“A Day as an Engineer” event organised this year at Turku University of Applied Sciences

Comatec and Turku University of Applied Sciences (Turku UAS) organised their fourth joint “A Day as an Engineer” event at the turn of February and March. This year, the event took place at Turku UAS facilities, whereas earlier it has been held partly or entirely at Comatec’s Turku office.

Eight teams of around four students took part. The participants were thirdyear mechanical engineering students from the product development study path. The teams worked on two different assignments. Both tasks were based on real engineering challenges and the needs of an actual client, such as developing opening and locking solutions for protective cover structures in work machines.

“Students approached the tasks with a great attitude and moved quickly towards practical solutions. It is always valuable to see how future engineers tackle real problems with a fresh perspective,” says Sami-Jussi Hollo, who led the day on behalf of Comatec.

Originally, the event was held as one full working day. The format has since been adapted so that the work is divided into two half‑day sessions (26 February and 5 March). This gave students more time to familiarise themselves with the topic and finalise their work. Four Comatec designers took part alongside Hollo.

“This is excellent practice for working life. Students gain a genuine look at the everyday work of an engineering office, and over several years of cooperation the format has developed into an effective innovation workshop. It is a strong practical example of collaboration between companies and educational institutions,” says Jussi Liikkanen from Turku UAS.