Healthcare IMLP Hosts Marquette - Creighton Video Conference

Today GE Healthcare IMLP hosted an exciting vcon event between Creighton University and Marquette University.

The CIO of the Healthcare IT business spoke to a group of over 100 college students through a virtual video conference located in Omaha, NE and Milwaukee, WI. 

The topics ranged from how electronic medical records look to enhance the way we receive health care to how IT solutions can truly change how patients are diagnosed. 

Students from the live audience at Marquette and those over vcon at Creighton asked questions about the industry.  They were able to learn more about IMLP by looking examples of the wide variety of rotations, people, and experiences that program members are exposed to.

If you attended this event, we would love to hear from you!  Feel free to comment on the blog or visit our Facebook page.  GE is always looking for top talent, for more information on how to apply for a full-time position or summer internship, visit www.gecareers.com

All Intern Career Fair: Schenectady Edition

Schenectady Area Interns Gather for Annual EventThursday, June 25th marked GE Energy Infrastructure’s 4th annual Intern Networking Event and Career Fair.

The events is an opportunity for Schenectady-area interns interested in GE’s leadership programs to meet one another, interact with program representatives, and gain advice on career selection.

Over 125 interns and representatives from 14 leadership and affinity programs from throughout the capital district filled a conference room in  Schenectady for the event, which featured a keynote address by the CIO of GE Power and Water, an ice cream social, and the opportunity to interact with leadership program representatives from across the business.

The presentation covered GE career paths and gave an overview of the Power & Water business - from the new Wind building in Schenectady to how government regulation changes have impacted our products. The message left the crowd feeling that it's an exciting time to be at Energy.

Many interns commented that the GE career path overview reassured the audience that what you studied in college won't hold you back at GE.

After the presentation, Interns were invited to visit booths during the career fair segment, which gave area EIDs time to ask questions directly to leadership.

One an EID intern located in Schenectady, said that she appreciated the chance to mingle with program leaders and some of her fellow interns. “I enjoyed being able to talk to people from different parts of GE Energy and from the various programs that [the company] offers,” she said.

Programs and Affinity Groups represented at the event included: IMLP, FMP, OMLP, CLP, EEDP, African-American Forum (AAF), Asian-Pacific American Forum(APAF), GE Women’s Network (GEWN), Hispanic Forum (HF), and the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Ally Alliance (GLBTA).

The annual intern networking event and career fair began four years ago and has been organized and managed each year by an IMLP intern supervised by Susan Kudlack, IMLP Site Representative, and Schenectady IMLPs.

From an IMLP Intern: A 2nd Day Field Trip

John (Intern) & Alana (IMLP) at GE's IT ShowcaseAs a new IMLP intern at GE Energy working in Schenectady, NY, I was quite surprised to find I would be going on a field trip my second day at work.

After getting the hang of my Outlook Calendar, I noticed that I would be attending the 2009 IT Showcase at the GE Global Research Center, located nearby in Niskayuna, NY.

GE exposes all of its interns to a variety of opportunities that showcase different aspects of the company, from guided plant tours to this trip to the Global Research Center. The GE GRC is, as they say, where “all the magic happens.”

Imagine stepping foot into the building where some of the world’s greatest inventions were discovered – including LEXAN plastic, laser light, and…the light bulb!

The guest speaker at the showcase was GE's CIO, who discussed the current standing of GE and answered some questions from GE employees in attendance.

A particular question, asked by the IMLP blog contributor and creator, Alana Edmunds, asked an interesting question that stirred up a few conversations after the presentation: “What impact do you think upcoming external social networking technologies will have on GE in the future?”

When asked whether anyone in the room uses Twitter,  Alana, Alvaro (an IMLP alumni), and myself were the only people to raise our hands!

GE presents us with a great opportunity to promote our unique insights, and whenever we can, contribute to the future success of the company.  GE creates a truly unique internship experience by opening its doors to innovative insights, even from a first year intern.

