Summer trainee experience – Stefanos Zafiris, Automation Trainee

Meaningful work and great connections

Stefanos was attracted to Metso's prominent position in the industry and the chance to combine his mechanical engineering major with a minor in industrial engineering and management. This opportunity allowed him to explore his passions and find his true interests. He started working at Metso in 2022 and has continued working partly in the same projects since now.

Stefanos' work is a balance of flexibility and responsibility. He enjoys the freedom to work from both home and the office, handling both short and long-term projects independently. Although he gets to work independently, he says that help is always there when needed. “I have always been able to ask for help and my supervisor has taken time to help me. If needed, he leaves his tasks pending and helps me out”. Stefanos has made great connections with other trainees and colleagues and is actively involved in Metso’s Young Professionals network. Colleagues bring value to his work, and he has formed a group of friends with whom he goes for lunches and coffee breaks.

A special experience at work for Stefanos was the yearly “hotel day”, designed to enhance team collaboration and improve ways of working. On this day, the entire team gathered at a hotel, including colleagues from Australia and Canada, along with key stakeholders. The focus of the event was on keynote presentations, exchanging ideas and identifying areas for improvement within the team. Stefanos and his colleagues engaged in discussions about enhancing their work practices and identifying potential shortcomings. After the day-time activities, they continued the night spending time together and going to the sauna. This gathering provided Stefanos with an opportunity to get to know his colleagues better, making him feel more integrated and valued as part of the team.

The experience at Metso has allowed Stefanos to broaden his perspectives on his field of study. All of Stefanos’ projects are somehow related to development as he has been part of projects like analyzing potential service upgrade and spare part sales, among other things. He feels that his work is contributing to Metso’s overall business, and it brings meaning to his work. This work is his first experience in his field of studies. Through projects and working in a global company, he has gained a broader perspective of working life. He applied to two open positions at Metso, but he is grateful to have been selected for the automation trainee position, as he has come to realize that it aligns more with his interests.

Continuous learning – an investment on yourself

Stefanos highlights the importance of learning and questioning things. He explains that he does not want to take the easy way out since the same issue will probably come up again multiple times. He says that a much better way is to ask someone for help or find out a way to do it easier as it helps you in the future. In addition to the efficiency aspect, he really enjoys learning and says that it is the best part of his work. He explains: “You just have to keep that passion and fire in wanting to learn more all the time. The best part of every project is when you get to learn or figure out ways how you would do it. My favorite thing at work has always been the learning.”

When asked if Stefanos has always been interested in learning new things, he directly answers that he has not. He says that he was not the most enthusiastic student in high school, but more of an "achiever". After meeting one of his best friends at university, who had a strong drive to learn new things, Stefanos also found the desire to learn. He says that he learned that "knowledge is important and will make it easier for you in the long run if you learn something now".

His team and manager have supported his learning at Metso. Stefanos has gotten the freedom to try out new ways and learn and has not felt like there is a rush to push projects at a fast pace. This has contributed to him learning new Excel and coding skills which in turn have helped him execute his work more efficiently. He explains: “Doing a task manually would have taken months but I could solve it simply by using one code. Learning to code at work made it possible to be efficient and helped me in my work”.

Combining school and work

Combining school and work has been surprisingly easy for Stefanos, but it requires careful planning and scheduling to balance his traineeship days with studies. He says that his supervisor has been flexible and understanding and that he recognizes the importance of his studies and allows him to reduce work hours during weeks with heavy academic commitments. After this summer, Stefanos will go on a student exchange to Portugal and is thinking about writing his master’s thesis to Metso next year.

Article written by Pinja Raatikainen, Summer Trainee, Talent & Development at Metso.