This summer, we hired 54 people to work as interns and summer substitutes for various departments. Miikka Raekallio, a 23-year-old student of mechanical and automotive engineering at Oulu University of Applied Sciences, is one of them.

Now, at the beginning of September, most of our summer employees have already returned to their studies. Hailing from the village of Sirkka, in Kittilä, Miikka has worked as a supervisor in the underground mine on the Maintenance Team since the beginning of May. He has found his summer job experience highly useful. “I study mechanical and automotive engineering at Oulu University of Applied Sciences, and my final year there starts in September,” says Miikka, who continues, “It seems quite certain that I will also do my thesis work here at the mine.”

He wanted a job at the Kittilä mine because of the versatile duties and good location. “Each day is different here. The team is fantastic, and I have been learning supervision and teamwork skills quite intensively,” says Miikka.

As a mine shift supervisor on the mobile-machinery maintenance team, he has experienced many new things. Supervisory duties, going underground every day, and the rhythm of four work days followed by six days off have posed challenges but also kept his mind alert. Miikka doesn’t find working in shifts of 12.5 hours too hard, but he does emphasize the importance of one’s attitude to the work: “Its possible to work as a supervisor here even this young as long as you have the right attitude. A calm frame of mind and good collaboration skills take you far.”

The 23-year-old mechanical engineer to be balances his work and studies with such activities in his spare time as sports – and motorcycling at the national championship level. “I tinker quite a lot, especially with my motorbikes as a hobby,” he says.

Miikka recommends the Kittilä mine as an employer for other young people too: “The environment here is quite unlike anywhere else. The team is fantastic, and it is a pleasure to work here. Do not hesitate to apply for a job!”