Skip to content
Võti Tulevikku

History

From 17 companies to a record 122 stands

The first Võti Tulevikku took place on 27 March 1991. The aim has stayed the same: to bring students and employers face to face.

Timeline

35 events

  1. 1991The first Võti TulevikkuBEST-Estonia, the local group of the international student organisation BEST, started its work. The first Võti Tulevikku career event took place on 27 March at the Estonian Fairs Centre with about 17 companies, and the opening speech was given by Lennart Meri. The timing was right: state job placements after graduation had just ended and nothing like it had been seen in Estonia before. Companies did not yet know how to look for people and students knew little about the job market, so the aim was to bring the two face to face.
  2. 1992The second career eventThe second VT career event took place on 17–18 March at the Estonian Fairs Centre with 12 companies.
  3. 1993The forerunners of the catalogueBrochures of the participating companies were handed out for the first time, the forerunners of the later catalogue. 15 companies took part in the fair.
  4. 1994A fair in two cities (1994–1995)The VT career fair lasted two days and took place in two cities: at the Sakala Centre in Tallinn and at the Vanemuine theatre in Tartu. In 1994, 36 companies took part.
  5. 1995Cooperation with AIESEC (1995–2000)VT was organised together with the international student organisation AIESEC. In 1995, 21 companies took part.
  6. 1996One day againThe event became a one-day event again, with 16 companies in total.
  7. 1997At the Tallinn Song Festival GroundsThe career event was held at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds with 32 companies.
  8. 1998The first VT catalogueThe first VT catalogue was published, with information on 49 companies, and was posted to graduates' homes. For the first time the fair was preceded by a lecture series. The event took place on 3 March at the Sakala Centre in Tallinn with 29 companies.
  9. 1999A free bus from TartuThe fair was held with AIESEC on 2 March at the Sakala Centre. 2,660 people visited, and a free Tartu–Tallinn–Tartu bus ran for students from Tartu. 18 companies attended, 34 were in the catalogue, along with several local governments.
  10. 2000Võti Tulevikku turns 10Võti Tulevikku turned 10! For the first time companies could give presentations. The event took place on 14 March at the Sakala Centre with 19 companies. AIESEC changed its direction internationally, and in Estonia it decided to stop taking part in organising VT.
  11. 2001Its own websiteThe event got its own website and companies from Finland took part for the first time. It took place on 13 March at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds with 27 companies. Lectures, seminars and presentations on surviving in the job market were added to the fair.
  12. 2002Catalogue, fair and websiteVõti Tulevikku 2002 consisted of a catalogue, a contact fair on 5 March at the Estonian Fairs Centre and a website supporting both in real time. 16 companies offered jobs and there was a job ads board at the fair. There were 7 lectures and seminars. The fair was officially opened by the Minister of Education Mailis Rand, and free buses took visitors to the venue.
  13. 2003Also for vocational graduatesThe 13th recruitment fair took place on 11 March at the Estonian Fairs Centre. Besides university graduates it was aimed at vocational school graduates for the first time. At the stands visitors could also learn about studying abroad or even take out a pension insurance.
  14. 2004A low pointA low point for the event: the fair on 22 April at the Estonian Fairs Centre had 13 companies and fewer than 500 student visitors.
  15. 2005The move to TalTechVT moved to Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and became a two-day event with 28 companies. The first day had 5 general career lectures, the second day presentations by 28 companies and seminars. The event was advertised at 50 bus stops and the media partner was Kuku radio. The catalogue had 25 information pages, addresses by the Prime Minister and the organisers, and 13 adverts.
  16. 2006CV Keskus case studiesAt the 16th contact event on 22–23 March at TalTech, 46 companies had stands and catalogue pages and 48 gave presentations. The university's open day took place on 22 March and its career services conference on 23 March. New this year, students could take part in CV Keskus case studies.
  17. 20072,000 visitorsThe event on 28–29 March in TalTech's main and economics buildings had 500 student visitors on the first day and 1,500 on the second. 160 companies were contacted; 74 came to the fair and 60 were in the catalogue.
  18. 200866 companiesThe event took place on 27–28 February in TalTech's main building and SOC building. 66 companies took part: 59 at the fair, 55 in the catalogue and 52 with presentations.
