Old timers give the best practical teaching in the field

Mikko Suoranta, who works as a substructure engineer in VR-Track Ltd’s railway design unit, appreciates his very experienced colleagues and the unique practical lessons he has learnt from them. Mikko joined the company as a trainee from the structural engineering department at the Helsinki University of Technology in 1999, so he has plenty of experience of the work, his colleagues and his employer.

“The work we do here as design engineers is really varied. There are plenty of challenges. As well as our own design work, we work actively as expert advisors with the Finnish Rail Administration. We give opinions on standards for the sector, we carry out needs analyses concerning railway development and maintenance, and provide control, monitoring and business sparring services for our partners in various projects.

There is so much design work for the rail network that it is simply impossible for us to do it all ourselves. However we do enough design work to keep our hands in. The company provides an outstanding viewpoint over our sector and gives opportunities for practical lessons that cannot be learnt at school or anywhere else.

The work is independent and responsible, even if I don’t have anyone working under me. Our aim is to find the best possible solutions in each project, and after thorough groundwork to find innovative answers that will also get everyone else excited. We work under constant pressure, for there is plenty of work and design times are short.

I enjoy my work very much. It is easy to arrange your private affairs here. The working day is 7.5 hours. If you work overtime, you can choose to be paid for it or take time off in lieu. Self-development is encouraged and it is possible to get further training.”