History
Emperor Nicholas II issued a decree enabling the operation of technical colleges in 1911. Finland’s first technical educational institution was founded in 1912 in Tampere. The first 13 students graduated in the spring of 1915, and the number of graduates increased to 41 in 1917.
The history of engineers in Finland begins in Tampere
Tampereen Insinöörit ry was founded April 5, 1919, when fourty former students of the Tampere Technical College founded Tampereen Teknilliset association at the Tampere School of Economics. The leaders of the founding meeting were Tauno Pöllänen, Ilmari Stenberg, Reino Hirn and F. Alarik Lundberg. Niiko Rauvala was elected president of the association and Feliks Lundberg was elected secretary.
The purpose of the association was to act as a connecting link for those who attended Tampere Technical College, to assist them in following the development of the country’s industry and technology, and to monitor the interests of those who attended the college.
Sub-departments in different parts of Finland
Little by little, the engineers association spread activities to other domains in different parts of Finland. During the next 27 years, subsections of Tampereen Teknilliset ry were established in Helsinki, Vyborg, Turku, Lahti, Kymenlaakso, Varkaus, Pori, Valkeakoski, Oulu, Jyväskylä and Hämeenlinna, among others. When the activity became national and the name in use referred to a single educational institution, the need to change the name and rules arose. At the same time, the weak activity of the membership and the reluctance of graduates from elsewhere to join Tampere Technical University had an effect. Only a small group, and that too mainly from Tampere, managed and decided things.
On October 26, 1946, it was decided to take Yleinen Insinööryhdistys (general engineering association) ry as the new name, and the domicile changed from Tampere to Helsinki. The idea of changing the association to a union-based one had been smoldering since the founding of Yleinen Insinööryhdistys ry, but the discussion intensified in the early 1950s. Insinöoriliitto ry, The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland, was founded in 1954. At that time, the union included 22 local branches.
Title of an engineer in 1943
In 1939, there were 737 people who graduated from Tampere. In 1943, schools were founded in Turku and Helsinki. They started their operations in January 1945. The degree title of engineer was officially accepted only on 17 December 1943, although the use of the title had already been established in the 1920s. The Tampere Technical Board had urged the use of the engineer title. Teaching at the Tampere Technical College became of a high standard and the term “engineer of Tampere” began to establish itself as a counterweight to university engineers with a theoretical background and less practical experience.