Internships at SeAMK build a variety of skills

Jumping into something new always requires the courage to challenge yourself and the willingness to experience and learn new things. It takes will, and maybe sometimes a touch of madness. My own path has taken me from carpenter and electrician to business management, research, development and innovation to Digi skills, which may not be the most common journey, but learning new things has always interested me and that is why I am at this point writing the first public article of my life.

Studying – A lifelong continuum

Business studies are a very broad subject, and there are at least hundreds of different job titles. Education provides a comprehensive basis for these jobs, but the deeper skills are only acquired in working life. You cannot and should not learn everything at school, because learning is a lifelong journey from cradle to grave. RDI activities provide an excellent starting point not only for developing the organization’s activities but also my own skills, which makes it a very good place for an internship.

The main purpose of the traineeship is probably to put into practice what you learn at school on a theoretical level. In my work, I have found that what I learnt at SeAMK is not unnecessary. During my internship I have come across completely direct connections with my studies that have really surprised me. One example is the course on the procurement of information systems, which covered the main stages of procurement up to the submission of the invitation to submit a tender. At exactly the same time I was given the task of what kind of ticketing system SeAMK should have and what it should contain. The task is therefore almost directly comparable to the content of the course and gives very practical information on the subject.

You often hear graduating students say, when they receive their diploma, “I will never study again”. But the reality is that learning is just beginning, and that’s something my job has offered me very well. Every day I have learned something new and have been able to develop my own skills quite freely. I think that this job is the best place for work and training, and perhaps that’s why I applied for it.

Teamwork – the key to success

As a trainee, I have been able to be part of a team that has been easy to integrate into. Even when building a team, it’s good to take into account things like the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. Strengths play a key role in a team, as they compensate for the weaknesses of another team member, leading to a strong complementary team. The Digi skills team has a broad range of expertise in the areas covered by the team’s tasks. From the trainee’s perspective, it is easy to become part of a team like this, where everyone knows what the team is doing and how to achieve a common goal.

According to Lämsä (p.132), the key areas of good teamwork are:

• Common goal and rules
• Quality of interaction
• Acceptance of diversity
• Solidarity
• Manner and content of speech
• Feedback

In project work, a common goal is easy to build, as it is largely based on a project plan, in which each team member is assigned his or her main tasks. Of course, the team has cross-functional tasks, so we complement each other’s work to achieve the most relevant result. Interaction is one of the key elements of teamwork. Of course, part-time working hours bring their own challenges, which can cause communication breakdowns.

Every person, and therefore every employee, is different. There are many ways of working, but in our team, it is easy to make the trainee’s voice heard. Sharing responsibility is an important part of good teamwork.  I feel that as a team I have been able to work in a relatively self-directed way and have been given a reasonable amount of responsibility without having to ask for permission for every marketing communication. A positive tone when talking about SeAMK has been made quite easy, and usually positivity goes a long way. Giving feedback is also important, because without it, the team’s development is not given as good a chance as it should be. And should work be boring then? Well, it doesn’t have to be. Things usually go much easier when you enjoy what you’re doing, so it’s nice and easy to come to work.

Juha-Elmeri Rajala
Trainee, RDI
SeAMK

The author is working as a project worker on an ESF REACT-funded DigiSkills – Developing and utilizing digital capabilities -project. Read more: DigiSkills – Developing and utilizing digital capabilities -project. 

Reference:

Lämsä, A. M., & Hautala, T. T. (2004).  Edita.