Christmas Brunch (#96/100)

Breakfast and lunch digested into one meal, makes up the brunch of TAKK, the TAKK style. Brunch turns into ”brunssi” in Finnish, which is a ”Finnslation” of the word. Originally the word ”brunch” came up in the context of the late 1800’s partyswingers, having the first meal of the day slightly later on Sunday (fits also the Finnish ”pikkujoulu”, little Christmas). However, our brunch in TAKK has no prior party agenda, nor the cheerfulness of the socialites. We’ve had out breakfast before the ”brunssi” and we will work for the whole day.

Brunching in TAKK

TAKK brunch today gathered together a whole bunch of brunchers – both students and staff members of TAKK. There were many typical breakfast items served, such as rice pastries, eggs, rye bread and fruits, but also the approaching Christmas was there on the serving tables: rice porridge with cinnamon, ham slices, glogg (glögi) and bundt cake. Pls see here for yourself.

10 days to Christmas.

Winter Overnight – What to Do? (#80/100)

Nirva fall: Oct 25, 2017

by Ulla Virtanen, TAKK

–”Let’s be careful out there”, said the Hill Street Blues cop many decades ago in TV (remember?). Well, here’s the day to take it literally. Still yesterday we had the most beautiful fall season, pretty sunshine and clear though slightly frozen roads. Look today, snowy sceneries like in the fairytales and turning into the nightmares of all those on the roads and in the traffic. When does the winter come, ask the visitors? It comes whenever it pleases, this year it fell down TODAY in Tampere, as in many other places in Finland.

Summertime Week in TAKK (#53/100)

”And the living is easy…” does fit the mood in the corridors of TAKK Nirva Campus at the moment. Let’s see what’s up in TAKK.

• There’s the construction site. I tried to access the site, but was refused entry in four (4!) different places, so that’s that. Lots of sounds, so must be going strong. Good job.
• Then there’s the guards and the electricians and the builders, classes continue for this week. Some 60+ cars in the parking lot of students, which fits the picture. Perfect.
• Checking the intranet for staff members, next official event is a Staff Day in August, meant to ”refresh us”. From what? We’ve just had holidays.  I believe this is the employer’s secret way of gently transferring our wandering summer minds back to work. So sharpen your pencils before you some back from holidays! There’s plenty to do.

Happy holidays to everyone (heart-shaped emoji here…).

Figuring Out the Work in the Warehouse of TAKK Construction (#33/100)

Ilkka Dahlstedt (right) with student Pasi Järvinen in the Warehouse

The 118 qualifications TAKK has rights to organise training for, make a very big warehouse for the learning and study material. All the sectors have different gear: warehouses of the different teams in metal, wood, cleaning, painting, guarding or car repairing take a new pile of things, sometimes very big things. Where are they stored? And who watches over the equipment? TAKK has a miracle man, a smiley man, Mr Ilkka Dahlstedt, to take care of the construction sector warehousing. Let’s hear our Ilkka’s figures.

The Backside of Finnish VET (#30/100)

by Ulla Virtanen, TAKK

Everything in order

It is time of the Great Spring Cleanup. Rake the leaves, wash the windows, dust the garden furniture, vacuum the car, fill in the bicycle tires and tear down the shabby winter curtains. Facades need to look nice for the light-minded and the summer-lovers. We freshen up for the Finnish season of light and heat. (Well, +10, it’s pretty warm for 61° 29′ 53″ N, 23° 45′ 39″ E, Tampere, that is).

Splendid Machine Technology Jobs (#23/100)

Do you remember the Splendid Jobs of #3/100? Well, this time Machine technology took over the estrade in Nirva Campus. The day was a success, as there were great employers present: fancy names such as Agco Power, Ata Gears, Kumera Machinery, Metso Minerals, Purso and Sandvik Mining and Construction. What struck me best was the busy hours of presenting and advising the hundreds of candidates. The air was as thick as the densest metal: you could touch the sparkle and fire. Of course, the so needed hot coffees and sausages warmed up the atmosphere.

Spring turns the technology education business into bloom

HiOMO Grinds Students into Entrepreneurs (#15/100)

HiOMO, or the “Grindery” for promoting entrepreneurship in TAKK

TAKK Entrepreneurship HiOMO or ”Grindery” in English, is TAKK’s way to organise entrepreneurship and management training to TAKK students and business clients. HiOMO team of trainers and experts offers education services for entrepreneurs-to-be, for the already operating entrepreneurs and for students who have entrepreneurship modules in their qualification-based studies in TAKK. HiOMO also gives free of charge entrepreneurship guidance to TAKK students.

TAKK in Kazakhstan’s Astana Expo 2017 (#14/100)

VET is a process – not ever ready – and so are many of our activities, work in progress. Let us introduce to you one of the activities in the making of. This winter and spring TAKK is working on participating in Kazakhstan’s Astana Expo 2017 during the summer months with three other Finnish educational institutions in the Consortium KFEIG*.

TAKK Nirva Campus, the home of TAKK Environmental Know-How

Team Finland channels the energies of Finnish state-level actors, so to say several ministries and Finpro together and puts up a Finnish Pavilion in Astana with the theme “Sharing Pure Energy“. KFEIG consortium joins the Team Finland network for promoting Finland and especially the education services that this consortium can provide.

TAKK will join in with the themes of Cleantech and Environmental know-how.

Welders Certificated in TAKK (#11/100)

Two gentlemen Mr Mugurel Dumutru and Mr Vasile-Valentin Inel passed their tests with trainer Mr Antti Lehtimäki.

Have you ever got to know how many different welding processes there are? Do the terms SMAW, GTAW or GMAW tell you much? Perhaps you have heard of the TIG or MIG welding? The ”did-you-know” of the week, is that TAKK Technology trainers organise various welder’s qualification tests to the company clients and then are authorized to give certificates for the accreditated welders. The training for the competence shown in tests may take a day or several days to pass. There are several types of International Welding qualifications and thanks to the globally experienced trainers, the company clients know who to turn to – TAKK of course. This is daily Internationalisation at Home for TAKK staff members.

Renovating TAKK’s Nirva – Renewing Education (#4/100)

Thinking outside the box, or building out of the box? In the middle of the Finnish VET reform, it is very comforting and refreshing to think about the walls and the rooms and the set-up of the learning and teaching premises. The “classroom” has come far from the times of the early 1900’s and somehow got back to where it belongs: the workplace. Mind you, I am not saying, we take the class to the workplace, but we rebuild the workplace to TAKK premises. There is an essential difference there.