Joint Application Fair brings education choices to students

School coach Antti Järviniemi and guidance counsellor Nina Harmes are sitting in a small guidance counsellors' room in the handsome Pyynikki school building, built in 1902. Together with guidance counsellor Emma Halén, they developed a concept where secondary schools come together for one day to present their activities to the school.

- Ninth graders have visited and continue to visit the secondary education institutions. However, we thought it would be more effective if the institutions came to visit us. At the same time, the students might discover careers they might not have thought of, Järviniemi and Harmes say.

During the fair, the institutions will set up display stands at the school to showcase their activities. In the first year, 2022, there were six stalls in the school's lobby. Since then, the number of exhibitors has doubled and the venue has changed to a sports hall.

The City of Tampere awarded the Joint Application Fair team in the Personnel as Developers 2024 competition.

Providing practical examples of education

The Tredu process industry, AhlmanEdu and Varala Sports Academy, for example, have visited the fair to showcase their activities. Students from the educational institutions are often also present. The students also get practical examples of the field they are studying. They have been able to wear the uniform of a steward and chemistry students have given examples of laboratory work.

Students can see what is on offer in three break times and during some lessons. The teachers are sympathetic to this.

- Within our school, there is now good cooperation between professionals from different disciplines. It is often the case that everyone does a bit of their own thing, Harmes says.

Although the fair is primarily aimed at ninth-graders thinking about further studies, it is also open to other grades.

- Seventh and eighth graders can also use the fairs to explore their future options and consider their future fields of study, says Järviniemi.

- And the guidance counsellors at secondary schools have been very enthusiastic about this, Harmes continues.

The Fair have inspired career choices

The Wivi Lönn school's concept is far from jealously guarded. On the contrary, its developers have tipped other schools to adopt it.

- It is always worthwhile to put good ideas into circulation. But the school world is full of projects these days, and other schools may not have the space or time for this. Also, institutions may not have time to present themselves everywhere. But because we did this first, we have an advantage, they said.

Järviniemi and Harmes say that the development and implementation of the Joint Application Fair took a lot of time and ingenuity.

- Contacting partners, networking and marketing the event was a lot of work, they admit.

However, results have been achieved. Guidance counsellors monitor their students' placement in secondary education and the schools that participated in the Common Application Fair have indeed attracted new students from Wivi Lönn's school.

- We will continue as long as there are enough performers at the fair, Järviniemi and Harmes say with a smile.