5.6.2012

Above: Jyri Häkämies at Logomo during an interview with Tomi Kult ja Anni Hänninen from class 5A of Lieto Kirkonkulma School.

The Nousu tour brought Jyri Häkämies to Turku

The Nousu tour brought Jyri Häkämies, the Minister of Economic Affairs, to Turku

Jyri Häkämies, the Minister of Economic Affairs, joint tour with the Federation of Finnish Enterprises ended on Monday 28 May, in Turku. The Nousu (Rise) tour took in Helsinki, Tampere, Kuopio and Turku and the minister met with hundreds of young entrepreneurs. In Turku, Häkämies was also shown around the  Enterprise Society village at Logomo.

The Federation of Finnish Enterprises (FFE) organised the Nousu tour with the Ministry of Employment Economic Development; the Minister of Economic Affairs, Jyri Häkämies; and four regional FFE organisations. The tour was designed to encourage young entrepreneurs to develop their own activities and to encourage young people considering entrepreneurship to take action in becoming entrepreneurs. During the tour the Minister also visited various educational institutions and learnt about their models for promoting entrepreneurship.

– The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in many young people I met during the tour. Young people demand a lot from their work life and will become adaptable. We want to do that which is perceived as important and pleasing to oneself, and entrepreneurship provides an excellent value base for doing that, says Häkämies.

In Turku, Häkämies visited lower-comprehensive school students at Logomo’s Enterprise Society village together with Aleksi Randell, the Mayor of Turku, in the morning.

Above: Jyri Häkämies visited Logomo together with Aleksi Randell, the Mayor of Turku.

Logomo Enterprise Society village was a success

The Minister’s visit to Logomo involved much hustle and bustle when the school students from Lieto Kirkonkulma School went about acquainting themselves with an entrepreneur's life in Logomo’s Enterprise society. The business village had arrived in Turku from Seinäjoki and Monday was the last day it was open. The 500m² village will continue its life in the autumn in Kuopio, Helsinki and Tampere.

Above: The students at the Enterprise Society listen attentively to Jyrki Häkämies.

– The Enterprise Society village began its activities in January, and during the spring as many as 4,000 students from Southwest Finland's schools have got acquainted with it, says Tomi Alakoski, Youth Service Manager,  who runs the Economic Information Office.

The village has a post office and Turku Energia offices as well as a number of companies ranging from small boutiques to global paper giants. The Enterprise Society village is co-funded by thirty companies, and the Ministry of Education and Culture, Yksityisyrittäjäin säätiö, Suomen Metsäsäätiö, and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

In the village the students practice entrepreneurship. Each student works for a day in one of the occupations while simultaneously studying the foundations of society and its economy, for example, credit card payments and invoicing. Before their day in the village, students are given 10 study lessons on entrepreneurship in their own schools, make job applications, and practice job interviews.

– The Enterprise Society village offers a powerful learning experience and improves the students' readiness for when they become upper-secondary school students. The feedback from the village has been extremely positive from both from students and teachers alike, adds Alakoski.

Häkämies was also impressed by what he saw.

– This is a great concept, and clearly the most advanced and well-thought-out exercise for teaching children entrepreneurship that I have seen. The children were enthusiastic and learnt teamwork and taking responsibility, noted Häkämies with satisfaction.

The Minister also visited the Turun Suomalaisen Yhteiskoulun, which realises student-to-working-life cooperation between the School’s Maritime study programme and the maritime cluster. The evening’s programme also included a panel discussion with the student-based network for young entrepreneurs, Boost.

Above: Enterprise Society village Mayor, Anni Hänninen, speaks to the villagers.

The Enterprise Society village's Mayor and its UPM CEO 

Anni Hänninen and Tomi Kult from the 5A class of the Lieto Kirkonkulma school were excited about the day and the Enterprise Society village. Anni acted as Mayor, and Tomi was UPM's CEO. The pair agreed to meet with the Minister for Economic Development for a private interview.

– Meeting the minister was fun and nice, but I was pretty nervous, said Anni.

For Anni the day was varied and educational.

– It's nice to learn and see where adults go during their work day, states Annie.

Entrepreneurship also interests Tomi. He would like to do car repair work or forestry work. What interested him most about entrepreneurship was the freedom it offers. In the village Tom also, of course, got to learn about the risks involved in business.

– You must know how to do the job so that the company stays in the red, Tom muses.

However, Anni is more interested in politics.

– I'm a pretty open and social person and I like to meet lots of new people. In politics you need a lot of common sense. And, yes! I have that, laughs Anni.

Their school certificates are both good, so the starting points for success are in good shape. And a healthy self-confidence won’t harm them.

• Read more about the Enterpriose Society village (www.yrityskyla.fi)