Everybody was quiet and we knew from that second nothing was going to be the identical

Jason Bailey was there as Tata shut down its ultimate blast furnace in Port Talbot and confronted beginning life once more

It was the second which modified the lives of steelworkers in Wales for good. The ultimate blast furnace and different heavy finish services at Port Talbot’s Tata steelworks shut down on Monday, September 30 triggering 1,900 job losses on the plant and extra at its UK operations, together with different Welsh websites.

Among the many employees gathered there on the ultimate day was Jason Bailey. He was primarily based within the main metal boss plant, the place he was an operator and sizzling steel pourer.

“It was emotional that day. Everybody was quiet, as a result of we knew from that second on that nothing was going to be the identical,” the 42-year-old, from Neath, defined. You may learn extra in regards to the historic day it closed right here.

“It was historic to see that the final conventional metal making we had was going. It was a complete bunch of feelings, the entire place modified. There have been individuals there who had been panicked, and folks there who had their heads within the sand.

“There was a man I labored with who was 62, and he had his arms on his head and he’d be saying ‘I am achieved. What am I speculated to do? I’ve set to work till pension age, who’s going to take me on at this age?’

“Personally, I used to be gutted, as a result of it took me 4 years to get into the place, and it was someplace from a baby, that was the type of factor I needed to do.

“There have been days the place spirits could be up, and different instances then the place individuals could be very frightened. Any bit of reports performed an enormous half on how we lived our lives in and out.

“We did not hear so much, and we might hear essentially the most of it via the information first. Everytime we might be coming into work and see the information crews exterior, you’d suppose, oh no, one thing has occurred. It might be that method, actually.”

Mr Bailey defined that it “felt like each different month” that he and his colleagues had been being pulled in to a gathering or an interview.

He mentioned: “They might mainly be saying that ‘we’re not saying you may have been chosen for redundancy, however your job is not sure’.

“Strolling into a kind of issues, you would be hoping for somebody to say ‘don’t be concerned, you are going in with the electrical arc undertaking’, however that was solely given to a really choose few. The total Boss plant was 660 employees, and I feel they saved on about 80. Everybody knew the chances had been towards them.

“It was onerous to just accept once you benefit from the job, particularly for many who had been there all of their lives, as a result of they knew nothing else. There was some asking themselves ‘what can I give to the surface world?'”

Mr Bailey defined that when he first learnt of the looming job losses at Tata, he took a pre-emptive determination to use for to check for a BSc in healthcare science (medical engineering) at Swansea College.

Medical engineering is a hands-on position which entails testing and sustaining the important gadgets utilized in all varieties of affected person therapy, from anaesthesia in working theatres to life assist in important care models.

“I did not know the course existed, however after I noticed it, I assumed, it would not hurt to use,” he mentioned.

“I used to be fortunate sufficient to be awarded a spot within the course beginning in September, which coincided with the closure.

“I am nearly ending my first yr now. I’ve loved the problem, it’s one thing totally different in comparison with simply doing all your job. At first I used to be out of my consolation zone, however I am a agency believer of getting a wider data of issues and it’s nice the breadth the course is offering.”

Mr Bailey hoped that his path might present an inspiration to different former steelworkers a few new route they might comply with.

The dad-of-three mentioned: “It’s about making an attempt to construct a bridge of communication in order that not less than then the boys can have that possibility.

“I do know the talents that these boys have gotten will be transferable, they are often utilized to different issues. It is nearly that consciousness actually. Boys have been on the steelworks, and have been there for years, however what they’ve achieved there – well being and security, initiative, out of the field considering, that may be utilized wherever, and the NHS, and different corporations, can profit from these expertise.”

Senior lecturer and programme director for medical engineering, Andrew Morris, added that the staff on the college is eager to recruit candidates who’ve studied an engineering course and employees at Tata Metal match the factors.

He mentioned: “We’ve seen Jason transition, with relative ease, making use of engineering rules that he beforehand used within the steelworks to the healthcare setting. Coping with medical tools in a hospital is a vital perform of the complete organisation and the degrees of security and threat have parallels when evaluating Tata to the NHS.”

Head of healthcare science, affiliate professor Dr Barry Bardsley, added that the healthcare sciences programmes are commissioned to assist meet the workforce wants in Wales.