Organised by Tallinn University of Technology and the Federation of Estonian Engineering Industry, scholars from secondary schools all over Estonia were welcomed to MEKTORY, the innovation and business centre at Tallinn University of Technology, for the first Raw Materials University Day, on 19 September 2017. MEKTORY is a networking environment where businesses, students, professors, schoolchildren and investors from all over the world can meet to generate new ideas and innovation together as one team – an exciting and inspiring location for the event.

The day was organised in two parallel sessions: one aimed at school students aged 16-18 (conducted in Estonian) and a smaller session for a group of international Master’s-level students (in English). Tours of the Geology faculty were led by current students who demonstrated their work in laboratories and classrooms, where it was possible to handle rock samples and even use a scanning electron microscope.

The Federation of Estonian Engineering Industry enabled hands-on experience of careers in raw materials with visits to the Ericsson Supply Site Tallinn and Hyrles OÜ, a company that specializes in producing thin sheet metal components. To top off the day, students heard inspirational presentations from specialists in the field of raw materials, who came from academia, government ministries and businesses. These talks offered plenty of ideas of how they could forge a successful career in raw materials for themselves.