IMLPs invade China with IMLP Senior Bootcamp

The IMLPs of the spring class of ’09 gathered this past month in Shanghai, China for Senior Bootcamp training.  However, our rigorous training in networking, data warehousing, enterprise reporting, and business dynamics were far from the only travels that we would embark on over our 3 weeks abroad.From the streets of Shanghai’s Xin Tian Di district to the historic riverside buildings of the Bund… from the lofty heights of the Jin Mao and Pearl towers to the many shops of Yu Gardens and Nanjing Road… from the hallowed grounds of the Jade Buddha Temple to the sea of fabrics in the South Bund Fabric Market… we left no path untraveled and no stone unturned.Venturing even further into the heart of the great Chinese nation, some of us sought out the ancient terracotta warriors of Xi’an while others explored the great metropolis of Beijing.  From the Great Wall to the Temple of Heaven… from the Forbidden City to the 2008 Beijing Olympics… we made sure to see it all and experience everything that China had to offer.Be it the local cuisine like Peking roast duck and soup dumplings or the many nightspots around town, we made sure to make the most of every moment.  Though the journey has come to an end, we’ll never forget the time they spent with our fellow IMLPs at our Senior Bootcamp in China.

From light bulbs ... to the Olympics?

At this point, I'm sure you are just as confused as I was two years ago. I had just been invited to interview for the GE IMLP program. As I began to research the program, I became more interested in it. However, even as a 20 year old Junior at the University of Notre Dame, I asked myself the question, "How can I, as a computer engineer, be a good fit for a company that makes light bulbs?". As I have since found out, this is an extremely common question that many people have about General Electric. Through my research for my on campus interview, I discovered that GE does much more than light bulbs. In fact, if you consult the 2007 GE Annual Report, the divison of GE responsible for manufacturing light bulbs accounted for less than 11% of GE revenues for 2007.



As I began to research more, I began to realize that GE has a vast portfolio of companies. Since that day, GE has continued to grow, both in the United States and throughout the world. Today, GE CEO and Chairman of the Board, Jeff Immelt, separates the businesses into three categories: infrastructure, media and financial services.

Never has GE's vast portfolio been more apparent than with the 2008 Summer Olympics. Not only will GE's own television network, NBC, and its cable affiliates broadcast more than 2,200 hours of coverage by the conclusion of the Olympics, but GE is also the exclusive provider of many essential infrastructure services such as power, lighting, water treatment, security, and transportation. In addition, GE also provided much of the medical equipment used to treat the athletes, including MRI and ultrasound machines.  If you would like to check out more of what GE is doing in China during the Olympic games, you can find some information here.

In addition to the products on display at the Olympics, GE offers many other products such as credit cards, commercial financing, aircraft engines, wind turbines, locomotives, and enterprise security solutions through its many divisions.

If you still don’t have a sense of the breadth of GE products and services, feel free to check out a complete list of GE’s products and services.

Ultimately, it is the breadth of products and the global reach of the company that make General Electric, Inc. an exciting place to work. As part of the IMLP program and throughout your GE career, you will have the opportunity to work with some of the latest and greatest technology throughout the many GE businesses around the world.