Summer jobs in Tampere City provide young people with valuable experience and prepare them for the future
Riccardo Carnesella is arranging dishes on the third floor of Tampere City Hall. Carnesella, who moved to Finland from a small Alpine village in northern Italy, is using the microwave oven’s dome to explore different angles and light reflections.
This isn’t a new food-heating technique. The dishes have become building blocks for an urban landscape of the future.
Carnesella, who speaks five different languages, is studying urban planning at the University of Tampere and is working this summer as a planning intern in the City of Tampere’s Transportation planning department.
Carnesella’s first encounter with Finland took place two years ago during a high school exchange program. That’s when he met his current girlfriend, who is also in her second year at the University of Tampere. At the same time, Carnesella discovered Tampere’s international urban planning program – and a summer internship as a planning intern.
– I found a really interesting program here and thought it could open a lot of doors for me in the future. Now Tampere already feels like home.
In urban planning, Carnesella is particularly interested in geographic information systems, maps, and the creative side of planning work. Over the summer, she has been involved in, among other things, incident reporting and various traffic planning projects. In the future, Carnesella hopes to stay and work in Tampere.
– Planning requires taking many different factors and stakeholders into account. That’s exactly what makes the work interesting, says Carnesella.
Summer job introduces sustainable development
Jeremias Leisti started his summer job in mid-June and immediately began working on a wide variety of tasks related to sustainable development.
His workdays at Tampere Youth Services’ sustainable development have included, for example, learning about a nature conservation programme, sharing information about it on social media, painting benches, and various visits around the city.
– No two workdays have been the same. It’s been really nice to get to do such a wide variety of things, says Leisti.
The opportunity to work at Tampere Youth Services came about thanks to a tip from the youth counselors at the Annala Youth Center. Now Leisti has had the chance to learn about the city’s sustainable development goals and how they’re put into practice.
Landing a great summer job isn’t the only good news this summer. Leisti, who just finished middle school, received the news he’d been hoping for from the spring joint admissions process when his first choice came through.
– I got into Kaleva's senior secondary school, which was my top choice.
After Kaleva, Leisti plans to apply to a University of Business and Economics. He is particularly interested in sales, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development in his future career. In other words, his current summer job is a perfect fit for Leisti’s own interests.
In addition, one of the most anticipated moments of the summer is her first time serving as a counselor at confirmation camp.
– I’m really looking forward to that. This summer has given me a great sense of accomplishment and success, Leisti says with a smile.
Previous experience led to first summer job
Valtteri Vilponen is spending his first summer job at the Sampo Early Childhood Education and Care Centre. He’s already familiar with the nature of work at an early childhood education and care centre, as Vilponen previously completed a TET internship at the Hiidenkivi early childhood education and care centre, where he also spent his own time as a child.
– It was fun at Hiidenkivi to run into staff members I knew from my own time at daycare, Vilponen says with a chuckle.
However, daily life at the early childhood education and care centre is now significantly different at the Sampo early childhood education and care centre compared to her time at the Hiidenkivi – or at least in part. At the Sampo early childhood education and care centre, Vilponen’s duties include playing with the children, taking them outside, and helping them with things like getting dressed.
– Working with the children has been fun. Plus, the staff here is nice and professional.
Seventeen-year-old Vilponen will begin his second year at Pyynikki upper secondary school this coming fall. Of his school subjects, history and psychology interest him the most, but his future plans are otherwise still open. On the other hand, his airsoft hobby has remained a constant in the life of this high school student from Olkahinen.
– I play airsoft about once a week over in the Lempäälä area.
Vilponen’s summer job at an early childhood education and care centre lasts a total of two weeks, after which a well-deserved vacation in Italy awaits.
– We’re heading to Genoa with the whole family right after my summer job, Vilponen says happily.
