The Viestimies (Signaller) training is traditionally divided into telephone and radio. The word Viesti haves Russian origin and entered the Finnish language for military use only in the 1920s. Before that, been used names as Tiedonanto, which mainly meant telephone traffic, and Merkinanto, which meant electrification, had been used. These designations were due to the German influence of the Jaeger movement. Before Winter War, signal troops and pioneer troops were a technical weapon type combined at the top level in the command structures according to the French model, although their troop units were separate.

In the past, the privates completed an electrical test, where the more successful half were placed on the radio side to learn electrical work. Others were directed to the telephone side. In electrification, those who increased their electrification levels the fastest continued on the radio side, while the other part of the radio side was transferred to the message traffic side.

The teaching of the telephone side continued with telephone line construction with twin cable and field remote cable, after which some specialized in telephone exchanges and some in field links. A very small part of the arrival batch was assigned to message maintenance tasks. The suqad leaders of the message handling function are those who attended the electrician and communications technical school's installer-non-commissioned officer course in Riihimäki Garrison. In the same garrison, the General Telephone Line and Radio Line Team Leader NCO Courses I and II were also completed in the same garrison. A general crew maintenance course was organized in the 3rd separate signal company in Mikkeli's Karkialammi


After completing basic training, a messenger can specialize in:

• sähköttäjäksi, learned how to use morse code
  
• puhelinmieheksi, expert in call centers
  
• puheradiomieheksi
  
• linkkimieheksi
  
• viestihuoltomieheksi
  
• Tele-mieheksi (communication cable builder)

Viestimiehet are trained in, for example, the following units:
In the Armored Brigade (PsPr) as armored signalmen in Hämeenlinna (Hattula), North Finland Signal Battalion (P-SVP, Kainuu Brigade (KaiPr), Kajaani), South Finland Signal Battalion (E-SVP, Signal Regiment (ViestiR ), Riihimäki) and in the Western Finland Signal Battalion (L-SVP) in Säkylä and in the Eastern Finland Signal Battalion as Viestimies.

In the reserve, a Viestimies can participate in the maintenance of his skills in addition to reserve exercises in voluntary national defense activities, for example in Uusimaa Viestikilla.

The base of the training branch insignia of the viestimiehet, servicemen and women is the same purple as the pioneer troops, due to the French tradition of technical weapons. As a difference to the previous one, the border is not silver gray, but golden yellow. The two flashes are white. The two lightning bolts in the middle depict electromagnetic radiation, radio waves.

In the past, there has been a more precise division in the education branch marks. For example, telephone messengers have had a hearing telephone in the place of the second lightning, which in Finnish is popularly called the Swedish name luuri.

Like the viestimiehet, lance corporals, corporals and sergeant use the same training branch patch.