Further £5mln available for the Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board
The funding from UK Government is designed to help young people in Port Talbot, Wales, to secure jobs.
The closed blast furnaces at the Tata Steel Plant at Port Talbot, South Wales, UK
© Leighton Collins/shutterstock
The government says the intervention will support Welsh steelmaking communities, secure the future of Welsh steel and ensure Port Talbot plays a leading role in the UK’s transition to clean energy.
Back in 2023, the UK Government and Tata Steel agreed a joint investment package to build an Electric Arc Furnace at Port Talbot. After Tata Steel decided to discontinue the blast furnace at the site, with subsequent impact on jobs.
An initial £250,000 will be transferred right away from the Transition Board Skills Fund to the Youth Hub in Port Talbot. This will help to establish the scheme and identify opportunities to expand the hub, with further funding available of up to £5mln from existing Transition Board funds.
The Youth Hub is a Department for Work and Pensions scheme, run in partnership with Neath Port Talbot Council, the Welsh Government, Community Union, employers, charities, and training providers, to support young people aged 16 to 24.
The Youth Hub will ensure young people can access onsite jobcentre support alongside mental health and housing support, skills and training opportunities, careers guidance and direct connections to employers with live job and apprenticeship opportunities.
The government reports that the additional investment will help boost young people’s skills by:
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Funding new technology for young people to use to find jobs and apprenticeships in sectors such as steel, advanced manufacturing, green industries and financial services.
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Providing dedicated support for young people to attain skills and find work in sectors of the future, particularly in green industries, including by working with local colleges and businesses.
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Developing wider outreach youth hubs in other communities within Neath Port Talbot and the surrounding area with additional employment support being put in place.
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Expanding existing provision of employment, skills, housing and health support.
The government claims that the previous £700mln investment into the transition in Port Talbot, protected 5,000 Tata Steel UK jobs, and there has been no increase in the uptake of unemployment benefits in the region since the closure of the blast furnaces.
This announcement of additional funds to support employment comes hot on the heels of news yesterday that British Steel would be brought into public ownership.
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