Preparing for the future – Normet in partnership with Economy and Youth TAT in Finland

Normet is invested in supporting education for children and young adults and providing opportunities to experience working life. With this aim in mind, Normet has collaborated with Economy and Youth TAT in Finland since 2019. 

Economy and Youth TAT is a national influencer with the goal of helping elementary and secondary school students to develop their skills in economics and working life and encouraging interest in entrepreneurship. TAT provides up-to-date teaching materials that promote financial, social, and life skills in addition to operating Yrityskylä, “Entrepreneur Village”, learning environments for sixth and ninth graders.

In practice the partnership between Normet and Economy and Youth TAT has meant a gamified classroom setting in Economy and Youth TAT’s Entrepreneur Village in Kuopio, Finland. In the ‘Normet game’, groups of ninth graders form Normet’s Group Leadership Team and are assigned several tasks touching upon different areas of running a business. During the game students are taught production planning strategies, how to manage product rollouts and how to enter international markets, among others.  

“We couldn’t be prouder of our partnership with Economy and Youth TAT. Empowering youth and supporting the development of their skills in economics and finance is at the core of this collaboration. During the partnership we have met almost 4,000 students, and the feedback from the game concept has been very good”, comments Nina Pavón, Senior Communications and Sustainability Manager at Normet. 

For the students, visiting the Entrepreneur Village is often a highlight of the school year.

Benefits of gamification in learning 

Participation through gamification is an engaging teaching method that makes broad topics fun and accessible to children and young adults. Economy and Youth TAT reaches students across Finland from sixth to nine grades and in secondary school education. Annually, over 100,000 students participate in TAT’s Entrepreneur Villages and other learning initiatives. 

The results are promising: a study conducted by the University of Vaasa in Finland shows that ninth graders who take part in TAT’s study module have better knowledge of economics compared to their peers. The practical approach is seen as motivating by students and links abstract concepts of business and career paths to the broader, society-wide picture. 

Four quarters in two hours – ready, set, go! 

Normet has collaborated with the Entrepreneur Village Eastern Finland since 2019. In 2022 alone over 8,000 students and their teachers from Eastern Finland participated in the Village’s activities. Positive feedback from teachers is just as important: teachers appreciate the change to the regular curriculum and highlight its value as part of the education system. 

“Before arriving to Entrepreneur Village for the anticipated game day, ninth graders prepare by getting to know basic economic terms and a Normet as a company during five study sessions”, explains Jonna Käppi, Partnerships Manager at Entrepreneur Village Eastern Finland. 

During the game, the students compete as teams. In the role of executive directors, they must solve problems as the company operates in international markets through four quarters. The teams consist of a CEO, Sales Executive, Marketing Executive, Production Executive and Corporate Responsibility Executive. They are faced with internal and external challenges. To win, a team needs to score in the top three in their EBIT result, and then get the highest number of reputation points. With a time limit of two hours, the fast game pace and active learning creates a memorable experience.

Picture by Economy and Youth TAT Marko Paakkanen.

A toolkit for the future 

The experience contributes to the students’ positive self-image. They feel more confident about their future and learn key economic participation skills. The visit also strengthens studies in general as the game’s imaginary tasks are not that different from complex situations in real life. As a result, students better understand how world events and bigger trends are connected to running a company and growing a business. 

A new batch of ninth graders is prepared to onboard as executives and play the game in March and April 2023. Good luck!

Economy and Youth TAT in brief
Economy and Youth TAT’s vision is to develop courageous and skilled Finnish youth with a mission to act as a bridge to the future. The working life and economic skills of young people are at the heart of their operations. TAT’s operations are financed, for example, by TT-säätiö, the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), companies, foundations, the Ministry of Education and Culture and municipalities. Read more: https://tat.fi/en/frontpage/

Economy and Youth TAT and Junior Achievement Finland will merge their operations on 1 June 2023. The new name of the association will be NYT.