The first students of Kood/Sisu started their internships at Ponsse
Delivering software development talent directly to the needs of the forest industry.
One year ago, the first kood/Sisu students began their journey toward becoming software developers. Now, the program has reached a new stage: putting skills directly into practice within companies. In May 2025, three students joined their internships at forest machine manufacturer Ponsse.
From left: Sara-Lotta Moilanen (Senior Manager, Ponsse) and kood/Sisu interns Veera Pylkkänen, Denys Horban, Olli Kivioja
Simplifying internship and recruitment processes for companies
As part of the collaboration, the school maps out the company’s needs and presents suitable candidates, leaving only the final interviews to the company.
“Kood/Sisu made the selection process incredibly easy for us. We were able to get skilled interns effortlessly and saved a significant amount of work time,” says Sara-Lotta Moilanen, Senior Manager, Ponsse Digital Services.
Turning Business Needs into Developer Skills
Ponsse is one of the founding members of kood/Sisu and has contributed to developing the school’s specialization module in embedded systems. The importance of software development in forest machines and related services is growing rapidly, and through the school, the company has direct access to talent that meets the industry’s evolving needs.
“The ability to utilize new technologies is crucial. For us, the key is not mastery of individual programming languages, but the ability to adopt and apply new methods effectively. Now we have concrete proof that this training produces modern software development talent that meets our needs,” explains Miika Soininen, Chief Digital Officer at Ponsse.
Miika Soininen, CDO at Ponsse
Watch the video about kood/Sisu interns at Ponsse:
Interns as a Part of the Team
At Ponsse, it is important that interns are welcomed as a true part of the development team. Tasks are assigned based on skill level, and more experienced developers provide support in daily work.
“From the very beginning, I felt welcome at Ponsse, and the work community has supported me fully. I got to independently develop a new tool, which connected me to several teams. The benefits of the school’s teaching methods became clear when I faced a previously unfamiliar programming language and immediately knew how to apply it to my tasks,” says Veera Pylkkänen, kood/Sisu student and Ponsse intern.
According to Pylkkänen, the project-based teamwork and code reviews that are a core part of kood/Sisu’s training program made the transition to working life much easier.
“I was surprised that after only a year of studies, I could actually contribute in team meetings when we discussed projects or code in general. Instead of just practicing, I felt that I truly knew how to program and understood the conversations. In some cases, I was even able to share new knowledge with experienced team members. In the role of an intern, that felt amazing,” Pylkkänen adds.
Read more about Ponsse & kood/Sisu collaboration
Talent for Companies’ Needs
After the internship, students continue with a six-month specialization module. Current options include embedded systems, cloud services, mobile applications, generative AI, cybersecurity, and advanced full-stack development.
kood/Sisu does not restrict its students from finding employment during their studies.
“We’ve received excellent feedback from companies that have hired our students. Kood/Sisu students are seen as proactive team players who bring value to existing teams,” says Roosa Ritvanen, Growth Director at kood/Sisu.
For Ponsse, the internships demonstrate that within just a year, the program has already succeeded in producing skills directly needed in working life.
“From the very beginning, it was clear that this is not just a training program, but a way to build competence based on companies’ needs. Usually, training is designed first, and companies only get involved at the end. Here, we’ve been involved right from the start,” Moilanen concludes.