My Tour4Youth journey: Tiina

Activities that can have a broad impact brought her to work in Tour4Youth

The Tour4Youth program is an international project consisting of project experts from Finland, Estonia and Latvia. One of them is Tiina, a project manager in Tour4Youth, employed in Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. For Tiina, it was interesting to start developing young people’s skills in self-development and further job search.

Tiina is working on a doctoral thesis on issues such as expertise and competence and how it is perceived and taken into account in organisations. She is also familiar with actors in the field of employment. Transition of young people from studies to work is significant for both individuals and society, and Tiina is interested to be involved in such activities where she can have a broad impact. These aspects brought her to work in Tour4Youth.

Knowledge, its development and employment follow similar paths in all sectors

Self-knowledge drives individuals to pursue the jobs and careers they want. Developing skills at work and beyond provides opportunities to progress from job to job and role to role. Of course, at the heart of this is the importance of economic livelihoods, so that young people, like others, who join the workforce, have the opportunity to build the life they want, including in terms of where they live, their families and their hobbies. Tiina says it is great to promote such goals in one’s own work.

“For individuals, knowing themselves and their skills and developing them over the course of their careers and life is an important factor in building a good life. For society, of course, a working citizen is the goal, that everyone should be able to participate in working life and build their own life independently.“

Tour4Youth offers a wide range of personal support activities to the participant. In Tiina’s point of view:

“Personal mentoring sessions and accompanying young people have proven to be a key factor in their commitment and success in achieving their goals. The moment when a young person enters a traineeship placement and completes a successful placement, which can also lead to paid employment, is the most significant moment in the project for the young person themselves.“

“The best thing has been to see individual development and increased self-confidence through successes and personal support. Young people are still inexperienced in how to develop and gain strength in self-esteem, for example.”

Organisations understand their role in growing the workforce of the future

Tiina knew beforehand that finding a traineeship placement or a job can be cumbersome but the amount of work it requires has surprised her every time. On a positive note, she adds:

“The attitude of some organisations towards youth employment has been pure gold. These organisations understand their role in growing the workforce of the future and are making a fantastic commitment to it. This sense of social responsibility has warmed my heart.”

For Tiina, this project has been a learning experience on people:

“I have learned about people – young people, employers, project workers and so on. Everything happens through people. I have also learned, of course, about different structures, both in society and in different organisations. Enabling is also at the heart of promoting employment.”

When asked about if Tiina can give any advice on how to be employed:

“Be brave. In general, people will help and support you if you ask for help. Each of us finds our own place and when it’s time to change the landscape, it should be approached with courage and curiosity. I want to instil the belief that you can and will learn, none of us is ever ready.”

Tour4Youth ends later this year, but the work regarding these themes should still continue. Tiina adds her insight into the advancement of these themes:

“I would say the first one is systemic development at the Finnish level to better enable employment. Secondly, that personalised support, especially for young people who need help in finding employment, is essential and worthwhile, so that young people can get into employment and do not become marginalised. Thirdly, that in working life, organisations should take account of the fact that there are no ‘ready-made experts’, but that the role of the employer is always to familiarise an inexperienced or experienced employee with the job.”