Seach
Comatec recruits students from various universities for summertime positions at several of its locations throughout Finland. This summer, Comatec has employed students for various tasks, including mechanical design, strength calculation, electrical and automation design, hydraulics design, technical documentation, as well as in the group’s human resources, finance and IT departments.
Antti Jormalainen, a mechanical engineering student at LUT University (Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology), spotted Comatec’s summer job ads in the winter and decided to apply. This summer he is working as a Structural Analyst at Comatec’s office in Kuopio. He plans to continue working in the autumn while finishing his studies.
“My work consists of carrying out calculations, analyzing and reporting results, communicating with customers and participating in meetings. Here in Kuopio we are a smaller group of analysts, but I also work with people at other Comatec locations.”
Antti likes Comatec’s flexibility and the fact that there is a wide variety of work for different customers. “The best thing about my job is that the projects vary depending on the customer. It’s also nice to be able to put into practice what I’m learning in college. Scaling up the theory you learn in college can be tough, and the calculations also often involve making assumptions that are not always obvious.”
Samu Kallio, who works as a Trainee in Mechanical Engineering, also likes the multi-faceted nature of his job. “The variety of projects allows you to gain a wide range of skills. When you’re doing work for several different customers, you gain knowledge and skills from many different industries about all kinds of machines and systems.”
Among the challenges of project work that Samu enjoys are the need to adopt different practices quickly, as different customers have different company, industry and task-specific standards, guidelines, regulations – not to mention simply their own ways of doing things. When working on projects for shorter periods for several different companies, the worker must in effect become a “new” employee each time.
Although Samu’s first projects of the summer mostly involved various kinds of planning or documentation, the day-to-day work has been quite varied. Most of his time so far have been spent on participating in plant design. A typical day involves planning the layout of piping, structures and equipment. Interpreting and designing extensive plant drawings often requires going to the site, so factory visits are also part of Samu’s job description. He is currently working remotely in Lappeenranta on 3D modeling.
Samu is studying for a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and has now completed his first year. As part of the master’s degree phase Samu has applied for study modules on mechatronics and robotics.
“I really want to work in this field after graduation, which is why I applied for summer work in the industry. I came across Comatec’s ads on one of the many job search sites I browsed, and was thrilled to get the position I was looking for.”
Samu’s work is quite independent, and so the need to ask questions often arises. But he is never left completely to his own devices, of course: as in other areas, employees working on plant design projects always work under the guidance of a senior designer.
“I’ve found that Comatec has the essential qualities that I want and appreciate in an employer: there is a good team spirit, and communication works well. I also like the fact that the work here is varied and flexible, and you’re given the freedom to use your own head.”
Noora Puurunen studies mechanical engineering at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), and this summer is working as an IT specialist for Comatec in Tampere. Noora has a background in 3D printing and modeling, and is continuing her studies in order to further deepen her technical knowledge.
Comatec had several different types of jobs on offer for the summer of 2022. Once an applicant has given their consent, their details are entered in the recruitment system for use throughout Comatec Group for matching suitable applicants with the positions available.
“I applied for a summer job in Comatec’s documentation department, but my skills also suited the IT department’s needs. Comatec contacted me in the spring to ask if I would be interested in working with PDM [project data management] systems during the summer. And I definitely was, because working with SolidWorks and other PDM systems is really interesting.”
In her work, Noora goes through Comatec’s current purchasing inventory in PDM, as well as inventorying and updating SolidWorks add-ons. She is also involved in various installation work and tutorials, as well as assisting with problems that arise in PDM. Like the other summer workers mentioned, Noora works quite independently, but also has the support of colleagues when the need arises.
“The people in our IT department are really nice and always take the time to help,” Noora says.
A summer job is often the start of a longer career path at Comatec, and many of the company’s current employees started out as interns or as junior employees working on their theses to complete their studies. Noora’s experience with Comatec has also been positive, and she is already looking ahead to next summer.
“My colleagues here are nice, and you can be yourself around them. I’m also very happy that I’d had the chance to learn new things and develop my skills. I’d love to come back next summer to do my next internship, and I’d definitely recommend Comatec to others looking for a summer job.”
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