With our investment program, Pölkky’s sawmills and further processing business will move to state-of-the-art technology, which will bring with them a new kind of need for expertise. The nature of work changes from physical work and a person’s handicraft-based skills to a technology-based process manager work. The requirements of the work are increasing, but at the same time the work is physically lighter and safer.
We respond to changing competence needs through transformative training, where we provide our staff with on-the-job apprenticeships that are flexibly tailored to the needs of the company and the job, as well as to the personal needs of the employee. Depending on the situation, training is available both for existing staff and for new personnel recruited as a result of the investments.
With the introduction of new technologies and the training of our personnel, learning environments are created to our workplaces, which will continue to be used for continuous learning as part of on-the-job training also in the future. This is Pölkky’s way to do it, not just a one-off project.
A good example of the implementation of the apprenticeship training is the one launched following the modernisation of the Taivalkoski factory’s planing plant, where 10 new production workers were recruited. Ms. Arja Majava from Taivalkoski is one of those employed via this training, that has been running since May 2021.
Arja started working at the old planing plant the previous autumn, and through the training program she moved on to the tasks and commissioning of the new planing plant.
“The training started with a few theoretical days, after which we started to ramp up production on the new planer – starting up the machines and seeing how the different parts of the equipment work. There has also been training days later on, including e.g. remote training days and a course on automation,” Arja describes the apprenticeship training program.
The training has been given its own dedicated space, time, and peace, with no work obligation on the training days.
“We have been able to concentrate on training in a peaceful way, as there is no work on the training days, and that has been really good. I’ve really enjoyed the training,” Arja says.
Arja also feels that the nature of the work has changed with the transition from the old planing plant to the new one.
“The work is no longer so physical. The tasks at the new planing plant involve quite a lot of observation, controlling machines and equipment, and you don’t have to do so much by hands, compared to the old side. It’s really easy now,” Arja sums up the changes in her workload.
Pölkky’s training program will continue and expand as the technology upgrades in our investment program see the light of day at our sites. So be sure to keep an eye on Pölkky’s communications to see if our training program could offer new career opportunities for you or someone close to you.
