The arrival of summer brings along warm sunny days and City-Lab summer trainees!

Onboarding and safety

City-Lab’s summer trainees, often students in their early twenties, form a crucial part of the team during the warmer months. The work requires the accuracy which comes with age, as the correct storage of research products is our top priority at City-Lab. Opening deliveries, storing orders and recycling package materials are the main tasks for our summer interns. We have a thorough onboarding process with special emphasis on workplace safety.

“As a City-Lab summer intern I learned to inspect deliveries and to make an inventory. I also learned new things about workplace safety. These skills will be useful in the future. I also learned about life science research products and companies.”

– Iisa Hukkanen, City-Lab Kuopio

Learning and growing

Other summer trainee tasks are tailored to the trainee’s background. Eliisa and Oona, science students, have also been involved in customer service, including order fulfillment using the NetSuite system. This hands-on experience equips them with a skill—knowledge of an ERP system—that many companies consider essential for prospective employees. A very useful skill for the trainees’ resume! City-Lab has a lot of international customers, so language skills also come in handy.

Biomedical science student Oona also searched for products for City-Lab customers. In addition to expanding product-knowledge she has learned the essence of City-Lab:

“I always felt that the main objective at City-Lab was to find the best possible option, together with the customer.”

Cultivating a Positive Work Culture

City-Lab has a happy and humane workplace culture. It is important to us that young people have a positive introduction to the working world and a lot of coworker support.

“The best thing was that even though the work was independent, help was always available.”

– Oona Pakarinen, City-Lab Kuopio

“Tiina and Heidi are so much fun, we share laughs every day. And they always help me out, for them there is no such thing as a stupid question.”

– Eliisa Saarela, City-Lab Turku

Who Would Thrive at City-Lab as a Summer Trainee?

According to Eliisa, the answer is simple:

“A young person interested in science and those with a customer-service-oriented mindset. And a hearty sense of humor!”