TEN months ago John Hodgson and Adnan Rashid were among the 2,200 SSI staff about to lose their jobs at Redcar steelworks.

The pair are now looking forward to happier times after embarking on new careers at px group in Gateshead.

Mr Hodson, 37, from Marske was working as a project engineer in a team tasked with upgrading the ageing steel plant, while, Mr Rashid, 26, from Middlesbrough, was employed as a mechanical engineer before SSI closed in autumn last year.

Mr Hodgson is now an electrical control and Instrumentation engineer for the Stockton based px group. Mr Rashid has taken up the position of assistant mechanical engineer at the px managed Fellside Combined Heat and Power plant in Cumbria – which supplies the adjacent Sellafield nuclear reprocessing facility, in addition to exporting electricity to both Sellafield and to the National Grid.

Ian Clifford, the px chief executive, 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.”