What’s Summer at KATKO Like? Step Into Our Summer Trainees World

Summer is in full swing, and a fantastic group of both new and returning KATKO summer trainees have started their seasonal roles with us. 

This summer, 25 young talents from diverse backgrounds and fields of study joined us. They share a passion for learning, embracing challenges, and developing new skills. Together, they grow within an international and diverse work community. Over the summer, we’ll get to know who they are, what they do, and most importantly — what spending a summer at KATKO is like. 

The first few weeks are already behind us, and our summer trainees have gotten off to a dynamic start. Every summer job at KATKO begins with an orientation. New team members are introduced not only to their own tasks but also to our safety culture and working practices. It’s been great to see how quickly they’ve picked up new skills, adapted to daily routines, and become part of their teams. 

“It’s important to us that summer jobs offer the chance to learn new things, develop each trainee’s skills, and build a bridge to working life. It’s been a pleasure to see how quickly they’ve become part of the KATKO team,” says Heidi Laitinen, HR Manager. 

Fresh Perspectives Enrich the Entire Workplace

One of the most rewarding aspects of the summer is seeing how our summer trainees bring in fresh perspectives and new ideas. In a fast-changing world, curiosity, questions, and a willingness to try new things bring energy and value to the whole community. 

“We all have something to learn from them, too —from their perspectives, which remind us of the importance of enthusiasm and experimentation,” Heidi emphasizes.

At KATKO, we do our best to tailor summer roles to suit each trainee’s background and areas of interest. This summer, our team includes students and young professionals working in production, logistics, procurement, product life cycle assesment calculations, and marketing. 

Real-Life Experiences: Purpose Is Build Through Action 

Eetu, who works in sales support this summer, has previous experience in production and warehouse roles at KATKO. This year, he’s had the chance to view KATKO’s operations from a new perspective. 

“Most of the products were already familiar by name, but over the summer I’ve gained a much deeper understanding. The team has helped me every time I’ve needed it and kept teaching me new things along the way. One of the most interesting experiences was getting to explore a small automation project—that’s exactly the field I’m studying.”

– Eetu, Summer Trainee, Sales Support

“The summer job has gotten off to a great start, and I’ve learned a lot about connector assembly and production work. The tasks are nicely varied, and the team is fantastic! It’s easy to combine work and free time, flexible hours and an on-site gym are a big plus.”

– Matias, Production Summer Trainee, Connector Assembly

Kerttu is working in procurement this summer. She has had the opportunity to get to know different departments as well as the behind-the-scenes processes involved in purchasing. The role has opened her eyes to how much research and planning is required before everything starts running smoothly.

“It’s been really nice getting to know people from almost every department while delivering work orders—the whole place feels familiar now. And the bad jokes from my own team? Honestly, not too bad! Working in procurement has shown me how much preparation is needed, and even then, unexpected challenges still come up. You can’t always plan for them, but you can decide how you respond.”

– Kerttu, Summer Trainee, Procurement