Enrollment
By September 1, 2025
Delivery mode
Onsite
October 10, 2025 – April 13, 2026
Frequency
Location
Aalto University Espoo, Finland or live online
Language
English
Scope
Core studies: 10 days onsite + elective studies: 7-9 days onsite/online + 5 remote days + 96-98 working days in the employing organization
Data and AI Engineering F.E.C
Recruitment training program - new career as a Data Engineer
Companies across different industries are realizing the power of data-driven decision making, and they are looking for professionals who can make sense of it all. The Data and AI Engineering F.E.C *) program will equip you with the foundational knowledge and good practical abilities to help launch a rewarding career in data engineering.
This program offers a comprehensive, hands-on journey through the modern data and AI engineering landscape, equipping participants with the tools and practices needed to build robust, scalable, and intelligent data systems.
Participants begin by understanding the data lifecycle from acquisition to serving and gradually dive into practical skills in SQL and Python for analytics, feature extraction, and model building. The curriculum covers the architecture of data warehouses, lakes, and feature stores, and explores how to design and orchestrate reliable batch data pipelines.
The program also addresses scaling data processes with Spark, introduces MLOps and orchestration principles, and concludes with best practices for leveraging cloud platforms to build secure, cost-effective, and production-ready AI workflows.
Contact usApplication information
*) F.E.C = Further Educated with Companies. The F.E.C program is an approximately six-month unpaid collaboration period with a potential future employee - with the goal of an employment contract. The program is based on a training agreement, including orientation and hands-on work at the employing company, and training provided by Aalto EE.

Start
Fee: Free of charge for the participant
The program is free of charge for the participant.
The total cost of the program for the company is € 8,400 + VAT.
Benefits for Participants
This program empowers professionals to navigate the full spectrum of modern data and AI engineering with confidence. By combining technical depth with practical tools and real-world scenarios, it equips participants with the skills needed to design, build, and maintain scalable data-driven systems that deliver real business value.
- Understand the full lifecycle of data and AI systems—from acquisition to deployment
- Gain hands-on skills in tools like SQL, Python, Spark, and cloud platforms
- Learn to design scalable, efficient, and maintainable data pipelines
- Apply key MLOps and automation practices for robust, real-world AI workflows
- Build confidence to collaborate across teams and make informed technical decisions
Benefits for the Organization
- Stronger Project Support through practical data engineering skills available to advance current initiatives.
- Improved Data-Driven Decisions are enabled by unlocking insights from company data.
- Developing AI Readiness in Practice through the opportunity to explore and test scalable AI workflows.
- Added Technical Capacity and skilled support.
- Application of Modern Practices and current standards in data pipelines and cloud development.
- Faster Insight Delivery with a quicker path from data collection to actionable outcomes.
- Agile Innovation Testing through the ability to pilot data and AI solutions in a low-risk setting.
For
To be eligible, all participants need to have sufficient mastery of English, as the program will be delivered in English. Also, foreign individuals must have a right to the public employment and business services, i.e., Employment Services. Applicants must have completed their Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in different fields of science or relevant work experience. Full-time students cannot be selected.
The main criterion for entering the program is having relevant experience in software development, other software-related experience is a benefit. You don’t have to tick every box in the list below and have a deep level of understanding of each of the items. We encourage you to apply if you are familiar with the technical skills in the list and eager to learn more.
The program is primarily intended for unemployed jobseekers in the Uusimaa region who are currently clients of employment services.
- Three years plus software development experience
- Familiarity with CI/CD, source and version control, development best practices etc.
- Familiarity with Python - able to write a small Python application
- Familiarity with SQL - able to write SQL queries
- Cloud experience is preferable
- Versatile, curious, and desire to learn
Contents and Schedule
The program is divided into core modules common for all participants (10 days) and independent learning days (5 days). In addition to this, you will choose 7–9 days from a pool of elective modules and online courses to profile your expertise with the most relevant content. Most of the training program you will work for the co-operative company under a training contract (96–98 days).
The program will be delivered onsite.
Aalto University Executive Education Ltd has over 30 years of experience in designing and delivering recruitment training programs. Our role and position as part of the Aalto University community ensure high-quality training and reliability. Through our programs, thousands of individuals have been recruited in different types of organizations, and the employment rate is about 70%.
Training Modules Common to all Participants
Orientation
Schedule
October 10, 2025
Location
Live online
Orientation to the program.
