Kevin Kuruvilla is a graduate electrical engineer working at our Teesside Beam Mill. Having studied at Teesside University, he joined us as part of our 2022 graduate intake and is now enjoying developing both his skills and steel industry experience. Find out more about Kevin and his future ambitions...
What did you do before joining British Steel?
In 2022, I completed my MSc in Electrical Power and Energy Systems from Teesside University. Before that, I had a brief stint working as a trainee electrical engineer at Jio World Centre (India’s largest convention centre) and also as a marketing automation engineer in the IT industry where I worked for a B2B company.
Throughout the years, the 2 most valuable skills I learned from my experience are team management and effective communication skills.
Why did you want to join British Steel?
The graduate scheme offered by British Steel strongly aligned with my technical skillset and the values that motivate me as an engineer to solve various challenges each day. Also, working in the steel industry will help me experience various other disciplines including mechanical engineering, technical, R&D, business management etc, helping me increase my learning and development.
What does your day-to-day role involve?
I am presently working in the field of automation and control in the project teams at Teesside Beam Mill. One thing I love about this role is that I get to make my own logical decisions for implementing certain processes that help improve our manufacturing activities. For example, the latest project I'm working on is the finishing end project. We are planning to automate almost all the manual processes with the help of a new Siemens PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and an existing GEM 80 PLC. With the help of my manager, I have worked out how the communication between the 2 PLCs needs to be established and how the various plant inputs need to be sent from the new controller to the old one. The project is still in the design and development phase and is expected to be implemented in the coming months.
My day-to-day role involves learning and implementing various decisions in our PLC programs; this could include designing control logics for operator key panels, surveying and creating various tags in our Siemens PLC. Another key part of my role is understanding the various electrical designs and layouts used in the mill.
What are you enjoying about British Steel so far?
Everyone is so friendly. What I like most is there are various options for career progression within British Steel. I have 2 great managers and mentors overseeing my professional development and this also helps me learn various technical and transferable skills from them. The graduate scheme has a very well planned structure with quarterly training and performance reviews that help me set my goals.
Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years' time within British Steel?
I hope to have a long-term career within British Steel, gradually progressing from a graduate electrical engineer to a management position where I can lead a team. I also hope to train new graduates coming in and achieve chartered status in the process.
What advice would you give to other people considering a career with us?
Absolutely go for it without having any second thoughts! Through the structured training programme, anyone can excel.