Nordic Young Professionals 2025 has taken Helsinki by storm
Today, 26.6.2025, the Nordic Young Professionals event is being held in Paasitorni, Helsinki. The event gathers upcoming expert engineers, technicians and managers employed by industry working in the field of electrotechnology together for workshops, discussions and networking.
The morning started with a few welcoming words from IEC President Jo Cops, who kindly greeted us all via video. Then we got a greeting from Antti Turtola, Quality Director at SESKO, and with a short introduction on standards and standardization, presented by Markku Varsila, group manager at SESKO. This introduction was the perfect way to start the day and the discussions to come, since that indeed is the reason we are gathered here today.
This was followed by Steven Margis, the vice president of IEC & Conformity Assessment Board (CAB) Chair, who gave a great presentation on what it means to be a Young Professional and the importance of getting involved and positively contribute and letting your voice be heard.
We also discussed how the market and the world of standards has changed over the years, and how important it is that we keep evolving.
We then got to hear about the Nordic model and the history of Nordic cooperation. This presentation was given by Mika Richardt from SGS Fimko Oy. We learned that even if the organisations has changed a lot since the cooperation started, the Nordic cooperation is still strong and thriving, and needed both now and in the future. We also touched upon some of the mega trends that are driving the market right now, such as innovation the digital capabilities and new technologies.
The day then continues with group work, case for the groups is “Robots for replacing humans in dangerous or repetitive tasks”
In the first part of the workshop, the groups are brainstorming what kind of safety requirements/aspects should be defined for the appointed technology. The requirements can cover all possible aspects, from electrical safety, to physical, personal, ergonomic, psychological, property safety etc.
In the second part of the workshop, the groups discuss possible benefits and disadvantages in different roles, such as manufacturer/importer, user/consumer and authority. Each group is divided approximately equally into these above-mentioned three different roles. Participants receive a list of safety aspects (Annex B1-B3) relevant to their roles.
During the afternoon the Young Professionals also got a chance to follow the ongoing 28th Certification Management Committee Meeting IECEE 2025. Afterwards we all met up for a joint coffee break for networking and good discussions.
But why join the Young Professionals program?
When talking to the participants of the event, many of them had the same kind of reasoning as to why they joined us here today: to learn more about how to get involved and learn more about the process of standards and standardization.
Many of the Young Professionals also see the benefits of joining the event, directly in their work. Some have found out about the program themselves, and some have been recommended to join by a colleague, a supervisor or a friend.
One reasoning that was given was also the knowledge of how standards and standardization work in other Nordic countries. Some of the questions have already been answered, but many of them still remain. Luckily there has been networking going on during the event, so even if we now head back home, we still have the possibility to stay in contact with the people we have met here today.
Text ja photos: Ida Flemmich, STK
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