YIT is known as a builder of sustainable city environments: a forerunner company with over 100 years of experience and a strong market position. Throughout the years, many YIT employees have participated in the Aalto Executive MBA program.
“The most significant learning always takes place at work. Good education supports this learning and helps give new perspective,” says YIT’s HR Development Manager Minna Korander.
“We have received excellent feedback from all our employees that we have sent to the EMBA program: it is considered inspiring and motivating, and seen as a good investment to develop leadership skills,” Korander adds.
Aalto Executive MBA’s class of 2016-2017 included three YIT professionals. One of them was Head of Business Solutions Hannu Hamunen.
“Aalto EE has a great reputation and its three accreditations guarantee high-quality teaching. Colleagues of mine who have previously participated in the program have without exception stated that it is an excellent program,” he describes reasons that led to his decision to pursue an EMBA degree.
We have received excellent feedback from all our employees that we have sent to the EMBA program: it is considered inspiring and motivating, and seen as a good investment to develop leadership skills."
Hamunen says he found the program’s content versatile and interesting. He names certain topics as particularly relevant for his own professional development: strategic thinking and leading strategy, as well as the Self Development Process in which participants focus on self-improvement and developing their own leadership skills.
“On occasion, I wondered how is it even possible to absorb such a vast amount of information in the given timeframe. Yet now that the program is finished, I find that I can utilize a great deal of things that I learned during the EMBA in my work. Leadership skills are a good concrete example: the program gave me new perspectives on leadership as well as practical tools,” he emphasizes.
Hamunen has a master’s degree in business, and thus many of the subject matters dealt with during the Executive MBA program were topics he was fairly familiar with.
“I certainly had a solid foundation for the finance modules, for example, but quite some time had passed since my master’s studies. It was an excellent idea to brush up on old skills and gain new perspective. The program is very versatile and there were also topics in which I had no prior knowledge. In these cases, I had to really raise my game to keep up, because EMBA studies advance fast,” Hamunen laughs.
Hamunen assures he is very happy he decided to take part in the EMBA program: “For me the experience was thoroughly positive. From day one, our group had exceptionally good team spirit, which was a pleasant surprise. I had expected an even somewhat competitive environment, but in our group everyone helped each other. Our group conversations also widened my outlook to understand completely new viewpoints.”
Minna Korander affirms that YIT is very satisfied with its cooperation with Aalto EE. In addition to the EMBA program, the organizations have for example collaborated in creating a leadership training program that is linked to strategy and tailored to YIT’s needs. The tailored program was built to match Aalto Executive MBA criteria, so participants could already during the tailored program get a good idea of what studying for the degree program is like.
We have sent professionals to the EMBA program who are in a position to influence issues on a large scale in their work and develop YIT’s operations."
“At YIT, there is no shortage of people interested in continual development and opportunities to be coached. In our recent personnel survey, 87% of respondents said that they learn new things daily at work. This number reflects the fast paced development of our industry – and shows just how important it is to continually improve yourself. We have sent professionals to the EMBA program who are in a position to influence issues on a large scale in their work and develop YIT’s operations,” Korander points out.
“In training, we appreciate wide-ranging international insight and top quality educational content which links to the participant’s own work in a concrete manner. All of these aspects are very well accomplished in the Executive MBA and Aalto EE’s customized programs,” Korander confirms.
Hannu Hamunen says he is pleased to recommend the Aalto Executive MBA program to others. “I cannot think of a single reason why you should not participate, if given the chance. The studies are tough and time management can be challenging – studying alongside a demanding job will naturally be very taxing at times – but all in all the EMBA is an extremely gratifying experience that gives you a great deal.”