Life after steel: What's next for Port Talbot's steelworkers?

  • Report by ITV Wales reporter Gwennan Campbell, words by ITV Wales journalist Sofia Lewis.

Adam Williams first started working at the steelworks in Port Talbot as a 16-year-old apprentice right out of school.

18 years later, he "never thought" he'd be working his last ever shift there as traditional steelmaking came to an end in Port Talbot.

Adam is one of almost 2000 people whose jobs were set be cut following Tata Steel's decision to close both blast furnaces in Port Talbot.

After spending the entirety of his adult life working at the plant, Adam said steelmaking was all he'd ever known.

"Leaving work on my final shift, I didn't realise how emotional I was going to be leaving for the last time," Adam told ITV Wales.

Adam said he is "relieved" that he decided to start his own business after realising his job at Tata Steel was at risk. Credit: ITV Wales

But, ever since Tata made an announcement in January that it planned to axe thousands of jobs across its UK operations, Adam has been working hard to prepare for life after steel.

After speaking to a friend who was doing something similar, he began to research what it would take to set up his own cleaning business.

He taught himself what to do through YouTube videos, and took out a loan to buy a van and all the cleaning equipment he needed.

Now, after months of building up a client base alongside his full-time job, he's grateful that his business is thriving.

"It's been gaining traction through word of mouth, or pity, but I'll take both really," Adam laughed.

"It's in my own hands now, which is daunting to think but there is opportunity there as well... it's like a new dawn.

"I'm looking forward to what the future holds."

Adam said he's looking forward to a future in which he can choose his own working hours and spend more time with his family. Credit: ITV Wales

Adam is one of around 2500 people across Tata Steel UK who will lose their jobs before Christmas this year, with the majority of those affected based at the Port Talbot site.

That number doesn't take into account the many more contractors and workers in the supply chain who are also set to be impacted.

For Adam, he's optimistic that he can continue to make a living in the area long after traditional steelmaking ends.

But, for many workers, there is still uncertainty about what life after steel could look like.

Tata says it plans to build an electric arc furnace on the site which would make steel by melting scrap rather than using raw materials.

The last blast furnace at Port Talbot – one of the biggest steelworks in the world – shut down at the end of September. Credit: PA Images

The company said it wanted to turn to greener methods of steelmaking in a bid to reduce its UK CO2 emissions by five million tonnes per year and reduce the "overall UK country emissions by about 1.5%".

The arc furnace is expected to be operational within three years, with the steel giant emphasising it would mark the largest investment in the UK steel industry for decades.

But some workers are still in limbo about whether they would be part of that transition, while others will soon join an already-challenging job market along with thousands of others.

In response a support centre has been set up in Aberavon Shopping Centre in Port Talbot to support those steelworkers affected by the closure of the blast furnaces.

Community Union, the organisation behind the centre, said the closure will have a "huge" knock-on impact on the local economy and community.

The training and support on offer will be geared towards helping individuals to further their careers and find new job opportunities in Port Talbot and the surrounding areas, according to Community.

The union said the centre involves an “ambitious partnership” with the Welsh and UK Governments and local agencies, including Careers Wales, Neath Port Talbot Employability, Acorn employment agency, UK Steel Enterprise and Google Digital Garage.

A Tata Steel spokesperson said they were "deeply conscious" of the impact of its restructuring programme on employees, contractor partners and the wider community.

They continued: "As part of our £20 million contribution to the Transition Board fund, we have committed to supporting the cost of establishing, refurbishing, and running the Support Hub in Aberafan Shopping Centre to ensure all those who need to access support can do so."

Secretary of State for Wales and chair of the Tata Transition Board, Jo Stevens, said the funding from the UK Government via the board is "already making a difference."

She said: "We know there is still a huge amount of work to do, but we are already seeing people successfully placed in new jobs as a direct result of the £13.5 million that we made available.”

"We want every single person affected to have the support that they need," Jo Stevens said. Credit: ITV Wales

Welsh Government's Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans added: “We would all prefer to be in a position where this Community Support Centre wasn’t necessary.

"But, it’s important that we work together as we look towards the future and ensure that the very best and widest support possible is there for people bearing the brunt of Tata’s decisions.”

While Adam remains optimistic about the opportunities his business will bring, the prospect of a future without steel is daunting for many other current and former steelworkers who don't have work lined up.

What everyone seems to agree on is that there are likely to be some difficult months ahead.

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