Zaporizhstal creates conditions for the development of each employee. During the year, about a thousand specialists at the enterprise acquire new professions and gain new experience in practice. Even during the war, Zaporizhstal's mentors not only help new employees to master their profession, but also continue to deepen their own knowledge in the industry.
A person is a lifelong learner. Every day we learn something new in one way or another, and this rule is especially true when it comes to employees of such a large enterprise as Zaporizhstal. Nowadays, the steel works, like all Ukrainian enterprises, is going through difficult times due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. Nevertheless, the training is still ongoing: new people are joining the workforce, and the Works' mentors are sincerely helping them to get used to their new jobs. Among those who are undergoing on-the-job training are many refugees who have settled in Zaporizhzhia, specialists from other business units of the Works who wanted to learn a new profession, and young people who have chosen Zaporizhstal as their place of work.
For each of them, mentors become the closest colleagues who help them overcome the learning curve. Of course, mentors must also have the skills of "teaching". To this end, the Works organizes training for mentors, where specialists from the HR department and coachers help production workers to deepen their knowledge of the basics of mentoring. Such training was held in January.
– We trained two groups of about 15-20 employees from Metinvest's enterprises in Zaporizhzhia. The main goal of the training is to pass on mentoring skills to mentors in the workplace and in practice. As we understand it, the learning process in an educational institution and in a real production facility with real work tasks is fundamentally different. That is why we need to understand and find the right approach, - Oleh SIDORENKO, a leading specialist in the HR Directorate, says. – Such training for Zaporizhstal employees and employees of Zaporizhzhia Casting and Mechanical Plant, Zaporozhogneupor, Zaporozhcoke and Metinvest Promservice will continue. Of course, it is subject to safety conditions, as wartime imposes certain restrictions on all of us.
Learning at work places
Aleksandr Satsiuk was one of the employees who expressed a desire to learn a different profession at Zaporizhstal. Today, the man is undergoing training in the Blast Furnace Shop and is planning to work at the casting area. His mentor Yaroslav Logvin is helping him to master the profession of a casting machine operator.
– This is my first experience as a mentor, and I am glad that I can help someone on his or her professional path. I've been working at Zaporizhstal for more than two years now, and I also had a mentor at one time, so I'm very grateful to him and to each of my senior colleagues who helped me get used to it. We are all one team, working for a common result, so the issues of the work process are also common. Oleksandr is a very diligent and motivated mentee, and this is already halfway to success, - Yaroslav LOGVIN said.
Oleksandr has experience in the Hot Rolling Shop as a crane operator. He has been working at the plant for a long time, and now he has decided to change his job profile, develop and look for ways to grow professionally. Usually, training with a mentor lasts for six months before an employee can start working independently. Oleksandr is currently in his second month of training and is absorbing the knowledge shared with him by his mentor Yaroslav.
There are many mentor-mentee tandems at the Works. Mykhailo Herman is another example of perseverance. He is currently undergoing training at the hydrochloric acid regeneration section of the Cold Rolling Shop.
– It is an interesting job, especially when you only know the theory of such processes. Practice is the best teacher. At Zaporizhstal, this training system for employees is very well established, and the atmosphere in the team is comfortable. And although I came to work here quite recently, I am sure that I will quickly get used to it and start growing in my profession, - Mykhailo says.
Mykhailo's mentor is an experienced regeneration technician Taras Moroz. He has a lot of experience, understands and performs his important and responsible work with "excellent" marks.
– We work with chemical compositions, and the quality of finished products also depends on us, on the work of our site and our specialists. That is why training for new employees or those who want to change their profession is a necessity here, which is needed by the entire team, not just that person. This is how the team works - smoothly, clearly, professionally, together, - Taras MOROZ says. - Mykhailo is only at the beginning of his way, but I am sure that he will be able to start working independently ahead of schedule.
