UPM Graduates Life: The journey thus far

Tatu Skyttä

Graduate engineer, production

In early 2025, as I was completing my chemical engineering studies at Aalto University, I began considering my next steps. I came across UPM’s graduate program, and the engineering position in Communication Papers immediately stood out. With my academic background, previous experience at UPM, and the program’s strong development opportunities, applying felt like the perfect fit - and it has absolutely lived up to expectations.

Traveling for work

My time in the program has been quite the journey. I started in mid-May last year at UPM’s Rauma paper mill. Over the summer, I familiarized myself with the site and worked on the paper machine PM1 side for three months before moving to Rauma’s PM4 in September. After another three months there, it was time to leave my home base in Rauma and start my rotations at other UPM sites. The first rotation took me to the Jämsänkoski mill for two months, where I worked on the Communication Papers (PM6) side of the mill. Directly afterward, I started my second rotation at the Caledonian mill in Scotland, where I’ll be staying until late April before returning to Rauma. Suffice to say, I’ve traveled a fair bit for work during the last four months, which has been a new and exciting experience for me. Meeting colleagues and working at different sites has broadened my perspective and truly made the program a one-of-a-kind experience.

My time in Scotland has been especially memorable. Prior to this rotation, I’d never visited Scotland, so I was looking forward to starting at Caledonian with excitement and a slight bit of nervousness. Spending three months away from home in a foreign land sounded like both fantastic and slightly daunting opportunity. Happily, I’ve found there was no reason to be nervous whatsoever. In fact, I acclimatized to living and working in Scotland surprisingly easily. I imagined I might have trouble with the local accent, but I quickly found those fears were unfounded, and I’ve gotten along with my colleagues swimmingly. Like in Finland, the people at the mill have been great and have offered their help whenever I’ve needed it. As for my living situation, I’ve been based in the small town of Troon on the western coast of Scotland, which offers scenic views of the sea and to the Isle of Arran off the coast. Cycling to work along the coast has made commuting quite enjoyable- at least when the weather’s been good… in terms of Scotland, that is. All in all, my time in Scotland has been great, thanks in no small part to the people working at the Caledonian mill. I’ll be looking back on my time here very fondly.

A picture of my closest colleagues at Caledonian and myself taken at the mill. From left to right: Stuart Norris, Stuart Dickson, Davy Taylor, yours truly.

View of the Isle of Arran seen from the coast of Troon.

Horses on a field next to the Caledonian mill ready to greet people as they go by.

A picture of Troon taken on the coast during sunset.

Learning and development

As for my work, it has focused on process development and production projects, along with supporting mill engineers in their daily tasks. Learning from experienced colleagues in Finland and abroad has been invaluable and has allowed me to deepen my expertise in areas I’m genuinely passionate about. Alongside my work, I’ve also gotten to know the other graduates in our group as part of the program. Sharing experiences, comparing our work across sites and business areas, and learning from one another has been great for learning about what goes on in other parts of the company and getting an understanding of how things function outside of the mills. Getting to develop my skills in the mill environment and learning from the other graduates has been a fantastic opportunity, one I’m grateful to have received and taken on.

In conclusion…

Overall, the graduate program has offered me an exceptional opportunity to learn about the paper production process firsthand across multiple mills. It has strengthened my understanding of the industry and the field of process engineering, and given me a better understanding of how the company functions. The graduate program has certainly lived up to my expectations and been a unique and exciting way to get a start in working life. With several months still ahead, I’m confident it will remain one of the most memorable experiences of my career, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone looking to kick-start their own career. For now, I’ll be continuing my work at Caledonian before returning to Finland for the final stretch. Cheers!

The Caledonian mill in the distance. Picture taken on a good day from Troon’s port.

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