Apprenticeships - latest weapon against Helsinki bus driver shortage

Many immigrants apply for "recession-proof" profession

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By Tuomas Niskakangas
     
      At the Vartiokylä bus depot, behind the large bus hangars in the east of Helsinki, a lesson is taking place in a small classroom. It is here that the Work Efficiency Institute (TTS) is training new bus drivers in an apprenticeship programme for Helsingin Bussiliikenne (HelB), which operates a large proportion of municipal and regional bus routes in the Helsinki area.
      There is currently such a serious shortage of bus drivers in the Helsinki region that at times, departures have been cancelled. There are currently 200 vacancies for bus drivers, and at one point, the shortfall was about 300 drivers.
     
Apprenticeship training is a new weapon against the driver shortage. The advantage of the system is that trainees can get behind the wheel after just a couple of months of study.
      Both TTS and HelB praise the system. “It is perhaps the most economically smart way to train for the field”, says Petja Laitinen, head of training at HelB.
      “I feel that it is an excellent method of implementation, because the company is involved in the planning and implementation of the training”, says TTS head of training Esa Ikäheimo.
      “Hopefully, apprenticeship training will be our main channel for recruitment”, says Juha Kakavuori, CEO of helB.
     
Also satisfied with the system are two future bus drivers, Syed Waheed Ul Hassan and Jarmo Blomster. They are in the first phase of their apprenticeship. Soon they will have a driving test, and after that, they will move over to Helsigin Bussiliikenne.
      Waheed considered bus driving already years ago, but it was not until the possibility of an apprenticeship emerged that he took the final step.
      Waheed’s brother, who has been in the profession for years, recommended it to him. A third brother is also studying to become a bus driver. “Soon the whole family will be working here”, Waheed says.
     
Jarmo Blomster has had some driving experience. He has driven a mobile library in the north of Finland. He moved to the Helsinki region when his wife got a steady job in the area.
      Their move to the south showed Blomster and his wife one reason why it is so hard to attract bus drivers to the Helsinki region: the difficult housing situation.
      They finally rented an apartment in Espoo, sight unseen, because “we had to get something”, and because his wife’s employer wanted to get her to start her work.
     
It is not by accident that TTS trains drivers in Vartiokylä. large numbers of immigrants live nearby. The proportion of foreigners among bus drivers working in Helsinki is already between 60 and 70 per cent.
      TTS has also tried recruiting drivers directly from abroad. In practice, recruitment focuses on nearby areas, such as Estonia. There have also been moves to bring Romanian and Polish drivers to Finland, but they have foundered, primarily because of a lack of language skills.
     
Applicants for the training must first pass a driving test in normal traffic to establish sufficient basic skills. Another important question in the process is the attitude with which the applicant approaches customer service.
      When the driver shortage was at its highest, finding the right people was very difficult. Ikäheimo admits that then it was necessary to compromise on the language requirement, and some drivers drive routes without sufficient knowledge of Finnish. No such compromises are made in driving skills, however.
      At present, it is easier to choose among applicants, because the economic situation has prompted a number of people in other fields, such as construction, to consider a new profession. There is no need to fear that there would not be enough work available for bus drivers.
      “If a recession hits, people will ride buses more. then there will be more work, and more drivers will be needed than ever”, Ikäheimo says.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 26.10.2008


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Helsinki and Tallinn compete over Estonian bus drivers (1.8.2006)
  Helsinki bus operator recruiting drivers directly from Eastern Europe (30.10.2007)

See also:
  Helsinki bus drivers facing racism in the workplace (3.4.2008)

TUOMAS NISKAKANGAS / Helsingin Sanomat
tuomas.niskakangas@hs.fi