By Ruth Mosalski

Copyright walesonline

It is a year since the final blast furnace at Port Talbot was wound down for the final time. While the two structures still stand proud on the skyline, it was a historic day, ending decades of primary steel making. On September 30, 2024, blast furnace four – the final one operating at the vast site – was closed, ending 100 years of primary steel making and bringing with it thousands of job losses as the Indian steel giant which owns the site turns to a new way of steel making. The company, with £500m UK Government funding, is moving to steelmaking via a new electric arc furnace which is due to open by the end of 2027. Work on changing the site for that is now ongoing. Tata announced 2,800 job losses, with most being expected in Port Talbot. A letter from economy secretary Rebecca Evans, rural affairs secretary Huw Irranca-Davies and culture minister Jack Sargeant, to a Senedd committee on September 18 has spelt out how many people have lost their jobs. Between September 2024 and the end of July 2025, 2,162 people have left the business, the document says. The letter spells out that 709 of those left through “natural attrition” which including retirement, other employment or started a new business. There were 1,332 people who took voluntary redundancy and 120 left via compulsory redundancy. A retraining scheme has been set up for any of those who were leaving via compulsory redundancy, and the letter says an e-training scheme continues to be available to any Port Talbot site employees leaving through compulsory redundancy. Four people completed one month’s training and have left the scheme. There has been no further interest to-date, the letter says. Community the Union reported that, as of April, 2,587 people had attended their help hub and some events have taken place including sessions on working on oil rigs and wind turbines. A different publication, via the UK Government, says nearly 600 Tata Steel employees initially at risk of compulsory redundancy have been offered alternative opportunities within the business. In total, the UK Government gave £80m in support to schemes to help those losing their jobs. The letter also lays out how many people are applying for help through the various grants and schemes being set up. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Business Growth Fund To support and provide capital and revenue grant assistance to help businesses, contractors and suppliers based in Neath Port Talbot to take advantage of growth, investment and diversification opportunities and create new jobs.via revenue or capital grants between £25,000 to £300,000. There have been 133 registrations through this, with six referred for support. Resilience Fund To support local businesses and other contractors based in Neath Port Talbot who are not eligible to apply for support from the Supply Chain Transition Fund but are expected to be impacted by the transition at the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot. This will include non-repayable grant funding of £2,500 to £50,000 to cover both capital and revenue costs. The letter says 158 enquiries have been received through this fund, with nine, thus far, referred to start up support. Business start up fund This is for grants of up to £50,000 to support affected individuals in the Tata Steel UK supply chain and Tata Steel UK employees who want to start their own business or become self-employed. Business Wales has now registered 219 clients interested in starting a business, with 193 actively engaged in receiving business support.