We caught up with Darran Grace, Trainer Operations Support Team at Trostre, to find out more about his role at Tata Steel.
How would you describe your role?
As a Trainer in Operations Support, I specialise in health and safety critical courses, including those on working at height, confined spaces, and mobile plant operations. Working at the Tata Steel Trostre site we deal with steel made for packaging.
What is your day-to-day role like?
My day typically involves delivering training classes to the workforce, designing and updating training materials, and ensuring they remain relevant. Additionally, I’m a member of the Work Safety Council, which involves collaborating on various health and safety measures. Most of the time, I support the health and safety manager with different tasks. My department focuses on operational support for the team, which includes both training and providing essential assistance to the wider packaging manufacturing team.
How did you start your career?
I began off my career as a paralegal in criminal law after completing a law degree at Aberystwyth University. However, I quickly realised that that it wasn’t the right path for me, and I wanted to do something completely different. I first started out my Tata Steel journey at the Port Talbot plant, as I live near the site, where I worked for 10 months before transferring to the Trostre site to focus more on the packaging products of Tata Steel. That was 10 years ago, and I've been here ever since!
Why Tata Steel?
Tata Steel is a huge, respected company with many opportunities, the location was also ideal for me and offered the ideal career change and development that I needed at the time.
Can you tell me more about the work that you do with the local community?
I’ve been a Santa Claus for hire for 17 years now. It started as just a costume at university and quickly led on to a side job.
One memorable moment was when I wore the Santa suit while working at a Co-op on Christmas Eve. A child approached me, completely convinced I was Santa, and that interaction sparked my journey. Since then, I’ve been involved in various community events, including children's parties at my rugby club and the Tata Steel Trostre site. It’s incredibly rewarding, and although it can be stressful at times, the magical moments make it all worthwhile.
Does anything surprise you working for Tata Steel?
What really surprised me was the extensive level of expertise within the packaging manufacturing industry in the company. Steelworks is often perceived as a non-academic field, but I’ve found the workforce to be highly educated and deeply knowledgeable about their respective areas. Additionally, the number of opportunities that you are given to upskill yourself through training programmes is amazing.
What do you like the most about working for Tata Steel?
I think the variety of the role is always exciting - coming in and not knowing what you're getting yourself into that day, as every day is completely different.
What was your favourite part of your role?
My favourite thing about working for Tata Steel is that every day is different. Certainly, in my role, it is never monotonous, each day presents new challenges and keeps you on your toes.
What challenges do you face in your role?
One of the main challenges that I face in my role is that as a trainer, is training individuals who have been in the industry for multiple years. This can be challenging as these people already have a wealth of knowledge, so delivering refresher courses that add value can be tricky.
What was your favourite project?
I was involved in the roll out of the sustainable operational excellence programme in 2019 to 2020. The year-long initiative focused on continuous improvement, requiring us to deliver certain modules to the workforce.
It was very responsive since the Trostre plant operates continuously, we had to seize opportunities as they arose, often on short notice. It was intense but incredibly rewarding, as I learned a lot about myself and experienced significant personal growth.
What would you like to achieve in the next 10 years?
I want to feel content in whatever I do. While I am ambitious and open to progression, my ultimate goal is to look back in 10 years and say, "Yes, I’m happy with where I’ve reached."
What do you do in your free time?
I'm heavily involved with my local rugby club, sitting on the committee and working closely with the Minis and Juniors teams. When I do have free time, I enjoy being outdoors, hiking, and cycling. In September, I participated in a charity bike ride for prostate cancer, cycling from Brecon to Port Talbot via the Devil's Elbow. Along with 10 others, we raised something like £28K – a truly fulfilling experience.