Developing Expertise in Robotics and Automation to Enable Career Growth

In 2021, Etteplan decided to start an initiative to support our employees to continue their professional development by learning more about automation and robotics at the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) in Finland. Selected employees also received a bonus for completing their studies. 

"By providing these opportunities, we are not only supporting the career growth of our people but also enabling new business opportunities for Etteplan with a top-notch expertise that we can offer to our customers," says Petri Sauriala, Business Unit Director, Central Finland Engineering Solutions. 

The main idea was to test a new way of acquiring new knowledge and skills and thus, support our employees in taking a potential next step or new direction in their career. The courses were designed to be easily accessible for everyone and therefore studying remotely and in English was the most convenient way to operate.  

We started the initiative with an open application process for employees in Sweden and Finland, and we received applications from all Service Areas: Engineering, Technical Documentation and Software and Embedded Solutions.  

The first half of the academic year has now been completed. The experience was positive, and it encouraged Ilkka Carlstedt, Lead Safety Specialist (Right), to apply the newly acquired skills in practice. 

“Before taking the course, my experience with Robotics was very limited. Robots are a part of multiple projects that I am working on, and the course was a great chance to develop my expertise,” Ilkka says. 

Etteplan always wants to support its employees to aim for new roles and take the next steps in their career paths. 

“The topics focused on advanced robotics topics such as kinematics modelling and associated mathematics, which are not directly applicable in my current role. There is however clear added value down the line in future projects in managing machinery safety regarding robotics through better understanding of the inner workings of robots and their control,” Ilkka explains.  

In the future Etteplan wishes to continue encouraging its employees to learn new skills. The course was a great way to support lifelong learning while working in a field that is constantly changing.  

“The course was good, and I am very grateful for Etteplan for encouraging employees to attend such courses and giving us learning opportunities,” Ilkka adds.