“My advice to anyone considering a career change is to take stock of the skills they already have and identify how those skills could transfer into another sector. This helps ensure that any retraining undertaken is both suitable and worthwhile.”
This is the view of Shaun Young, from Baglan, Port Talbot, after undertaking ECITB’s mechanical joint integrity (MJI) training and technical tests as part of retraining in the aftermath of the closure of the Tata Steel plant in South Wales.
In early 2025, as part of the UK Government-funded Tata Steel transition employability programme through Neath Port Talbot Council, ECITB approved training provider Zulu Joint Integrity & Training Ltd supported individuals like Shaun affected by redundancy with its MJI training and competency programme.
This resulted in a new career for Shaun at the age of 47 with Zulu, working on inspections on client sites in the engineering construction industry (ECI).
Shaun took time out from working as a joint integrity technician on a shutdown at the Dow Silicones UK chemicals site in Barry to share his story.
Retraining after ‘devastating’ news
Shaun has had a varied career across several industries. After leaving school, he began a roofing apprenticeship and spent 15 years in the industry, eventually running his own roofing company across South Wales.
He later moved to Tata Steel where he worked for seven years and progressed to become a senior operator in two sections of the coke ovens. With the closure of the traditional iron and steelmaking operations at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant, Shaun was made redundant in October 2024.
“When the redundancy announcement came, it was devastating. My biggest concern was how I would continue to support my family.
“I began exploring employment opportunities and quickly realised many local manufacturing and production roles did not offer salaries comparable to Tata Steel, so I started looking at alternative career paths.
“Attending several job fairs proved to be a turning point. It was there that I discovered the range of funding opportunities available to support retraining and career changes. This led to discussions with employability mentors from Neath Port Talbot Council.
“Within a matter of weeks, I had completed a number of qualifications, obtained my CCNSG Safety Passport and secured a place on Zulu’s mechanical joint integrity programme.
“I am extremely grateful for the support I’ve received since redundancy. These opportunities allowed me to retrain and pursue a career path I had never previously considered.”
Shaun Young
Zulu Joint Integrity
Important role of MJI
The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board’s (ECITB) four-stage MJI model of training and testing helps ensure the safe and effective tightening and bolting of mechanical joints, maintaining structural integrity and minimising leaks to prevent personal injury and environmental damage.
The scheme is applicable to a range of engineering construction sectors and is based on a series of ten ECITB training standards, three of which formed the MJI programme delivered by Zulu to former Tata workers from its base in Pencoed.
Shaun (pictured here and main image during the training) said: “The training programme was a hugely rewarding experience. It combined classroom-based learning, group discussions, practical demonstrations and hands-on use of specialist tools and equipment.
“These courses gave me a much deeper understanding of the importance of correctly assembling bolted joints. When carried out incorrectly, failures can result in serious incidents.
“The skills and knowledge gained are highly transferable and can be applied across numerous industries, opening up a wide range of future career opportunities.”
Zulu Joint Integrity is the only ECITB approved training provider delivering MJI training and testing in Wales. It also carries out compliance audits and independent inspection of bolted joints on hazardous sites across sectors like oil & gas, chemical and process industries.
Managing Director Christopher Mellows added: “Shaun joined our programme to prepare for the next chapter of his career.
“From day one, he stood out as a confident, competent and focused learner with a naturally high standard of workmanship and a genuine passion for doing things right.”
Transferring skills to new industry
After completing the MJI training, Shaun initially utilised other qualifications gained in the wider employability programme. He worked in a welding and fabrication position for a year before being employed by Zulu in May 2026 as a QA joint integrity technician.
With leak prevention vital across industry, his role involves inspecting bolted joints that have been dismantled and reassembled during maintenance activities on ECI sites.
He said: “The role plays an important part in maintaining safety, reliability and compliance within a major industrial environment.”
Having worked in practical, safety-critical environments his whole career “where attention to detail, vigilance and clear decision-making are essential”, Shaun says these skills and the wide range of qualifications he has gained over the years have helped him “transfer naturally into my current role, enabling me to integrate quickly into a new team and industry”.
Christopher added: “Shaun’s journey is a reminder of the resilience within our engineering community, particularly in South Wales – and of the real value targeted training can deliver when it’s aligned with industry needs.”
Find out more about ECITB’s 4-stage model to technical competence
