Dale dodges the dole afterDalzell job disappears

Dale Gordon signed up for a college course which led quickly to a new job with petrol-chemical giant Ineos in Grangemouth.

The 19-year-old from Newarthill, who now lives in Lanark, had been working at the Tata-owned plant in Motherwell as a third year electrical maintenance apprentice.

He enrolled on a CompEx 01-04 Hazardous Areas electrical safety training course at Forth Valley College in Falkirk and after completing that is now an electrical and instrumentation modern apprentice with Ineos.

Dale said: “It wasn’t a big surprise when the announcement about Dalzell closing was made. Everyone knew the steel industry in the UK had been under pressure for a while.

“With that in mind I had been looking around to see what I would be best suited to. I had to start thinking about the future.

“I had heard good things from family members and friends about the five-day CompEx course at Forth Valley and, in looking at job descriptions in my line of work, it was essential I have this qualification on my CV.

“The course was booked and paid for through Tata and I thank them for that. It opens a lot of doors and opportunities, but it is quite hard, so if you do pass it is a feather in your cap.”