{"id":2079,"date":"2026-04-27T11:58:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T08:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewers.ee\/lood\/heidi-toomsalu-the-journey-to-becoming-a-wood-products-technologist\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T13:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T10:13:26","slug":"heidi-toomsalu-the-journey-to-becoming-a-wood-products-technologist","status":"publish","type":"lood","link":"https:\/\/ewers.ee\/en\/stories\/heidi-toomsalu-the-journey-to-becoming-a-wood-products-technologist\/","title":{"rendered":"Heidi Toomsalu: The Journey to Becoming a Wood Products Technologist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Heidi is an adult learner at EWERS who is set to graduate this spring with a Level 5 degree in Wood Products Technology <\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Where did the idea to study wood products technology come from?<\/strong><br\/>I worked as a shift production manager at a large wood processing company in Tartu, but I, too, lost my job during the layoffs caused by the war. In collaboration with the unemployment insurance fund, I came up with the idea of continuing my studies and improving my qualifications. National studies showed that there is a severe shortage of skilled specialists in the timber industry, which gave me an extra push to begin my professional studies.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I researched various study options and chose EWERS because I was drawn to its block-semester format, the length of the program, and its curriculum. I entered the program with solid work experience and a strong foundation of knowledge, and my primary goal was to further develop my skills. I was particularly interested in new subjects such as technical drafting using various software programs, as well as writing and programming CNC codes.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Are you currently working in the wood industry?<\/strong><br\/>I\u2019m not currently working in the wood industry, but I work as a production developer at a large company. Wood is still close to my heart, and I\u2019m developing a new wood-based material alongside my main job. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. How satisfied are you with your studies so far\u2014what positive aspects can you highlight, and what could be improved?<\/strong><br\/>The curriculum is diverse and provides a good overview of the key topics needed in the wood industry and wood production. I would like to commend the faculty and advisors, who are always helpful and friendly. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an area for improvement, I believe that the Technology (Level 5) program could include more lectures on modern manufacturing and new production methods, and the proportion of hands-on classes could be increased. At the same time, it is understandable that teaching students at very different levels is a challenge, but those who are eager to learn are well supported in any case. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. What are your plans for the future (after graduation)?<\/strong><br\/>I definitely plan to continue my professional development, as the manufacturing sector is evolving very rapidly. To be a competent and successful leader, I need to constantly expand and update my knowledge. In addition, I\u2019ll continue working on the development of a new wood-based material, which you\u2019ll definitely be hearing more about in the future.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1935,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-2079","lood","type-lood","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Heidi Toomsalu: The Journey to Becoming a Wood Products Technologist &#8226; V\u00f5rumaa Haridus- ja Tehnoloogiakeskus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ewers.ee\/en\/stories\/heidi-toomsalu-the-journey-to-becoming-a-wood-products-technologist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Heidi Toomsalu: The Journey to Becoming a Wood Products Technologist &#8226; V\u00f5rumaa Haridus- ja Tehnoloogiakeskus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Heidi is an adult learner at EWERS who is set to graduate this spring with a Level 5 degree in Wood Products Technology 1. 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