Are you interested in construction management, but your experience is mainly on the contracting side? We have a few employees who have made a career change, taking a bold step towards something new. One of them is Arto Hyvärinen. He had spent his entire career working in contracting before joining Welado in September 2018. Today, Hyvärinen works on road projects in Jyväskylä and serves as Welado’s Regional Manager for Road Construction Management in Eastern and Central Finland.
What kind of background and experience do you have in contracting?
I started my career in earthworks after completing my military service, working in asphalt paving from 2005 to 2007. After my first summer in asphalt work, I applied to study the field in Kuopio and spent the following two summers working in various asphalt industry roles around Finland.
From 2008 to 2018, I worked in site management and project management roles in earthworks in Central Finland, mainly focusing on road and street construction. I also gained experience in managing aggregate extraction sites, aggregate production and transport services in the earthworks sector.
The contracts and projects were mainly a wide variety of road and street projects commissioned by the ELY Centre, municipalities and cities in Central Finland. Most of the contracts were traditional construction contracts (KU) or design-build contracts (ST). My responsibilities covered every stage, from tender calculations to project handover and work during the warranty period.
What is your educational background?
- Upper secondary school
- Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Kuopio, 2010 (Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering)
- Tampere University of Applied Sciences, 2014 (Master’s degree in Construction)
- Infrastructure Construction Management Qualification, 2018 (RAP)
What attracted you to the world of construction management?
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency’s major investments in Central Finland’s road network in recent years have been extremely significant for the region. My desire to be involved in these large-scale projects gave me the opportunity to move into the world of construction management and supervision.
What was it like starting at Welado?
My start at Welado was really interesting and challenging too, because everything was naturally new and unfamiliar. After the induction, I got my site equipment ready on my second working day and headed straight to the construction site to take on the challenges.
The support of my supervisor and the organisation, along with the familiar construction site environment and some people I already knew from the contracting side, made my first steps easier. The basic requirement for successfully managing change comes from within: challenging yourself and having the willingness to learn new things. An open and curious mindset, together with the trust and support of colleagues, your organisation and your supervisor, is essential during the first few weeks. All of these were in place at Welado, and the company’s values and the way it operates according to them were reflected in everything. I also received support for learning new things through various training opportunities, which my employer encouraged and was very positive about.
How did your work or working days change compared to contracting?
The responsibility for things such as production planning and management on construction sites, managing subcontracting chains, procurement and scheduling is no longer part of the job. Instead, the focus shifts to ensuring that projects are carried out according to contracts and supervising the work from the perspectives of safety, quality, schedules and costs.
Working days are interesting and varied, thanks to the challenging projects. However, some of the work still involves the same familiar things, both on construction sites and in the office, and certain basic principles apply to projects whether you’re working for the client or the contractor. The main thing is to find a shared understanding so that the project can move forward.
What new things did you have to learn?
The company’s internal systems and ways of working were new. It takes some time to learn them. In actual project work, some of the systems were already familiar, which made getting started easier. I had to familiarise myself with the latest systems and guidelines for information model-based construction. There are also so many guidelines and standards in the industry that you have to go through them whenever necessary. The client’s administrative tasks and assisting with them on projects were partly new to me, but you learn everything by doing.
Which skills from the contracting side have been particularly useful?
My experience in tender calculations and understanding how different work activities are priced has helped with cost management and reviewing additional and variation work. Knowledge of different construction techniques and working methods makes it easier to predict how a project will progress and understand its scheduling requirements.
A basic understanding of the industry’s general quality requirements and construction site quality management processes makes communication between the contractor and the client easier. Recognising the characteristics of different contract types, particularly familiarity with design-build contracts (ST), has made the work considerably easier.
How have you settled in now?
I’ve settled into Welado extremely well, thanks to my fantastic colleagues, clients and other project personnel, as well as the interesting projects.
What fascinates you about construction management?
What particularly fascinates me about construction management is the opportunity to be involved in creating new, socially significant infrastructure for the benefit of us all.
What kind of person would you recommend a career in construction management to?
Open-minded, courageous, open and cooperative team players who have the desire and determination to work towards a common goal, as well as the enthusiasm to keep up with the industry’s continuous development.
Would you like to find out just how much greener the grass is on the construction management side? Send Arto an email or give him a call!
arto.hyvarinen@welado.fi, +358 40 057 1749