CEPEK project has been completed succesfully

How can we improve the skills and know-how of the people, who are working in European companies in the Republic of Karelia? This is the basic problem, to which solutiuons were sought after in the two year long CEPEK-project, which has been recently brought to an end. The aim of the project, which was financed from the TACIS programme of the European Union, was to create a continued education programme. This programme, which was done according to the needs of the enterprises, would provide useful tools for European companies located in the Kostomuksha area aswell as in other border regions of Russia. Companies, which are operating in global markets, have high expectations, when it comes to the skills and know-how of their staff. Sometimes, these expectations and local supply of workforce do not meet. Continued education is needed in order to upgrade the competence level of of the workers. This is the reality also in Kostomuskha, where several European companies have been set up in recently.

Two affliliate companies of Finnish PKC Group Ltd, OOO AEK and OOO Elektrokos, took part in the projet. The educational programme, which was done in the project,  was compiled according to the needs of these companies. Also in these companies the workers had been subject to continued education, but there was need for a more general education about economics, production and work community. However, such education was not provided by the local educational institutions. It was necessary to tackle, in this new programme, those concrete problems and development needs, which were found at the factories. The aim was to draw a general programme, which would not serve only the needs of some certain business, but would be suitable for any EU enterprise, which was working in Russia and had encountered similar problems.

Because the local educational instittions in Kostomuksha could not provide needed education, the teachers from University of Oulu and POHTO Ltd compiled a educational programme based on the needs of the companies. The programme was divided in three parts - basics of economics, production planning and management, and to working culture and work community. The programme was implemented twice on two groups of students. The contents of the programme was 20 training days and the teachers from University of Oulu and POHTO Ltd were mainly responsible for the teaching. Teachers from the Petrozavodsk State University, both from Kostomuksha and from Petrozavodsk, took part also on the training, first as students, who increased their own know-how and skills together with the first group of students. Then, as they had upgraded their competence, they acted also as teachers in the second training group. The teaching was organised mainly at the Kostomuksha Branch of the Petrozavodsk State University, but both groups visited once Oulu, where the training was given at the training factory of POHTO Ltd. In total 25 workers and seven Russian teachers completed the training. Five teachers from the University of Oulu and POHTO Ltd took part in the project, as well as some specialists from the Finnish factories of PKC Group Ltd. 

The project succeeded in creating of a complete educational programme, training of teachers for the programme as well as upgrading the infrastructure of the Kostomuskha Branch of PetrSU. The three modules of the training gave new tools for the workers to get by in their jobs. The students updated their knowledges about the basics of econmics, which formed a solid foundation for the other modules of the programme.  Teaching in production planning and management, which formed the biggest part of the programme, introduced the students to the world of business enterprises. New production philosophies, problem solving methods and gathering of information, which the workers have to posses, if the companies are to succeed in the global markets, were also studied. Work community and work environment brought up non-technical issues, such as team work, management in change and creativity. The purpose of the whole training was to support the workers in their self development and to provide them with new viewpoints to work. Taking of responsibility, independet decision making and many other parts of work, which are distinctive features of working culture in EU enterprises, have not yet rooted in in companies operating in Russia. Planting of new ideas and thoughts among the workers takes always time and training, but in the end it will benefit  the one in question, the companies and society in large.

More information about the developed continued education programme in English or in Russian.

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