After graduation, straight to work: Fintraffic gets 20 new rail traffic controllers

A well-deserved end to more than six months of training was reached when the newly graduated rail traffic controllers were celebrated in Tampere. The event included memories of the spring journey, speeches and the handing out of certificates. For some of the newly qualified traffic controllers, their first shifts started the very next week.

Twenty new rail traffic controllers graduated at Fintraffic this summer. Each of them has undergone a training period of about six months, including an induction period, a theoretical learning period, a simulation phase and a job orientation phase.

“It's a demanding profession and the training requirements are tough. The recruitment process alone is a long and complex one. When training starts, the biggest and most important factors are motivation and attitude. They determine how well you will do in your studies,” says Mikko Tepsa , Main Instructor at Fintraffic.

According to him, the training of rail traffic controllers is nowadays intensive, especially in the initial phase. 

"At the beginning of training, things are largely learned in theory before moving on to practical training, which brings you closer to the concrete work. That's when real competence is achieved. ‘Intensive’ is certainly the word that best describes the training at the moment." 

According to Tepsa, the students who are graduating in 2024 come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the group will be a great addition to the Fintraffic community.

"Everyone has their own strengths and areas requiring improvement, but everyone is still able to excel in their jobs. I think it's hugely enriching to have different people working together." 

"I had no experience in the sector before"

The end of the training period and graduation to a new profession was celebrated in Tampere. Traditionally, at the end of a training period, the person who has done particularly well in the group is chosen. Janne Merikallio was chosen as top of the class in the spring training period. He also describes the training period as intensive.

"I had no previous experience in the sector so I learned a lot of new things. The training was well organised and progressively structured – building on what you had already learned, you were constantly learning new things as you went along. Six months went by without a hitch, and I didn't have the problem of not having something to do in my free time. The training was demanding but it was really interesting," says Merikallio.

He decided to apply for a job in rail traffic control as the job description seemed interesting and he was already familiar with Fintraffic: Merikallio has previously worked in air traffic control. The new full-time job in his hometown of Helsinki was the biggest motivator of all.

"It's a really good feeling to have graduated. My first shifts start next week. It will be strange at first, when I look behind me and there's no longer a supervisor there to monitor what I'm doing. It's going to be really nice to be able to do my own shifts.”