Production supervisor Aleksi Larkine
Russian-born Aleksi Larkine came to Finland when he was a schoolchild. He left secondary school and did miscellaneous jobs in the Jämsä area, but grew tired of temporary work and moved to Helsinki. He worked as a telephone salesperson and a vacuum cleaner tradesman, until he found a permanent job in a dairy.
At Valio’s factory in Vantaa they make processed cheese. Almost 200 employees make the products both for the export and the home market. Production supervisor Aleksi Larkine, 27, works on the Koskenlaskija processed cheese packing machine.
“There are several stages in cheese production. First you make the curd. It is then heated to the required temperature. The curd is then pumped into the packing machine, where it is checked for taste and structure. After packing, the products are cooled, put in pallets and taken to the finished products store.”
Larkine works a two shift system. Every half hour he goes off to monitor the machine or feed the packaging material into it. His work also extends to training new staff. He likes his job and is happy to do overtime.
“The main thing was finding a permanent job. Valio was also offering training opportunities. Here I have gained certificates in hygiene and health and safety at work. I’ve also done a course in training, basic tasting and computers.”
“You have to know the specifications of a cheese product at every stage of the process.”
Larkine is also studying at Häme University of Applied Sciences. The studies have stopped for the time being, however, for family reasons, but he intends to complete his cause leading to a qualification as a dairyman.
Aleksi Larkine came to Finland with his mother and father. His grandmother was an Ingrian Finn who lived in Finland during the war and maintained connections with the country during the Soviet times.
Larkine was born in Gatshina, near St Petersburg. His grandmother returned to Russia, but mother and son stayed in Finland. Having gained Finnish citizenship, Larkine did his national service in the Guard Jaeger Regiment.
After school he gained a basic qualification in logistics in the automotive industry and got a training position at the Jämsä work activity centre. He drove mentally disabled and elderly people, but the work was never permanent. Larkine worked in a car repair shop and as a window fitter for buildings. Being in the Jämsä area, he did a few jobs in the paper industry and the ski resort at Himos.
“At the ski centre I did service and maintenance. The work was really good. In summer I repaired the stand and in winter I got to ski.”
Larkine moved to Helsinki with no job to go to. He found one in magazine telephone sales, but he got tired of that after three weeks. Giving notice meant there was a waiting period at the employment office. He had to find something, and he started selling vacuum cleaners. He went from door to door trying to sell vacuum cleaners that worked by steam. It was an uncomfortable experience going to people’s homes, so Larkine once again gave in his notice.
“I heard that I might find something at Valio. I got a job there, and I’ve now been working for Valio for more than six years.”
Text and photograph: Anu Likonen, Jukka Vuolle and Nanni Akkola
The Ministry of Employment and the Economy