Some have found their way to a summer job at Welado through sheer determination, others through recommendations, and some simply by luck. We collected stories from previous years’ summer employees about how they found their way to Welado, what kind of work they have done here and what their own career paths at Welado have been like.
Otto Närhi
I wanted to work at Welado because the company seemed interesting, and the job description, which differed from other summer jobs in the industry, sparked my curiosity. Construction management roles place a strong emphasis on managing projects and the bigger picture, and I was particularly interested in developing my skills in these areas.
I feel that my background as a civil engineering student has been useful, but communication and interpersonal skills also play an important role in consultancy work. After all, everything in these roles is done in cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders, and the days involve plenty of negotiations, documentation and thinking things through together. At least you quickly get over any fear of making phone calls! Working alongside a safety coordinator or supervisor gives you the opportunity to learn not only about managing safety culture but also about giving constructive feedback.
I’ve learned an enormous amount about railways and train traffic over the summer, and I’m gradually getting to grips with the technology and terminology. Working at Welado has been relaxed and independent, but help has always been available when needed. The learning and development of summer employees is considered important, and responsibilities are gradually increased, which keeps the learning curve moving nicely upwards.
Another great thing was that summer employees at Welado are included as equally valued members of the team and treated in the same way as permanent employees.
Heini-Maaria Hakala
I ended up at Welado by luck! The company had only been around for about six months at the time, and I’d never even heard of it. But Google worked its magic when I started looking for suitable companies in the infrastructure sector.
I’ve spent my entire time at Welado working in Oulu as a trainee Project Engineer. At the moment, I’m also working on my master’s thesis alongside my project work. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of railway expert projects as a Project Engineer. The diversity of the projects is probably best illustrated by the fact that I’ve been able to explore both railway signalling systems and railway electrification, as well as deepen my expertise in environmental matters. I’ve also become particularly familiar with project document management systems and information management. Occasionally, I’ve also had the opportunity to use my English skills, for example when translating documents. There’s a short introduction to the RAID-e project, which I’ve also worked on, on our website.
My tasks have been extremely educational and varied, which suits me perfectly. I’ve really enjoyed working at Welado because the colleagues are friendly and helpful, and the atmosphere is positive.
Taivo Kolomainen
I ended up applying for a summer job at Welado because working with railways sounded interesting and like a great opportunity to learn something new. My decision was also influenced by the very positive and people-oriented impression I got of the company, as well as strong recommendations from a few fellow students.
Thanks to the excellent induction, I quickly became familiar with the company’s ways of working and practices. As soon as I started, I got straight into real work and was given responsibility, rather than being left sitting around with nothing to do. During the summer, I worked on a variety of interesting projects, including a rail transport project in Estonia, and learned a great deal about different aspects of railway construction management. After the summer, I’ve been able to continue working on an interesting master’s thesis alongside my project work.
In addition to the meaningful tasks, Welado has an absolutely fantastic team! It’s been great to see that Welado is an organisation with a flat hierarchy, where people genuinely work together and encourage one another. It’s always nice to come to work because the atmosphere is relaxed, and you can influence what your working day looks like.
Aleksi Himanen
I first heard about Welado when I was working on my bachelor’s thesis. Welado’s name came up as the construction management consultant for the Highway 4 project in Oulu, and after doing a little Googling, I was left with a positive impression of the company. I decided to apply for a summer position at Welado during the next summer recruitment round.
I came across Welado’s stand at a few student recruitment events. I went to talk with the Welado employees there, which strengthened the positive impression I’d already formed. The application process ended well, and I was selected for a summer job at Welado in Oulu.
During my first summer, I worked on both road and railway projects, although perhaps slightly more on the railway side. I was involved in tasks such as road marking quality supervision and Project Management Services for railway maintenance areas 9 and 10. During the summer, I got to prepare procurement documents and requests for tenders, carry out supervision tasks, and participate in walking inspections of railway tracks and culvert inspections on the Äänekoski–Haapajärvi railway section. Overall, the summer left me with such a good feeling that I continued working on an hourly basis alongside my studies throughout the winter.
Last summer, I worked exclusively on railway projects. At the beginning of the summer, I mainly worked in Project Management Services, and towards the end of the summer I moved into railway asset management in Northern Finland, which covers railway asset management throughout Northern Finland in maintenance areas 9, 11 and 12. My tasks remained largely the same as during the previous summer. Since then, I’ve continued working in the railway asset management organisation. My plan is to start my master’s thesis towards the end of the year or early next year and graduate by next summer.
The working atmosphere at Welado has been really good throughout, and I was immediately welcomed as a full member of the team. At no point did I feel like I was “just” a summer employee. Help has always been available whenever I’ve asked, and I’ve felt good about my experience the whole time. I haven’t regretted applying for a summer job at Welado.
