Justin Grech
Training and Development
Years on Earth – 32 years
Years at Melita – 8 years
Status – Single
I can honestly say that I love it and look forward to coming to work every morning.
At Melita, I hold the role of a trainer, leading development courses to both new recruits and veterans, making sure their skills are always up to date and enough for what is required in the industry. The role is not straightforward and can be quite challenging at times, but it is what keeps it interesting. I can honestly say that I love it and look forward to coming to work every morning. Watching people grow and learn gives me immense satisfaction. It is only through such training and development courses that the company can guarantee a good customer service. Melita invests and believes a lot in its people – a cultural factor that drew me to it in the first place.
I joined Melita 11 years ago as a help desk agent and then moved to quality control, where I spent over six years. In 2015, I left the company, but after a three-year back, I decided to join again, this time as a trainer, a role which I have held for the past six months. During my time away, I developed leadership and training skills at World Aviation Group, where I was responsible for delivering training – very similar to the role I hold today, but in a different field.
Away from the office, I hold a love for the theatre – be it to attend, co-direct, act or help backstage. The theatre is my second home – it makes me feel alive. This love for the theatre had always been within me, but something used to hold me back from being involved. In 2011, I decided to face my fears and just go for it. This experience helped break the walls I built around me and allowed me to grow both in my personal and professional life. Before I started being involved in theatrical productions, I was somewhat of an introvert, always choosing to take the backseat, but along the years, this has changed and I managed to acquire much more confidence towards life in general. In the past eight years, I have taken part in various productions including Phantom of the Opera, Mr Scrooge, Balzunetta Towers, Faith, Hope u Charity, Kristu fi Strada Stretta and Intriċċi.
However, I feel that my biggest achievement was script-writing for the TV thriller Maskra in 2013.
Each and every production was special in its own right, and choosing the best memory of all is not easy … however one that is very close to heart is my experience in Phantom of the Opera, back in October 2017. This is without a doubt my favourite musical of all time and being part of it was the most liberating experience of all time and if I had the chance, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Finding the time to juggle between a full-time job and the theatre is not an easy task – it takes a lot. There were times when after an eight-hour shift at work, I spent another 8 hours in rehearsals, sometimes leaving the theatre at five in the morning. This is the magnitude of the dedication and commitment it requires. I must admit, it’s exhausting, but it’s also highly rewarding. Once I’m on stage, the feeling I get makes all the effort well worth it, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s difficult to put into words, but the feeling is out of this world.
When I first started, I did struggle with time, but over the years, I have perfected time-management and this lifestyle has somehow become a norm. Today, I manage to balance the time at my job and the time at the theatre very well. I am the type of person who enjoys being busy, so I’m always on the lookout for new projects.
I cannot pin down what attracts me to the theatre so much. I believe that it is something that comes from within the person– one might discover it early in life or she/he might do so later on. I was lucky enough to have discovered it quite early and I’m hoping to be able to continue to enjoy this for as long as I am able to.
