You’ll do great here – just be yourself!

Nenna Pääkkönen, who came to Vatupassi as a financial management work experience trainee, is pumped with excitement towards the end of her training period. Her future with Vatupassi depends on her finishing her studies, but it seems highly likely that we’ll be seeing Nenna in the Joensuu office in the future too, livening up the atmosphere.

– Okay, so Milla has been coaxing me to continue here, but I’m trying to finish my studies as well. Admittedly, it is kind of tough to go back to your studies once you’ve had a taste of the real working life, the energetic and enthusiastic Nenna says with a laugh.

A young woman’s work experience training in a male-dominated field centred around construction machinery has raised some eyebrows in Nenna’s circle of friends and acquaintances, be she herself couldn’t care less about all the questioning and wondering.

– My dad has a company in the metal industry and I’ve been used to exchanging banter with “the guys” ever since I was little. I haven’t had any problems sliding right in here at Vatupassi. It took maybe a couple of weeks for the boys to warm up to me, but we have got on great. Everyone is welcome and accepted here, just as long as they are being themselves. Now, after five months, we have even reached a level of mutual teasing and winding each other up. It’s safe to say that I’m part of the gang now, Nenna chuckles.

Nenna says that she has learnt so much during her training period. In addition to things related to her studies, such as invoicing and all the Excel spreadsheets that used to be a real drag in her opinion, Nenna has come to realise that nowadays she also gets excited about the machinery.

– Well, I didn’t have the faintest idea about what scissor lifts or boom lifts were. But just the other day I was taking photos of some new arrivals, and all of a sudden I was like ‘wow’! These are so cool. So, my thinking has changed in that respect too. Luckily, I’m not afraid to ask stupid questions, and I’ve always insisted on people explaining to me what each machine does. I’ve learned a lot like that.

Vatupassi truly is a family business, where siblings work together – and in several generations already. According to Nenna, it creates a truly unique atmosphere at work.

– Vatupassi’s relaxed and easy-going atmosphere is the number one thing. There is no squabbling or gossiping here. I’ve already seen at home what the dynamics of a family business are. When everybody knows each other, you stay close. Just like families do. There are risks involved, of course, but it works here. You can really tell that the company is important to all the employees. It’s quite moving, really, Nenna says in the countdown to her final days of training.

Published 12.2.2020.