- Introductions
- Program content
- Schedules
- Practicalities
The Integrated Landscape – Data & AI Engineering
Schedule
October 27, 2025
Location
Aalto-yliopisto, Espoo, Finland
- First principles – acquiring data to use in reporting, analytics, AI, and beyond
- Storing data – the importance of cleanliness
- Staging data – preparing data for real-world use
- Serving data – pushing data to a database and further to a field
- Pipelines – an overview
Instructor: Matthew Wooller
SQL for Analytics & Feature Extraction
Schedule
November 7, 2025
Location
Aalto-yliopisto, Espoo, Finland
- Analytics in a nutshell
- SQL for reports and infographics
- Machine Learning in a nutshell
- SQL for churn and recommendations
- AI in a nutshell
- SQL for large language models
Instructor: Matthew Wooller
Python for Data & AI Pipelines
Schedule
November 14, 2025
Location
Aalto-yliopisto, Espoo, Finland
- Interfacing Python with databases and data stores
- Working with Pandas, Polars, and Ducks - advanced data manipulation
- Feature engineering with Python
- AI frameworks, deep learning, and neural networks
- Bringing it all together - from Python to Model
Instructor: Matthew Wooller
Data Warehouses, Lakes, and Feature Stores
Schedule
December 8, 2025
Location
Aalto-yliopisto, Espoo, Finland
- A deeper look at three pipeline endpoints and how they relate to one another
- Relational database design
- Non-relational database design
- Data-Wrangling – doing clever things with Pandas and PETLs
- Metadata – describing the data and why that’s just as important as the data itself
Instructor: Matthew Wooller
Building Batch Data & Feature Pipelines
Schedule
December 15, 2025
Location
Aalto-yliopisto, Espoo, Finland
- ETL or ELT? What’s what in the world of extraction and why
- Transformations – bending data to your will
- Feature computations – complex pipelines that require a lot of machine muscle
- Conducting the symphony – orchestrating your pipeline
- Is it reliable? Is it maintainable? What went wrong and where?
Instructor: Matthew Wooller
Scaling with Spark – Data Processing and Feature Engineering
Schedule
January 13, 2026
Location
Aalto-yliopisto, Espoo, Finland
- Many hands make light work – distributed computing with Spark or Dask
- Storing large quantities of data – at home and in the cloud
- Feature engineering at scale – functions in a distributed cluster
- Making it work smarter – optimizing feature pipelines at scale
- Feature storage – organizing, storing, and serving features
Instructor: Matthew Wooller
Orchestration and MLOps Principles
Schedule
February 11, 2026
Location
Aalto-yliopisto, Espoo, Finland
- The right tool for the right job – Orchestration tools - loops, crashes, and DAGs
- Dataops – co-operation, automation, monitoring, and continuous improvement
- Infrastructure as Code – the power to bring services to life with a key-press
- Monitoring, alerting, and logging – with data pipelines
- CI/CD – Best practices from the software development world
Instructor: Matthew Wooller
Cloud Platforms for Data & AI
Schedule
March 10, 2026
Location
Aalto-yliopisto, Espoo, Finland
- Core Cloud Data Services – fundamentals of data in the cloud
- Let’s go serverless – scalable and cost-effective data pipelines without infrastructure
- All-in-one machine learning solutions – labeling, feature engineering, and training
- Keeping it secure – managing security in the cloud and keeping your data safe
Instructor: Matthew Wooller
Instructor

Matthew Wooller
Matthew Wooller is the Lead Data Strategist and Evangelist at Codento, and he keeps his hand in on the technical side of things by contributing engineering and architecture to client work where required.
Wooller has over thirty years of experience working on data-centric projects with companies such as MTV Networks Europe and Asia, the UKTV group, Sulake, Rovio, and Sanoma. In the past ten years, he has returned to consulting (it is where he started) and worked with global brands across many and varied domains to deliver data-led initiatives and instill a data-driven mindset. sentences)
Program Fee and Application
Program Fee
The Data and AI Engineering F.E.C program is free for the participant.
For the employing organization, the total program fee is 8,400 € (+ VAT).
Application for the recruitment training program
Below you can find instructions on how to apply to the program. Aalto EE invites suitable candidates to an information session. It is recommended to apply for the training immediately, as the selection process and the search for partner company/organization positions will start already during the application period. Pre-selection is based on the applications, so please provide a well-reasoned and detailed justification for your qualifications and motivation.
The application period is June 27 – September 1, 2025.
Application
Apply to the programme by filling in the application form at: Koulutukset ja palvelut - Henkilöasiakkaat - Työmarkkinatori (FIN) or Trainings and services - Henkilöasiakkaat - Job Market Finland (ENG). At first, search for the call for admissions to the programme: the search word can be, for instance, the program title Data and AI Engineering F.E.C. You can apply for the training either by filling in an electronic application form or by submitting an application form on paper to your local employment services. The assessment of the applications will be done throughout the application period. Early applications are recommended!
Data and AI Engineering F.E.C application
Binding Status of the Training Application
Please note that the training application is binding and cannot be cancelled without a valid reason. By submitting the training application, you agree to participate in the training selection event and to start the training if you are selected. If you cancel the application, do not participate in the training selection event, or do not start the training, the employment services will determine your right to unemployment benefit (TTL Chapter 2 a, Section 9, 7 a-7 b and Chapter 2 a, Section 10). Valid reasons may include, for example, employment or obtaining another training place.
In addition to the application, kindly register as an applicant and submit your CV to Aalto EE through this link.
You will need a cooperative company to work for throughout the program in order to be able to join the program. Aalto EE and applicants will work together to find these companies.
Further information on the program
Regarding program content and delivery:
Tia Lankila
Program Director
Tel. +358 10 837 3750
tia.lankila@aaltoee.fi
Una Lappalainen
Program Manager
Tel. +358 10 837 3855
una.lappalainen@aaltoee.fi
Regarding cooperation with companies:
Marko Ikävalko
Director, Sales & Marketing, Poolia
Tel. +358 20 7290 840
marko@poolia.fi