The Glass Futures Global Centre of Excellence, a proposed UK research, development and training facility, is already delivering on employment commitments, having successfully recruited for several key positions.

The drive has seen 12 members of staff and secondees appointed in key managerial roles, including a Technical Director along with General, Innovation and Partnerships and Finance Managers, with more positions ready to open up as part of the phase two jobs’ drive that will continue well in to 2021 and beyond.

The most recent recruits are all working remotely but there is hope that a temporary head office can be established in St Helens in the near future, acting as the operational HQ to spearhead the planned 158,000ft2 facility on the 14 acre site, adjacent to St Helens’ Rugby League ‘Totally Wicked’ stadium.

The facility will be centred around a 30 tonne/day low carbon demonstration furnace creating the world’s first openly accessible, multi-disciplinary glass melting facility, with capability for research and development trials to demonstrate new manufacturing processes, products and approaches to improve efficiencies, while decarbonising the glass industry and providing a world class training facility for the current and future workforce.

In total, the St Helens’ site is expected to create around 50 skilled jobs directly, along with hundreds of indirect employment opportunities.

www.glass-futures.org