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Vaasa Region’s Energy Ambassador, who started working in the end of May, is working his last day today. Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK and EnergyVaasa announced in February that they are looking for a person to work for 12 companies within the energy technology concentration in the Vaasa region during the summer of 2012.

More than 1,600 applied for the job that offered a monthly salary of 10,000 euro. Among the candidates, the recruiters chose Tuomas Vanhanen, student in energy technology at the Tampere University of Technology. Other summer jobs in the region also attracted a great number of persons with technical education: the amount of applicants to ABB grew by a fifth compared to last year.

In his job as the Energy Ambassador, Vanhanen explored the companies in the region and presented the energy sector’s work opportunities as well as stressed the significance of energy and environmental technology for the country’s economy. In Finland, a fourth of all energy sector jobs are located in Vaasa. The region’s investments in product development have tripled in five years, as ABB and Wärtsilä are the largest investors in product development after Nokia.

In the end of August Vanhanen wrote a statement, "Now is the time for Cleantech", together with Jyri Häkämies, the Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs. ”At the moment there is no other as natural promoter of employment, export and balanced current account as renewable energy”, the statement notes.

Energy Ambassador Vanhanen will return to Tampere to finish his studies in energy technology at the Tampere University of Technology. Negotiations on writing his thesis in Vaasa have already been started. The dialogue on the future of the energy sector will continue in the international event Energy Week that gathers more than 2,000 energy experts in Vaasa in the spring of 2013.

During the summer, the Energy Ambassador enjoyed his four-star hotel accommodation and car benefit with unlimited mileage, but his tight schedule did not leave too much time for leisure activities. Apart from a great number of contacts and experiences, Vanhanen says that the summer job gave him nice savings, which he might invest in an apartment.

Video montage of the Energy Ambassador summer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qn7O1S93IQ&feature=youtu.be

More information

Suvi Markko
Communications Manager, Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK
+358 50 534 1911
suvi.markko@vasek.fi

Robert Olander
Marketing Director, Technology Centre Merinova
+358 40 743 4647
robert.olander@merinova.fi

Tuomas Vanhanen
Vaasa Region’s Energy Ambassador
+358 44 525 2409
energialahettilas@energyvaasa.fi