Apprenticeship training led to a dream job as a manager – Mika Virolainen’s career continues thanks to rehabilitation

Mika Virolainen has always enjoyed working. A business college graduate, he started his career at the age of 12, cleaning banks, then worked for a fast-food chain, and held various sales positions in the financial sector.

However, in 2013, the career of the award-winning salesman took a new turn with the merger of his then employer. Along with the merger, the working culture and management style changed, alienating Virolainen, who became tired. Eventually he suffered from burnout.

“Going to work became unbearable, and I resigned”, Virolainen says. Although there was nothing wrong with the employer as such, continuing in the same job no longer felt right.

Depression took away the ability to work

When he resigned, Virolainen had some savings, so he was in no hurry to look for a job. A couple of idle years followed. A man who had always been devoted to work started to have dark thoughts.

“It got to a point where every day was hazy and dark, and nothing brought joy anymore. I simply became depressed about being idle.” Fortunately, Virolainen had some trusted friends who forced him to go for walks and to engage in outdoor activities and hobbies. This kept him afloat, although he admits that the bad moments were really bad.

“Mental health problems carry a significant stigma, and it is easy to feel like a failure”, says Virolainen. “Your self-confidence crumbles piece by piece, and the threshold for exploring new avenues is high.”

At some point, however, Virolainen felt the spark to start working again.

“I said to myself that I have to start doing something. I had received a job offer in the insurance industry, but I no longer wanted to be part of that world”, Virolainen says. ”It was time to find a new direction for my career.”

A new start through rehabilitation

Thanks to his work experience in the field, Virolainen knew that Elo offers vocational rehabilitation for people whose careers are at risk of being interrupted due to incapacity for work. He contacted Elo for advice on alternative paths to return to work.

Vocational rehabilitation was soon agreed upon. As Virolainen was not employed, a rehabilitation plan, funded by Elo, was created together with a training company.

The rehabilitation method of choice was a work try-out, which serves to facilitate a return to work after a long period of sick leave. The self-directed man found a work try-out position through his old contacts at Turku Ekotori, which is run by Kestävän Kehityksen Yhdistys (‘Association for Sustainable Development’).

“I knew about Ekotori’s work in enabling recycling and in providing job opportunities”, Virolainen notes.

According to Virolainen, the advantage of the work try-out is that it helps you to find out whether a new job suits you and how to fit into the work community.

”Undoubtedly the best thing, however, was to get back into the rhythm and the cycle of working life”, says Virolainen.

Becoming a manager through apprenticeship training

After only a couple of months of the work try-out, Virolainen found that he felt really comfortable working at Ekotori. The employer was also happy with their new employee.

“Straight away, this felt like a job I could do for the rest of my life”, says Virolainen.

Many of the managers were about to retire, and Ekotori wanted to prepare for the rotation of employees in good time, which gave Virolainen an opportunity to start work as a manager. However, he needed a boost of confidence for a managerial role. On Elo’s recommendation, as part of his rehabilitation, Virolainen completed a vocational management degree as an apprenticeship.

Currently, Virolainen is responsible for Ekotori’s online shop, in addition to his managerial role. The new job and new co-workers have brought purpose to his life. For this, Virolainen is grateful to Elo and the vocational rehabilitation it provides.

“It has played a huge role in my life. Without rehabilitation, I really don’t know where I would be”, says Virolainen.

Virolainen thinks that the key thing is not to stay cooped up at home. You have to seek concrete help, as he did from Elo.

“The process at Elo was fast, which was a good thing at the time, because my savings were starting to run out”, Virolainen says, going on to praise Elo’s straightforward customer service. “It was easy to reach my contact person, and decisions were made quickly.”

“With the help of Elo, things started rolling again”, he says with a smile.

 

• The aim of vocational rehabilitation provided by an employment pension company is to prevent incapacity for work. The idea is to make it possible for people to continue working, despite the disadvantages brought on by an illness.
• Continuing to work brings purpose and meaning for the person in rehabilitation. Rehabilitation enables people to update their skills, which is useful to them in the labour market. In addition, payment for work is generally better than a pension. You also accrue more old-age pension by working.
• The employer should hold on to skilled employees and invest in maintaining and developing their working capacity. Absences due to sickness and, in particular, disability pensions can be really costly for the employer in the long run.
• Rehabilitation is free for both the employer and the person being rehabilitated.