Teemu, an electrical and automation engineering graduate, became interested in Pemamek by coincidence. He started as a summer employee and over the years he has had the opportunity to work in various teams and jobs at Pema.
The initial interest in Pemamek was sparked in 2017 through a campaign called “A Thousand Young Leaders” where Teemu was able to spend a day visiting Pemamek and observing the working days of different managers. After this, he started studying and got a summer job in electrical installations at Pema. When it was time to choose what subject he would major in, Teemu chose automation technology.
“I had originally thought of studying electrical power engineering, but working at Pema sparked my interest and inspired me to study automation engineering. I saw there a lot of potential also for the future.”
The most interesting thing is when you can put your own ideas into practice and get involved in the development work. Big projects bring a lot of responsibility!"
Interesting projects and possibilities
Teemu’s first job at Pema was in electrical installations, where he for example got to go on a business trip to Germany for a couple of weeks. In 2019, he started working as an electrical design trainee and got to learn from more experienced designers for example how to use electrical design tools. In addition to electrical work, Teemu also has work experience from the procurement side at Pemamek. He worked there for a year and enjoyed learning new things, working closely with customers and the social side of the job.
“At Pemamek, I have been surprised that if I have looked for new challenges, it has been well taken into account and new responsibilities have been offered. Pemamek is such a big company that you don’t have to change companies if you want a change in your job description.”
Teemu says that his experience for example from electrical installations has been very useful in his current role as an electrical engineer. Cooperation with electricians is important to him and he often visits the factory to see if there is anything he can help with, if better pictures are needed or if the plan is otherwise clear.
“The best thing about the job is that you can see your own handprint in a tangible way. In many other jobs, the electrical plan is done on paper and when it leaves the office, you don’t see what happens afterward. Here, the hall is full of big projects and you can see your handprint in the projects immediately. The most interesting thing is when you can put your own ideas into practice and get involved in the development work. Big projects bring a lot of responsibility!”
How to combine work and studies?
Last autumn, Teemu started studying again after entering the Master’s program at the University of Tampere, majoring in Electrical Power Systems. The biggest single surprise of working at Pema has been how easy it has always been to combine work and studies.
“I had told my team early on that I wanted to progress in my career and it was very warmly received here. Hours were reduced and I’ve been working shorter weeks to make sure all the pieces have fallen into place. Pema encourages people to study and the workload is considered to be in line with the need to manage work and studies at the same time.”
Teemu also praises the team spirit at Pemamek. It is easy to ask for help and there is a cooperation between different teams and departments. Before Pemamek, Teemu’s work was mobile and he could largely decide how his day went. He wondered what working in a factory would be like and how diverse the days would be. However, these preconceptions were quickly erased.
“A lot of what I had imagined turned upside down – the projects at Pema are big, technologically advanced and automation is involved in everything. The work is varied and in some projects, you can even go abroad. The team spirit is good and the responsibility that comes with your own projects is inspiring.”
Tips for people applying to Pema
“Feel free to apply! We make some really interesting, technologically advanced machines. It’s worth checking out the company and just getting in contact with us. Career opportunities are good. If we have a job that interests you, but your educational background doesn’t quite match the job description, you should still apply.
If you’re a student, a graduate, or finishing your studies, it’s really well taken into account here and encouraged. For example, I got a lot of motivation for my thesis work since I knew that if I was successful, my final project would be used here in electrical design and installation. It is still in use today!”
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