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Get to Know Our Trainers: Steve Hache, CD

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Steve Hache, CD is one of our highly experienced Training Specialists. We sat down with him to find out more about him and how he decided to choose training as a career path.

Tell us about your educational background?

Steve: It was a dream of mine to pursue a career in the Canadian Armed Forces so, I joined the Royal Canadian Navy at 19 years old. In the 21 years of dedicated service in the RCN, I trained in and became qualified in a number of technical aspects ranging from complex seamanship evolutions, boarding operations, Steve Hachecrane operations, forklift operation, small arms, etc. to rigging and hoisting.

During my time as faculty with Nova Scotia Community College, I was introduced to the field of adult education and obtained my Community College Education Diploma (adult education – teaching, learning). I had an interest in safety so I successfully completed the Construction Safety Supervisor certification through Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association.

While I was employed with MSA Security in the United Arab Emirates I took courses in course design (HBI Learning Centers, Sydney, Australia) and adult education and assessment (Global Maritime And Transportation School, NY, USA).

What made you decide to go into this industry?

Steve: It made sense to continue with the field of safety and, rigging and hoisting since that’s what I was accustomed to. While I was in the RCN, there were constant opportunities to operate cranes or forklifts and perform rigging or hoisting tasks. Almost daily, we were called upon to remove or replace machinery out of engineering spaces, load or unload missiles, torpedoes, stores, operate cranes, etc., so, rigging and hoisting was a regular occurrence.

Can you tell us about your work experience before joining Hercules SLR?

Steve: Upon retirement from the Royal Canadian Navy I accepted a job working for an American security company in the United Arab Emirates. There I would be exposed to a whole new and exciting culture, training their Coast Guard in seamanship, basic boat operations, tactical boat operations and maritime law enforcement. This was an extremely challenging and rewarding experience!

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After a couple of years in the UAE, I came home and accepted a temporary position at NSCC as faculty of the Marine-Industrial Rigging program where I was tasked with turning a part-time program into a full-time program. The faculty and staff of NSCC were first-rate! I learned a great deal from each and every one of them.

After my temporary position at the community college, I was employed as a training manager and fall protection trainer for Total Fall Protection. There I gained a great deal of experience in training and gained a huge appreciation for the wide variety of industries within the maritime provinces.

What made you want to transition into training?

Steve: Speaking to groups of people was not a difficult thing for me to do since I have been doing so ever since I entered the workforce. In the military, I had to brief command on, and supervise, complex seamanship evolutions, rigging operations, boat operations, etc. However, teaching and training didn’t come naturally. My first role as a trainer was in the Royal Canadian Navy where I was posted to the Bedford Rifle Range as a small arms instructor. Nervous at first, but I grew to love it! I actually enjoyed speaking in front of people!

From there, my career path has been based on speaking in front of groups of people.

Why did you decide to work for Hercules SLR?

Steve: That’s easy – I have always appreciated the staff at Hercules SLR. When I was faculty at NSCC, they consistently treated myself and any student that I sent their way with the utmost respect and care. The program work terms that the students completed were extremely beneficial to them and also ended up with employment for a number of them. We developed and maintained a positive working relationship.

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Where have you traveled during your time as a training specialist for Hercules SLR?

Steve: A great deal of the training that we deliver is based in the maritime provinces but we are able to deliver training anywhere in Canada. The majority of the training I’ve delivered is mainly in Nova Scotia but I’ve also delivered training in Ontario and New Brunswick as well.

Where have you enjoyed traveling to most for training?

Steve: Abu Dhabi, UAE was awesome!! I met a great deal of fantastic people there and would welcome any chance to go back.

Is there anywhere that you would like to travel to in the future with Hercules SLR?

Steve: I would love to travel back to British Columbia! Hercules SLR has branches across the country and I’ve always loved BC. Other than that, I’d love to go back to Europe, Australia, United States, or Asia.

Lastly, is there anything that you hope to accomplish during your career in the industry?

Steve: I am hoping to get more LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineering Association) courses under my belt to further my knowledge in the field. My main focus though is to continue to contribute to today’s safety culture.

Hercules SLR offers a wide array of safety training courses. Alongside our standard courses we can tailor make courses to suit your specific requirements, at our facility or yours. To find out more about our course and how we can help you raise the bar in safety training email us at: [email protected]