STEPS are already being taken to line jobs up for Honda workers ahead of the closure of the plant in 2021.

Since the announcement by the car manufacturer last month, which will see the direct loss of up to 3,500 jobs, a task force has been set up to minimise the impact to workers' livelihoods and the local economy.

The careers service is one of the organisations looking to cushion the blow of Honda leaving Swindon – if it goes ahead – in two years' time.

John Jefferies, a national careers advisor covering Swindon, is confident workers will be able to use their skills to find new employment.

“We are already having conversations with other employers,” he told the Adver.

“The next step then is to have more detailed conversations with people on the shop floor and getting a breakdown of all the different roles that Honda has.

“It won’t just be people in manufacturing who will be affected, a plant that size employs a massive and diverse workforce.

“I remain confident that the part of the workforce that will want to move straight into the same type of work, we will find positions for them.”

A question mark hangs over the future for young people who might be thinking of following their parents' footsteps into car manufacturing.

John added: “I don’t think they need to worry.

“Work is a lot more flexible now. People don’t have to travel to a fixed place for their job anymore.

“Even careers in manufacturing, when you think about the vast job roles within them, can still allow that flexibility of home working.”