  19. 2009The first workshopsWorkshops were held at VT for the first time. On 3–4 March, 30 companies came to TalTech's main and economics buildings.
  20. 2010Võti Tulevikku turns 20Võti Tulevikku turned 20! The fair on 3–4 March had 24 companies, 8 workshops and 10 lectures and trainings, and 2,500 catalogues were printed. Rector Peep Sürje opened the event on 3 March in TalTech's main building, and every visitor got a piece of anniversary cake.
  21. 2011Company visitsThe event took place on 6–7 April at TalTech with 34 companies, 5 workshops, 2 company visits and 11 lectures and trainings.
  22. 2012A catalogue on a USB stickThe VT catalogue came out in digital form on a USB stick, which the first 2,500 students received. The event on 6–7 March at TalTech had 44 companies, 16 workshops, 6 company visits and 9 lectures and trainings.
  23. 2013Three days for the first timeFor the first time the event lasted three days, 4–6 March. The first day had lectures and trainings on current topics; the fair took place on the second and third days, with workshops running alongside. 39 companies took part.
  24. 2014Group interviews52 companies took part on 3–4 March in TalTech's Student House and assembly hall, 45 of them at the fair. Students could join 1 presentation, 1 company visit, 2 trainings, 4 group interviews, 5 lectures and 9 workshops. Group interviews were held at VT for the first time.
  25. 2015Start-upsStart-ups were invited for the first time. The event on 9–10 March at TalTech had 67 companies, 8 start-ups and 3 partners.
  26. 2016A Postimees special editionThe fair on 2 March at TalTech brought together more than 50 companies, with a start-up area for companies born at TalTech. A special edition of the Postimees newspaper and a digital catalogue were published. There were 2 lectures, 2 trainings and 9 seminars.
  27. 201762 companiesThe event on 7–8 March in TalTech's assembly hall and Student House brought together 62 companies, with 15 seminars and 4 lectures. The VT special edition of Postimees came out again.
  28. 201867 companies67 companies took part on 6–8 March in TalTech's assembly hall, Student House and the corridor between them.
  29. 201983 companiesThe event took place on 4–6 March in TalTech's assembly hall, Student House, main building lobby, café hall and the corridor between the hall and the Student House. 83 companies took part.
  30. 2020Võti Tulevikku turns 30Võti Tulevikku turned 30! It was time to refresh the brand's look. The event had kept growing, so a tent was put up on TalTech's Akadeemikute allee to fit more companies.
  31. 2021The fair goes onlineBecause of COVID-19 the fair was held online on the OnlineExpo platform, with 43,918 visits to online stands. 73 companies took part, with 14 seminars and 3 lectures. Thanks to a partner, the event had two Võti Tulevikku cars at its disposal.
  32. 2022Podcast and magazineThe event was a hybrid fair: you could take part at TalTech or via YouTube. 102 companies from different fields took part. There were 16 seminars and 3 lectures on topics from artificial intelligence and infrastructure to environmental protection and the circular economy. The VT Podcast started with 7 episodes, and the first VT magazine was published together with Voice Media.
  33. 2023Ten daysThe 32nd Võti Tulevikku took place at TalTech on 7–17 March and lasted 10 days. The programme had partner lectures, the career fair, company visits for the first time in years, and seminars. The VT Podcast continued and the second VT magazine was printed partly on recycled paper. Career counsellors from the Unemployment Insurance Fund were there, CV Keskus ran speed job interviews, and there were student companies and therapy dogs.
  34. 2024The first seminar eveningThe 33rd Võti Tulevikku took place at TalTech on 5–15 March. On fair day students met 102 companies. For fun they could join a treasure hunt, for example doing a job interview at the CV Keskus stand or solving a crossword at Microsoft. For the first time a seminar evening followed the fair, where six companies talked about their work and plans. There were also company visits and job shadowing days that gave a real look at future workplaces.
  35. 2025A record 122 standsThe 34th Võti Tulevikku took place at TalTech on 4–14 March, bringing together students and employers from all over Estonia. 122 stands were sold out through the new Võti platform, a record. New activities included a treasure hunt that took visitors from stand to stand, a bingo with a brand-new iPhone 16 as the prize, and workshops on writing a CV and introducing yourself at a job interview. The day ended with the seminar evening, where six companies shared their experience, plans and tips on steering your career as a student. As usual there were also company visits and job shadowing days.