YIT, which is well-known in the property and building sector, organizes training at St Petersburg for all groups of personnel from the induction of new employees to vocational training. The competence requirements are a combination of both Finnish and Russian.

YIT builds homes in Russia at places such as St Petersburg, Moscow, Jekaturinburg, Rostov-on-Don and Kazan.

“As a Finnish-Russian company, we differ from a purely Russian or Finnish work community. That is why induction is needed by all new staff, both blue- and white-collar, Russian and Finnish,” says Markku Ukkola, the development director.

The company organizes induction, courses, language training, further training, and supervisor and management coaching. The emphasis in the vocational training is on arranging qualifications.

“Last year 80 people at St Petersburg obtained a vocational qualification that corresponds totally to the Finnish qualification,” Ukkola points out.

Locally based

According to Ukkola, in the years since the Soviet Union the amount of vocational training in Russia has decreased. For this reason YIT Lentek, which is the St Petersburg subsidiary of YIT, supplements the competence of its workers directly to meet the needs of production.

“Our operations are very much locally-based. The operating environment and partners are Russian, likewise the customers. The competence requirements are very much Finnish and Russian combined,” Ukkola stresses.

“The continuing and relatively quick change in the Russian operating environment will lead to the need for further training. For example, in the IT sector the supply of Russian language software is expanding all the time.”

Different product

The YIT Lentek product, which is different from the Russian market, brings a special need for training the employees.

“In Russia the general way to build homes is without the final finish, so the interior surfaces are untreated concrete surfaces when the homes are sold,” Ukkola says.

YIT Lentek builds homes to a minimum standard of sealed walls so the occupant can start wallpapering or painting. Some of the dwellings are built to European standards, which means ready-made homes without kitchen cupboards and appliances. Some are built in the Finnish way, ready to move into.

“A different modus operandi requires induction and training of the staff,” Ukkola affirms.

YIT Lentek employs 1,600 people, about 500 of whom are white-collar workers and 1,100 blue-collar workers. The Finnish staff numbers slightly over 40. (Photo: YIT)