72 people get the retraining they need to find work in the rail industry.

The first cohort, which began training at the GCRE site last week, will undertake a three-week training programme designed to prepare them for work on the railway. The programme is working with leading rail suppliers in Wales to provide an opportunity for paid employment for all individuals who successfully complete the training. The plan is for the project to support six cohorts of 12 trainees through the programme over a six-month period.

GCRE, which is being developed to become a facility for world-class rail research, testing and innovation and is supported by the UK and Welsh governments, will work with the award-winning provider Train’d Up to deliver the programme; and although the GCRE site has yet to be constructed, GCRE will use rail track infrastructure it has developed at the site to host the training. GCRE is also encouraging more rail and supply chain employers to get involved in future cohorts of the programme.

Driving economic growth
Jo Stevens MP, Secretary of State for Wales, said: “Investing in training more than 70 Tata workers so they are ready to take up skilled, well-paid jobs in the rail sector is an example of how money from the Port Talbot/Tata Steel Transition Board is providing the right support for people in the local community. The UK Government’s number one priority is driving economic growth across Wales and the UK. Through our investment at GCRE and in Welsh rail at the recent Spending Review, we are ensuring there are good jobs and future opportunities in this key industry.”

Simon Jones, GCRE’s chief executive, said: “GCRE has the potential to create 1,100 jobs in its first decade and contribute more than £1.2 billion of benefits over its lifetime. It is great to show the early potential of our site as the region grapples with such a major economic challenge and I would encourage other rail and supply chain employers to get involved in the programme.”

Any employers wanting to get involved in the programme, or individuals made redundant from Tata Steel or a company in its supply chain, can email for more information.