In November 2019 around 80 students from different universities and universities of applied sciences around Finland participated in the Smart Technology Hub Ecosystem Challenge (STHEC) organized by Wärtsilä with its partners: the City of Vaasa, Vaasan Sähkö, University of Vaasa and Danfoss.
STHEC 2019 was all about ecosystem thinking and co-creation. 15 different teams worked in an ecosystem of customers, mentors, service designers and a prototyping alley to come up with solutions to six different real-life challenges provided by Wärtsilä and its partners. The members of the winning team got a very exciting reward – the main price of the challenge was a summer job in one of the arranging organisations.
Let us introduce you to three members from the winning team, who ended up working in Wärtsilä: Maria, Emil and Isabella! The 4th member, Rathan, continued his work at the University of Vaasa.
Isabella works with STH business transformation, purchasing and HR
“Many of my tasks are related to data management. People management and analytics data management in Wärtsilä’s learning platform, transferring data to Excel and uploading data to Miro (Operational Strategy Mind Map) are some of my tasks. Besides that, I am part of STHEC planning team and Wärtsilä Voice team.
I study International Business at VAMK and hopefully I’ll graduate in one year”, Isabella says.
Emil works in project creation and control within Wärtsilä Marine GBSC (Global Business Support Center)
“In Project Creation we create projects in SAP that have been sold by the sales department and then hand them over to the project manager, project engineers etc. When I am working with Project Control, I mostly update invoice lists and help with the PEVA process (pre-closing and closing of old projects).
I am studying economics at Hanken in Vaasa. I have finance as a major and accounting and commercial law as minors”, Emil tells.
Maria works with different STH projects
“I’m involved in many ongoing projects. In Asset Lifecycle Management project I have been participating in creating functional location structures in SAP and document structure in SokoPro. In the STHEC project we are currently creating packages to attract potential co-investors for the future STHEC. I am also taking part in preparing for the move to the Smart Technology Hub by planning a preliminary cleaning campaign where we motivate our colleagues to recycle unnecessary materials and items before the move.
I have just finished my second year studying International Business at VAMK.
Relaxed atmosphere and colleagues’ readiness to help surprised the trainees
Starting a new job during a global pandemic is not the easiest combination but all the STHEC winners think their traineeship experience has been great so far. They are especially grateful for their colleagues who are always willing to help.
“The attitude towards trainees and colleagues’ readiness to help surprised me. I of course knew that there would be general inductions and support, but not to this extent and not on such level. There is no working hierarchy, as I can freely text any person in my team as well as those involved in the STH project in case of some questions or uncertainties.
Trainees are treated here as a long-term intangible asset, meaning that it is an investment that will benefit the company for many years in the future. Trainees are not the ones who bring coffee or shred unnecessary paper”, Maria says.
“I was surprised how laid back and cool people are! Everyone works hard but we are also advised to have a balance between work-life and the life outside it”, Isabella tells.
People’s determination and focus towards more renewable energy are valued
“Things that I value the most about Wärtsilä are its people, devotion to its purpose and openness. Even though we are living in stormy and uncertain times, I can feel how closely the teams are connected. In Wärtsilä every person is a pro in her/his sphere, but we do understand and value the importance of a team. The way people work within the company towards the common goal is something that not every company possesses nowadays”, Maria explains.
Isabella agrees: “It was a positive surprise to get to know Wärtsilä’s values and how people orientated the company is. I value that we are focused on the wellbeing of people. Everyone matters as an individual. I feel that Wärtsilä as a company wants us to be driven and forward thinking in any life situation and overcoming things.”
“Wärtsilä´s focus and goals towards more renewable energy is also something I highly value”, Emil adds.
Working in a global company has many advantages
“Since this is my first summer as a trainee at Wärtsilä, my main focus is to learn as much as possible about the tasks that are done within my teams and about the company as a whole. I think Wärtsilä is a good workplace in many ways. I like the fact that Wärtsilä is a global company and if you get some experience in the company it may open up possibilities to travel”, Emil says.
“There is something new to discover every day. For instance, one day I learnt about governors in engines and their purposes, and the next day I got to know more about how Agile virtual teams are working and how Business transformation relates to Agile way of operating”, Maria says.
“I am more than happy to learn something every day and see how Wärtsilä really operates”, Isabella adds.
In Wärtsilä the sky is not the limit
“Wärtsilä is like a candy shop for grown-ups. If you like to grow, learn, expand knowledge and work with people, it is possible. The sky is not the limit, it’s just the view”, Isabella says.
“Wärtsilä has taught me how to stay in touch and be active, no matter what. It has also made clear for me that sky is not the limit when it comes to creating, updating or pitching even while following all the required guidelines. There is no limit to practice and enhance anybody’s communication and creative skills”, Maria concludes.
