Aker Yards subcontractor Deltamar specialises in naval design and employs 150 persons in Raisio. The company would gladly hire engineers trained in naval design - if they could be found.
There's an acute shortage of designers in the shipbuilding industry. And Monday's announcement of an order for another gigantic cruise ship from Aker Yards increased the demand for skilled shipbuilding workers.
The problem is that although there is a workforce available, most don't have the skills needed for the construction of luxurious floating resorts.
Training in the field has also lagged behind, exacerbating the challenge of finding skilled labour.
Mismatch Between Skills and Jobs Marko Konu, Personnel Director of Aker Yards says there is a mismatch between the skills available and the skills required, and adds that there are simply too few places being offered at training institutions. Apart from designers, metal workers and welders are in painfully short supply in this industry. Over the next four years, some 8,000 workers will be needed to keep the industry going. All the vacancies can't be filled by Finnish nationals and the instability of dock work simply isn't tempting enough for many. Konu says the biggest challenge facing the industry today is the high rate of worker turnover - when one foreign worker has been trained in the field, he goes home and another inexperienced rookie takes his place. For the moment however, the industry is booming and shipbuilders will no doubt adjust to the rollercoaster ride. YLE
