Two former SSI employees that lost their jobs in the wake of the Teesside Steel Works’ closure, have secured new jobs with the px group.
John Hodgson, 37, from Marske was working as a project engineer in a team tasked with upgrading the ageing steel plant, while Adnan Rashid, 26, from Middlesbrough, was employed as a mechanical engineer. Both returned from holidays to the news that they were among the 2,200 employees to lose their jobs.
However, John is now an electrical control and Instrumentation engineer for the Stockton based px group, working with Operation, Maintenance and Support Teams across the company’s UK sites.
Adnan has taken up the position of assistant mechanical engineer at the px managed Fellside Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant in Cumbria – which provides critical process steam to the adjacent Sellafield nuclear reprocessing facility, in addition to exporting electricity to both Sellafield and to the National Grid.
John said: “I have been fortunate to join a growing business that is looking for people with the right skills that can be trained to apply these in different areas. I am now learning about the application of electrical engineering around gas processing, power generation and fuel handling. It is giving me so much more experience and I am enjoying the new role immensely.”
Adnan said: “It has been a fantastic experience so far and it is great working with such an excellent and supportive team here at Fellside. The new role has given me the chance to expand my engineering capabilities and further my knowledge and expertise in a new setting.”
The px group operates some of the UK’s most potentially hazardous energyprocessing and storage facilities – including power stations, gas processing plants and fuel storage depots – right across the country from as far afield as Aberdeen to Port Talbot.
Ian Clifford, the px Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to have been able to engage the services of John and Adnan. They will no doubt prove a big asset to our expanding team. Like so many of those unfortunate to lose their jobs at SSI, they are highly skilled and motivated people.”