Civil engineering vocational students competed for superiority in the Finnish Youth Vocational Skills Championship at the Taitaja2026 event in Tuusula on May 19–21.
The victory in the competition was taken by Riveria Thomas Soikkeli (in a red hoodie). Keudan Mikael Viljakainen (on the roller on the left) came in second and the Productivity Society Alex Suono (second from the right in the black shirt) was third. The other finalists were Matias Hanhimäki ja Happy Birthday From Gradia, Juuso Janger From Luxia, Aki Sirén From the chest and Rasmus Pohjolainen From the Work Efficiency Association.
Diverse and demanding race tracks
The competition is led by Keuda Janne Hakkinen ja Mathias VarpaIn addition to them, there were several judges, guardians and company representatives in the teams. The competition tasks, which were the result of extensive cooperation, were based on the commendable level requirements of the Construction Machinery Driver Examination part of the basic construction qualification.
The competition consisted of seven modules that measured the work of an earthmoving equipment operator as a whole.
The competitors had to build pillar foundations, install drainage wells, move the crushed stone storage, familiarize themselves with the work equipment, use the machine control system, unload the load and provide customer service. Everything had to be done according to the drawings and job description. They also had to master the measurement work required in different work phases.
Customer service available
The main judge of the competition was GRK's training manager. Jere Hänninen, who believes that including a customer service task in the competition was a successful innovation. In the task, the competitor acted as a contractor's representative and discussed with the customer the asphalting of the yard of a detached house.
“It was a surprise how good the students were at customer service,” Hänninen praised.
Another interesting task was the introduction of Avanti's remote-controlled excavator.
Of the ten points awarded in the task, two were given for careful familiarization and the rest for driving skills. The judges, who were representatives of the rental company, evaluated the competitor from the perspectives of careful familiarization and driving skills.
The partners in the infrastructure construction category were Volvo, GRK, Kreate, Novatron, Meltex, KH-Koneet, Konesilta, Dimex, Seepsula, Wihuri Tekninen kauppa, Minikone, BCE Pilarit, Suomen Viemärihuolto, Kuljetus Nupponen, Avant Tecno, Scania, Würth, Cat Rentals, Recontech, Lyreco Finland, and the main prize partners were the Finnish Construction Association and INFRA ry.
Warm thanks to all participants, organizers and partners.
The Taitaja2027 event will be held at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre from 10 to 13 May 2027.
Are you interested in participating in the event? The specialist for infrastructure construction is TTS's Jani Vottonen, Jani.vottonen@tts.fi or tel. +044 714 3663 XNUMX.