The Finnish Shipowners’ Association’s Yrityskylä
The Finnish Shipowners’ Association participates in Yrityskylä aimed at ninth graders
In the spring of 2022, the Finnish Shipowners’ Association started the Yrityskylä cooperation for the first time. In the new learning unit, elementary school ninth graders get to learn about the operations of shipowners and the maritime industry.
Yrityskylä, is a learning unit about working life, economy and society aimed at sixth and ninth graders of elementary school. Awarded as the world’s best educational innovation, Yrityskylä operates nationwide in 12 regions, reaches approximately 97,000 students per year and is based on the Finnish curriculum. The company village is run by Economy and Youth TAT, whose activities are financed by, among others, the TT Foundation, the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK, companies, foundations, OKM and municipalities. The Finnish Shipowners’ Association works as a partner in Yrityskyläs’ Helsinki office.
Games make learning fun and effective
In Yrityskylä’s business game, ninth graders lead competing companies on the international market. In the business game jointly developed by the Finnish Shipowners’ Association and Yrityskylä, the students manage the Merirahti Oy shipping company and learn the legal aspects of shipping company operations. The curriculum consists of apprenticeship training, five Yrityskylä lessons, a game situation in the game arena and a final reflection.
Before the game, the students study learning material with their class about business operations, information about a fictional shipping company and the shipping industry in Finland. Ninth graders who participate in the Finnish Shipowners’ Associations Yrityskylä get to learn e.g. about the importance of shipping for the Finnish economy and society. 90% of Finland’s exports and 80% of imports are transported by sea, and many familiar everyday products are also delivered to store shelves by ship.
In Kaisaniemi, Helsinki, in Yrityskylä’s learning environment, the Company Game illustrates to students how transport chains are formed and how companies run their operations. The high school game is based on digital material and consists of four quarters, which in total make up a whole year of business. In the game, the students monitor their own company’s financial situation and production from the tablet. The game includes participation in tenders, international trade negotiations and loan negotiations with the bank. The game incorporates surprising events that require quick action and creativity. In the shipping company game, the price of fuel rises unexpectedly and the ship’s engine needs maintenance.
The versatile game also includes assessing reputational risks, taking care of the well-being of the personnel and designing the company’s logo.
The shipping company game that received praise continues
During the first spring, the shipping game received excellent feedback from students and teachers. Among the ninth graders, the best thing about the game was competing, cooperating with teammates and collecting game reputation points.
Yrityskylä’s shipping company game will continue in the fall, when cooperation will continue together with the Shipowners’ Association. The purpose is also in the future to expand the game from Yrityskylä in the capital region to other areas in order to reach an even larger number of students.
The Yrityskylä cooperation is a part of the Finnish Shipowners’ Associations social responsibility and at the same time offers young people the opportunity to get to know the important shipping industry. The goal of the business village is to get young people excited about working life, manage their own finances and act as enterprising members of society.
In recent years, the Finnish Shipowners’ Associations has tried to promote the awareness and attractiveness of the maritime industry among young people, so that there would be enough labor for the industry in the future. The maritime industry and shipping companies offer a significant number of versatile jobs in Finland, and the job supply is expected to grow even more in the next few years.
As part of the shipowners’ game, students e.g. applied for certification and designed the trademarks for their company.
