The forest sector offers young people various opportunities to work for a sustainable future. In the Forest of Opportunities (Mahdollisuuksien metsä) school campaign, forest sector employees and students will present duties and career paths in the sector to eighth graders across Finland. A large group of Metsä Group representatives will also visit schools as forest ambassadors.
Young people face big questions. What job and field of studies suit me? What do I find meaningful? Where can I find employment?
The Forest of Opportunities school campaign, which involves the entire forest sector, introduces young people to the uniqueness of career paths and the diversity of people working in the sector, as well as the various wood-based products the forest industry produces. The forest sector's continuous development and innovation, as recently exemplified by Metsä Group's Kuura textile fibre, guarantee future demand for skilled professionals.
Running from March to May, the campaign will take forest ambassadors from different companies to around 200 lower secondary schools. Metsä Group employees representing various professionals and duties can be met at 55 schools across the country.
"The Forest of Opportunities is an important campaign for us because we need experts from different levels of education. Our active school ambassadors have also promoted campaign presentations among schools that had not originally signed up. It's very rewarding to see our employees so keen to spread the forest sector's message among pupils," says Mila Linnamurto, HRD Specialist at Metsä Group.
The forest sector currently needs forest machine operators and wood truck drivers especially. More than half the employees of forest industry companies in Finland have upper secondary qualifications. Employees in forest management, harvesting and wood transport generally have vocational qualifications.
The joint application period for upper secondary education is now underway, and applications will be accepted until 18 March at 3:00 p.m.
The Forest of Opportunities campaign is being organised for the 12th time this spring.
