‘It’s vital we invest in skills and new talent for the future’
TATA Steel has welcomed its latest crop of apprentices and graduates.
It has recruited almost 100 into its apprentice training and graduate schemes – in such locations as Llanwern, Trostre, Port Talbot and Shotton.
Huw Mathias, Tata Steel’s training delivery manager, said: “It’s vital we invest in skills and new talent for the future as part of our development of a sustainable business.
“These new apprentices and graduates will be our engineers and leaders of the future, supporting our focus on supplying high-quality and innovative steel products for manufacturers in the UK and around the world. I look forward to watching our new cohort as they develop their skills and careers.”
The new recruits mean Tata Steel now has nearly 300 apprentices and more than 60 graduates in the UK.
The intake will join 158 apprentices and 39 graduates already at Tata’s primary steel-making plant at Port Talbot.
Two graduates who have joined the company are Steve Jones and Michael Venn.
Mr Venn, 23 and Mr Jones, 35, who both studied chemical engineering at Swansea University, recently started work at Port Talbot in a team looking for further cost savings in steelmaking and gaining more value from waste products.
Mr Venn said: “I applied for the graduate scheme off the back of my positive experience in Llanwern – I spent a year there working part-time on projects around the galvanising line.
“This helped show me how many opportunities there are in the company.”
Mr Jones added: “I wanted to work for Tata Steel because there’s so much going on in the company – it’s real engineering.
“But beyond that, there’s a chance to work for a company that makes a difference in the community – it’s such a big part of the local economy and a brilliant challenge to be part of supporting that.”