YIT ranked as the ideal employer in the construction industry for the sixth consecutive year in Finland

Science and technology students in Finland have again ranked YIT as the ideal employer in the construction industry in Universum’s 2015 student survey. YIT has held the top spot in the construction industry in the survey throughout the 2010s. The survey respondents highlighted diverse tasks, a friendly work atmosphere and supervisors that are supportive of development as the most important attributes of an employer.

YIT will again hire some 600 trainees and summer workers in Finland this year to accumulate practical experience and apply their theoretical knowledge in tasks that match their skills in trainee programmes such as YIT Path. In the YIT Path programme, students selected for summer trainee positions from universities of applied sciences and universities, as well as some vocational school students, work systematically in assistant and independent positions in construction or supervisory duties in line with their skills and academic background.

“A successful summer training experience benefits both the student and YIT. It gives students the opportunity to accumulate work experience before graduation, which makes for a smoother transition to working life. Valuable knowledge is exchanged bilaterally at construction sites during summer training,” says Timo Piili, who is responsible for YIT’s co-operation with educational institutions.

Co-operation with schools also helps develop education – YIT Studies programme now in its fourth year

Recruitment events, student meetings, company visits as well as summer job and training opportunities are effective ways of presenting the company and the construction industry to students. YIT has taken its co-operation with educational institutions a step further. In addition to goal-oriented co-operation based on mutual annual agreements, YIT has also pioneered co-operation through the development of the five-credit YIT Studies training programme aimed at construction industry students at partner universities and universities of applied sciences.

“The need to better match theoretical teaching content with contemporary production methods and standards was highlighted often in our discussions with educational institutions. Häme University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University of Applied Sciences were open-minded in joining us in the development and piloting of this study programme about four years ago. YIT Studies gives our experienced project personnel the opportunity to provide training and share their expertise with students using our active construction sites as training content,” explains Timo Piili, who was involved in the development of YIT Studies.

The most recent group, comprising 27 students from different educational institutions, started their YIT Studies programme last week. Aimed at students of construction engineering, Master Builder students and M.Sc. students in engineering, the YIT Studies programme has been expanded to six universities of applied sciences as well as Tampere University of Technology. Some 70 students have already completed the YIT Studies programme.