Opportunities for jobs at Amazon and Trago Mills
AMAZON’S seasonal recruitment drive and the huge Trago Mills development in Merthyr Tydfil are excellent opportunities for Aberdare job-seekers, according to the local Job Centre.
Around 80 people have already gained temporary winter employment at the Swansea-based Amazon warehouse through the Aberdare Job Centre, while the £40m Trago Mills development in Merthyr – which will open in spring 2018 – could spell more good news for the Cynon Valley .
Ian Hargreaves, employment and partnerships manager at the Department of Work and Pensions, has said both are excellent opportunities for Aberdare job-seekers.
Speaking about Amazon, he said: “It’s currently great news for local people. Aberdare has done extraordinarily well out of Amazon, these last few years – there’s been an exodus of people taking jobs there.
“We’ve had 80 people recently taking jobs there from the Aberdare [Job Centre] office, and they will be starting around about now. We’d expect that number to rise to around about 115 to 120 towards Christmas.
“We’ve seen that people have got the will to get up for 6am shifts in Swansea – the people of the Cynon Valley want to work.
“These are temporary contracts but in years gone by we’ve seen the company keep around 8% to 10% of them permanently.
“There is the problem of travelling to Swansea, but there is also help available through a bus service for Amazon employees.
“If people want to know more about the Amazon jobs they should visit our office near Aberdare Library.”
And looking forward, Mr Hargreaves added that the Cynon Valley would expect to benefit from the Trago Mills development in Merthyr Tydfil, which would create 400 jobs in total.
Construction has recently started on the 30,250 square metre facility, which will be next to Cyfarthfa Retail Park, with jobs being created in retail, leisure and warehousing when the store opens.
Mr Hargreaves added: “We are working with our colleagues in the Merthyr [Job Centre] area to accentuate any opportunities from Trago Mills, which is great news.
“The groundworks are being laid at the moment, but I don’t think there’s a Job Centre in the wider Rhondda Cynon Taff area which won’t see a boost from that development.
“The opportunities will spring up for Aberdare as it comes along.”