The training period has proved useful. “I have learned a lot of new things and I have gained work experience and been paid. This period has also clarified my future plans in that I find the laboratory field is clearly my cup of tea.” The Teknoloikka training has also included a few get-togethers for all the Finnish Teknoloikka trainees organised by the Technology Academy Finland (TAF), the initiator of the Teknoloikka training programme. In Julius’s opinion the group meetings have been good.
First Teknoloikka programme in Finland
Julius Lipponen
UPM Biofuels has taken part in the first Finnish Teknoloikka training programme, organised by TAF, aiming to encourage young people to choose careers in the field of technology. Julius from Imatra, in South East Finland, was chosen as the first Teknoloikka trainee for UPM in August. He graduated from upper secondary school with a double degree, including a laboratory assistant’s diploma.
The double degree studies also included training periods, part of which Julius completed in the UPM Lappeenranta Research Centre. Thus a natural Teknoloikka training job was found in the process laboratory of the Biorefinery, where Laboratory Manager Jari Kotoneva acted as his mentor. “Julius has been a fast learner in doing analysis and he has been very helpful for us. In addition, he has received a lot of positive feedback from his colleagues,” says the mentor.
The Teknoloikka training programme is aimed at under 22-year-olds who have finished their upper secondary school and have not yet secured a place in a university. In addition to UPM, other companies that have offered training jobs include Kone, Metso, Wärtsilä, Outotec and IBM, among others.
Read more about Teknoloikka (only in Finnish): http://www.teknoloikka.fi
The Technology Academy Finland (TAF) is an independent foundation promoting innovations that improve the quality of people’s lives in a sustainable manner and encourages young people to choose careers in the field of technology.
