Participating in Taitaja is a Shared Effort for the Entire Institution

Kati Minkkinen

• Lecturer and Taitaja Coordinator at Saimaan Vocational College. Responsible for Sampo’s Taitaja and Taitaja9 activities and also serves as the Taitaja9 regional coordinator for Southeast Finland.
• In her free time, she coaches track and field athletes. She has completed the Professional Coach Qualification, the Specialist Qualification in Coaching, and Psychological Coaching Training. She serves as a discipline instructor for young Team Finland hurdlers and is part of the Finnish Athletics Federation’s major competition team. She has coached an athlete who ranked second globally in the U20 world standings.
• Has competed in sprinting at the national level, plays golf, cycles, and skis in winter.

Receiving the Tsemppari Award was a complete surprise for us, and it feels fantastic to receive such recognition. It means a lot to our institution. We will celebrate the award together on Sampo Day, April 3, 2025, a traditional celebration day at our institution.

Competition Activities are Part of the Institution’s Strategy

Competition activities are embedded in our institution’s strategy. The strategy includes several objectives that align well with Taitaja:

• Seeking various recognitions and awards – The Tsemppari Award fits perfectly into our institution’s strategy.
• Developing team learning – In Taitaja training, students learn together in teams.
• Establishing opportunities for dialogue between teams, fields, and units – Taitaja activities support this goal well. We collaborate across different fields.
• Increasing student participation in decision-making – In Taitaja training, students' needs and wishes are taken into account, and they have an opportunity to influence the process.
• Developing new learning methods, formats, and collaboration models – Taitaja competitions provide an excellent platform for this.
• A learning, committed staff – Taitaja activities also contribute to teacher development. Teachers need to be fully engaged and motivated, inspiring students and fostering belief in their success.
• Our institution’s values – Taitaja competitions strongly align with our values. Students gain confidence and courage, learn together, and enjoy the process. Their skills and knowledge improve.

Participating in Taitaja Benefits Both Students and Teachers

Team Sampo in Taitaja2024.

At our institution, students are encouraged to get involved in Taitaja activities from the beginning of their studies. As the Taitaja Coordinator, my role is to inform students about the competitions and inspire them to participate. Additionally, teachers from different fields support and coach students. Skills Finland’s discipline managers and experts are involved, and each year some of our teachers also serve as judges or discipline coordinators in the competition. Participation is a collective effort, where different stakeholders collaborate.

Students who want to participate in the Taitaja semifinals inform their teacher, who then passes the information to me. Teachers also encourage students to take part. When a teacher recognizes a student’s potential, they encourage and motivate them to compete. Students who have participated in previous Taitaja competitions also share their experiences with their peers.

Taitaja activities support the development of both students and teachers. Students deepen their knowledge in their field, while teachers stay up to date with industry developments and continuously improve their expertise. Taitaja competitions also strengthen collaboration among teachers from different fields, enhancing the sense of community within the institution.

For the Taitaja 2025 semifinals, the number of participating students remained nearly the same, but we managed to involve students from an increasing number of fields. I hope that as the number of participating fields grows, the total number of competitors will also increase in the coming years.

The Tsemppari Award Encourages Small Education Providers

Education providers’ rankings are typically determined based on competitors’ placements, favoring large institutions that can field bigger teams. For this reason, Skills Finland also presents the Tsemppari Award to a smaller education provider that has distinguished itself in other ways in Taitaja activities.

The Tsemppari Award is given to an institution that has significantly increased the number of students registering for the Taitaja semifinals, has entered a high number of competitors relative to its size, or has demonstrated exceptional activity in Taitaja participation in a given year. The recipient is selected by an awards committee appointed by the Skills Finland Board.

This year, the Tsemppari Award was granted to Saimaan Vocational College Sampo. Over the past three years, Sampo has significantly increased the number of students participating in the semifinals, from eight competitors to twenty-four. The institution’s positive atmosphere, encouraging communication, and commitment to Taitaja activities have been exemplary.