Event production at TE Offices adapts to the needs of society
Event producers at TE Offices arrange both regional and national events, often in cooperation with various parties. It appears that these events are able to meet the needs of the people. This is evidenced by the finalist nomination for the TE Offices’ event production team in an event sector competition.
Each of Finland's 15 TE Offices has experts whose job includes producing events. Some of them work full-time on event production, but most of the events are produced alongside other tasks. On average, one TE Office employs one or two people to produce events.
“The difference between different TE Offices is the amount of events that are organised. In larger employment areas, we organise several events during a year, and in smaller areas, event producers may focus on one large event per year. In other words, the amount varies, but the quality does not, because I believe high-quality events are held everywhere in Finland,” says event coordinator Olli Salonen from the Uusimaa TE Office.
The most important partners of the TE Offices in event production are parties involved in employment. This includes, for example, local government pilots, municipalities, educational institutions, employers and various employee and employer organisations. From central government agencies, Business Finland is one party that event producers cooperate with.
A wide range of events
What types of events do the TE Office event producers create?
“It’s a wide range. Similar events are held in many employment regions, but there may be differences in nuance between them. Most of the events are recruitment events aimed at job seekers, such as fairs and recruitment dates. If an individual employer needs a certain number of employees, we can arrange a precision recruitment. It is a significant challenge for an employer to find, for example, 1,000 employees on a fast schedule. This requires cooperation between a number of different organisations. We have ended up holding precision recruitment events with municipalities, as the municipalities know the population base of their region. For example, precision recruitment has been used to find people for SOL Services at the Loviisa nuclear power plant, for Valmet Automotive and for Meyer Turku shipyards,” says Olli Salonen.
In the past, TE Offices have also organised various information events for job seekers at TE Offices, on matters such as legislative reforms and new services. These days, these types of events are mainly carried out online. The increasing number of online events is partly caused by the coronavirus pandemic, when alternative implementation methods were needed for live events. We learned a number of good practices during this period, such as online events.
In addition to events targeted at job seekers, TE Office event producers arrange events for employers and organisations on various topics, such as what kinds of events they can organise with the TE Office.
“If you are an employer and interested in arranging a recruitment event with the TE Office, you can contact the business services of your region’s TE Office. Our business service experts will set a meeting with you to start planning your event,” Salonen explains.
In addition to regional events, TE Office event producers also arrange nationwide events.
“One example of a nationwide event is the National Labour Force Training Week, which was held for the first time last autumn. Events related to international recruitment are often nationwide as well. For example, the European Job Days event, which actually extends beyond Finland's borders, is a pan-European event. We hope to see more nationwide events, and that is why we often try to find out if regional events have a dimension that could be implemented in a virtual space. This would make it possible to reach a larger audience.”
Positive outcomes
It impossible to measure the popularity of events organised by TE Offices on the basis of ticket sales, for example, as the events are free of charge. However, information on their impact is available through visitor feedback. Employers also let us know if an event has had an impact on their recruitment.
“We have found that recruitment events successfully solve the challenge of skills mismatch, which is a problem in many areas. In particular, this shows in events that focus on recruitment in a specific field, as such events often involve students in that field. Another effective example is summer work events, in which young people who may not yet have work experience can meet employers face-to-face and thus get an idea of what it would be like to work for that employer. That is different from simply submitting an application online. In summer work events, employers often hold quick interviews, which concretely promotes employment. Recruitment events can be a very fast way to find employment,” says Olli Salonen.
This year, there are plans to hold one or two nationwide events. One of them is the Koko Suomi rekrytoi event, the aim of which is to highlight the sectors and areas where there is a shortage of workers on a nationwide basis. Another planned event is the National Labour Force Training Week, which is to be held for the second time. If the events in question are held, information on them will be provided through the TE Offices' communication channels.
Future and finalist nomination
What will the future of event production look like when we consider that, from the beginning of 2025, the TE Offices will be discontinued and organising employment services will become the responsibility of the municipalities?
“I am certain that event production will be needed in the future. At this stage, it is still unclear how and in what form event production will be carried out and who will be the organisers after the change. I think that maintaining and tightening regional and national cooperation is important,” says Salonen.
The National Labour Force Training Week, which was organised for the first time last autumn, was a success. A virtual map published for the event, which included theme week's events in different parts of Finland, tallied up 121,000 impressions. The National Labour Force Training Week was nominated as a finalist in the Evento Awards competition for event planners in the Consumer event, free of charge category. The winners will be selected on Thursday, 11 April.
What do you think about the finalist nomination, and how does it feel to be nominated?
“It feels really nice. The aim of the National Labour Force Training Week was to enable job seekers to find new interesting fields and routes for faster employment. In my opinion, the nomination reflects the growing appreciation for these events and the fact that we can add value to society through events produced by the state administration. We will adapt to society as it is by arranging productions and events that are needed. We will showcase jobs and services that are interesting and that people want to hear more about,” Salonen explains and adds that podcasts will also become a part of event production in the future.