Our summer reporter Melinda wrote a four-part article series about Welado employees in the summer of 2019. The second person she interviewed was Pasi Kolomainen.
A Peek Under a Welado Employee’s Hard Hat! #2
This time, we’re interviewing Pasi Kolomainen. He has been working at Welado as a road and street construction supervisor for about a year. He has been in the industry for a long time, but when the opportunity to change jobs came along, he chose Welado because of the interesting job description, the company’s values, a long-term project and a convenient location. In his opinion, Welado is a good company because of its human-centred approach, which can be seen in practice on construction sites through respect for other parties.
After comprehensive school, Pasi attended upper secondary school and Turku Technical Institute, which is now a university of applied sciences. He graduated as a construction site manager. His path into the infrastructure sector was partly a matter of chance, as after upper secondary school he had to consider where he wanted to study. Originally from Southwest Finland, Pasi was keen to move to Turku to study. He became interested in technical studies through work he had done for a municipality, which had given him an idea of what the industry was like.
As a supervisor, Pasi’s working days are different and vary depending on the projects. He supervises contractors’ work on construction sites, including checking that work progresses according to plans and that safety requirements are followed. His working day often begins at his home office, taking care of administrative tasks such as checking emails, site diaries and plans. After that, he drives to the construction site to get down to work. At the moment, he is supervising three construction sites in Tuusula. Some are smaller projects, while one is a larger, 18-month project involving the Koskenmäki roundabout.
Pasi says the working atmosphere among Welado employees is good, although working remotely means he interacts more with contractors than with colleagues from his own company. He particularly appreciates Welado’s established approach to remote working and the fact that it hasn’t caused any problems. “I’m a bit of a lone wolf,” he says jokingly.
Pasi describes his work in three words: varied, masculine and responsible. His best memory at Welado was receiving a large order from a client, followed by further projects from the same client. These were a direct acknowledgement of a job well done. It’s always rewarding when a client appreciates your work.
The infrastructure sector will also see changes in the future. Information technology is becoming increasingly common, and 3D modelling equipment is already being used in excavators, for example, to measure depth. Paper archives and plans are disappearing from desks, and employees’ roles are changing. Pasi sees this change as a positive development because technology brings new opportunities. His advice to future students is to learn as much as possible about technical software during their studies. Young people entering the industry should have technical understanding, an aptitude for mathematics, social skills and empathy. Mathematics, however, is used more extensively in roles such as design engineering.
Finally, when asked what life advice he would give his 15-year-old self, Pasi has a concise answer: “Be brave!” By this, he means following your own interests and finding education and work that feel meaningful. Young people today are often told that they’ll eventually find their own path. Pasi wasn’t certain about his career when he was young, but by looking ahead with courage and seizing opportunities, he eventually found his way.
Summer Reporter Melinda
Could you benefit from Pasi’s road construction management expertise? Get in touch!
pasi.kolomainen@welado.fi, +358 40 827 8903
joonas.haverinen@welado.fi, +358 50 355 9298