To learn more about what goes on at the GRC, visit the GRC Blog.

Guest Post by John Chilgren, IMLP Intern.

Focus on the Global Economy: IMLPs get up-close and personal with the economic issues facing our world

I’m sure by now everyone is aware of the basics around the many challenges within the global marketplace.   From the struggling US housing market to the global credit crunch to the general lack of liquidity in the market, recent issues have prompted reactions from governments, corporations, and the general populace.  But how did these market challenges, these economic fluctuations, and these environmental shifts emerge?  What are the root causes of these challenges?  What’s the outlook for the future of the global economy?



Normally, discussion of such issues is left to the upper management of an organization to hash out and then to come up with a strategy to counter.  Recently, however, IMLPs were given a behind-the-scenes look into the world of economic analysis and enterprise thinking at GE.  Organized by the IMLP Best Practice Sharing Community, IMLPs from around the world were invited to speak with Laura Salma, Senior GE Economic Analyst and direct report to GE’s CIO.  With nearly a hundred IMLPs on hand from around the world, Laura provided a real learning opportunity by giving everyone an in-depth look into the global economy.

Beginning with the causes of today’s hardships, Laura showed us all how these problems trace back to a wide variety of sources… some dating as far back as a dozen years ago.  She went on to show how these issues grew over time until they culminated in a “perfect storm” of sorts, crippling the economies of countries throughout the world.   Continuing forward, she talked through what’s being done to fix these problems, how GE has been (and will continue to be) affected by the troubles, and what GE’s plan is to continue to deliver into the future, despite this challenging environment.

All-in-all Laura’s presentation and extensive Q&A session gave me and my fellow IMLPs a great understanding of our current economic situation, where it’s going, and how we can best position ourselves and the company to weather the storm.  With IMLP committees, like the Best Practices Sharing Committee, getting us access to such great, knowledgeable people from around the company (like Laura) there’s always something new and interesting to learn.  In fact, next week we’ll get to speak with the CIO of GE Enterprise Solutions about IT and it’s role on the enterprise level.  Looks like another exciting call!

Affinity Groups in GE: Doing more than you might think

Whether it’s at a GE recruiting function, an information session, on our website, or in this very blog, you’ve probably heard about the affinity groups at GE. Groups like the African American Forum (AAF), the Hispanic Forum, the Asian Pacific American Forum (APAF), the Women’s Network (WN), and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Forum (GLBT). In many companies, groups like these are often spoken of, but seldom heard from. In GE, however, this is far from the case.

The various affinity groups in GE make themselves known. Localized branches of each group work to do more than just work towards the advancement of their respective focus group within the company… far more. These affinity groups take the responsibility upon themselves to assist in the informing and advancement of everyone in GE. As is stated within the Women’s Network mission statement,

“By sharing information, best-practices, education, and experience, we help one another develop the leadership skills and career-advancing opportunities needed to drive GE's success far into the future.”

This is accomplished through a variety of avenues. From sponsoring frequent upper-management guest speaker events and occasional web chats with industry leaders to lunch & learn information sessions and roundtable discussion forums, GE affinity groups bring people together with business leaders in an effort to keep all employees involved, informed, and in-sight of business leaders. And you know what’s the best thing? It’s all completely free, highly supported by the business, and open to everyone.

Just last week, the GE Women’s Network sponsored a 2-hour roundtable with Gary Reiner, GE’s current CIO, in Danbury, CT. This gave everyone from the multiple GE facilities in that area like me to have a chance to hear Gary’s take on the current state of the business, the future of GE, the global economy, and much more. It also allowed us to speak face-to-face with him about more personal topics, such as his views on rising gas prices, politics, family, sports, etc. He even took some time after his Q&A to give us all some career advice for getting ahead in GE. It was a great event, and all thanks to the Women’s Network.

This is just one example of how the GE affinity groups are present and active all around GE. So the next time you hear about the affinity groups at GE, listen up! They’re a great addition to work at GE and are an ever-present part of the GE community.