Sofia Lane
My summer job at Welado was an incredibly rewarding experience. The best part was getting to work on tasks related to my own field and educational background. When I applied, I wouldn’t have guessed that Welado would have work for a mathematics student, but I’ve had opportunities to apply my skills at every turn. I’ve also gained valuable experience to support my further studies in applied mathematics. So here’s a tip for others: Welado really does offer an unusually wide variety of work!
After the summer, I’ve continued working at Welado part-time alongside my studies. My working hours have been extremely flexible, and I haven’t had to explain myself when I’ve occasionally wanted to focus entirely on studying. The work tasks have also complemented my studies nicely.
Marjut Raunela
My educational background is in aircraft maintenance and mechanical engineering, and I’m currently working on my master’s thesis at Welado. I’m studying Mechanical Engineering at Tampere University, specialising in Safety Engineering.
At the beginning of 2020, I was looking for a suitable summer job when I came across Welado’s summer job advertisement. After reading it, I decided that was where I wanted to work! Only afterwards did I start thinking that I didn’t have any education in civil engineering, let alone work experience in construction. I decided to apply anyway, and hey, I got a summer job in safety and risk management!
After the summer, I was offered a permanent position. This was also possible alongside my studies because all I had left to complete was my master’s thesis. During my summer job interview, it had already become clear that I could do my thesis at Welado. I just needed to find a suitable topic that interested me. The opportunity to complete my thesis was like winning the lottery. I found a suitable topic, and the thesis is expected to be completed during spring 2021.
Before starting my thesis, I was involved in various railway construction projects, working in supporting roles related to safety and risk management. The list of tasks is long, but generally they involved familiarising myself with the projects from a risk management perspective. Remote working has been strongly recommended throughout my employment, but I’ve still had the opportunity to visit construction sites, which has been a good thing.
In addition to risk management tasks, every summer employee was given a development project last summer. My own development project was related to social media, and I regularly updated Welado’s social media accounts. During the summer, I also created employee profiles for members of the TURRIS team. By interviewing my own team members, I got to know my closest colleagues really well and learned more about their backgrounds. All in all, I’ve really enjoyed my time at Welado!
Viljami Merenluoto
I first became familiar with Welado a few years ago when I was working a summer job on a construction site supervised by Welado. The company stayed in my mind after the summer, and I thought it would be great to work there. When Welado’s summer job applications opened, I didn’t think twice about submitting an application. Talking with Welado employees at the University of Oulu’s recruitment event also gave me the feeling that this was the place where I wanted to spend my summer working.
The transition from hands-on construction work, so to speak, to working as a trainee engineer went smoothly. I started working remotely from home in the spring, and during the summer I also began working at the Oulu office. My tasks mainly consisted of assisting with road projects. Visiting construction sites and working at the office provided a nice balance and helped me better understand the tasks I’d already done or would be doing next.
After the summer, I was given the opportunity to continue working at Welado on an hourly basis alongside my studies. It has been easy to fit work around my studies, so working hasn’t had a negative effect on them. Quite the opposite: working in my own field alongside studying has motivated me to study even more.
Miro Pakarinen
I’m a 21-year-old second-year Information Systems Science student at the University of Jyväskylä. Last summer, I was a summer employee at the Kouvola office, although only “on paper”, as I visited the office just once during the entire summer. Fortunately, the summer involved plenty more than just remote work.
I applied to Welado on the recommendation of someone I knew, and I’m glad I did. The most interesting part of the job was the variety of tasks, and especially the opportunity to work on real projects.
My summer job could be divided into four stages: induction, the supervision application, supervision and the Estonia project. Welado deserves a big thank you for the induction. It was comprehensive and lasted two weeks. The induction was so extensive that even the instructor on the electrical safety training course was surprised that a company provided such thorough training.
The second stage of the summer involved the supervision application. I studied how Power Apps works and how it could be used to create an application to support supervision. At the same time, I worked with supervisors to define the requirements for what the application should include.
The third stage involved both supervision and the supervision application. At this point, I worked as the main supervisor on one project while continuing to develop the application. Once I’d finished the supervision application, I joined the Estonia project. There, I got to work on tasks related to procurement and contracts.
For me, the best part of the summer was finishing one project and getting to start a new one.
Veli-Matti Heikkilä
I’m a 24-year-old trainee Project Engineer at Welado, based in Tampere. I’m in my fifth year of studying Civil Engineering at Tampere University, specialising in infrastructure structures. I’d previously worked on the contracting side and wanted to experience infrastructure construction from the perspectives of other parties as well.
Last autumn, I heard that Welado had interesting work opportunities available. The company seemed appealing, so I decided to apply. I started working at Welado last spring.
My work in railway construction management began in May on the Tampere passenger railway yard development project, known as TAHERA. During the summer, I also had the opportunity to work on other projects and learn from numerous top experts.
To me, Welado is a modern and developing employer that I can definitely recommend to others. Hopefully, we’ll see each other again next summer!
What’s your story, and what kind of path will you build at Welado? The only way to find out is to apply to work with us! You can find more information about job opportunities and a link to the open application here. Good luck with your job search!