More than 3,000 summer jobs supported by OP Pohjola (OP) financial group has been opened for 15–17-year-olds all over Finland this year, said OP in a press release on Tuesday. Through the campaign, the OP cooperative bank pays the young person's salary for two weeks to the association that acts as the young person's employer. Application period for summer jobs has started on 2 March and will continue till 29 March. "A summer job offers many young people an important opportunity to learn the rules of working life and gain valuable experience. Earning your own salary also inspires you to learn money skills that are important for becoming independent," said Harri Nummela, Executive Vice President of Retail Banking of OP Pohjola. This year, more than 1,300 associations and clubs from all over Finland are participating in the campaign. Common examples of such associations are sports clubs, 4H associations, youth clubs and scout troops. Young people work, for example, as instructors for summer camps and hobby groups, help organise various events, and act as assistant coaches for sports clubs. In addition, there are environmental management tasks available, such as the upkeep of parks and outdoor recreation areas. Young people also get to practice customer service in the associations' cafés and kiosks. Some young people also get to do various communication and social media tasks. "We live in a time where both economic pressures and security-related global changes also affect the everyday lives of our young people. Therefore, it is even more important that companies work together to ensure that young people have opportunities to start working life. The first summer job and the experiences gained from it will have an impact for years to come," said Nummela. Since 2015, OP Pohjola has enabled approximately 20,000 summer jobs for young people. The nationwide Summer Jobs Paid for by OP campaign will be organised for the twelfth time in 2026.