IMLP UK - Going back to school

Leah illustrates in an artistic way her concepts to the students, putting her imagination at work!When I returned to my university to give a presentation on being an IMLP graduate, I thought I wouldn’t feel any different than when I was there as a student.  Even though I only graduated earlier this year, I realised how much I had changed since being here at GE Corporate. 

After the presentation I took time to take questions from both the students and the tutors, I was asked “What’s the best thing about being an IMLP?”  Immediately I knew answer…

My first five weeks at GE I spent in Junior Bootcamp (Detroit, US). It was an intensive learning development program that exposed me to new programming languages, financial skills and presentation guidance (to name but a few).  Junior Bootcamp gave me the opportunity to kick start my learning curve with a bang!  The training hasn’t ended there; I have recently attended ITIL training.  The latest buzz in the IT industry is ITIL, it’s a set of best practices that helps service providers realise the value to their customers.  Furthermore, through regular mentoring from the GE Corporate leaders, I am learning communication and leadership skills.

The IMLP Training Roadmap is a set course over the next two years. I started my journey with Junior Bootcamp; then travelled further on to complete a virtual Business Writing course and an Application Lifecycle course.  Next year I will attend Foundations of Leadership (Munich, Germany) and Senior Bootcamp (Shanghai, China). The Roadmap ahead of me is going to be hard work but I know that at the end of the two years I will have grown even further.

So what is the answer to “What’s the best thing about being an IMLP?”….

For me the best thing about being an IMLP is how much time and effort GE puts into developing me as a professional worker and a person.

Goodbye College, Hello GE

As I approached graduation, I worried about leaving my college bubble where I’d grown accustomed to working and sleeping in crazy rhythms.  I was sad to leave my friends who had become my family and move, all alone, miles from home.  The excitement of starting a new job was mixed in with my fears and anxieties of starting over. However, I found that unlike many of my college friends, my job allowed me to quickly form lasting friendships and make an impact on the company. 

At the beginning I was worried about entering the working world because I thought that my coworkers would be very formal in their everyday interactions. I was very relieved to find a welcoming work environment and very friendly colleagues.  Thanks to the IMLP events and the welcoming environment at GE, my calendar quickly filled up with happy hours, sponsored dinners, community service events and weekend trips to local tourist attractions. Not to mention fun Segway tours, and the networking events with a lot of people sharing common interests.

GE gave me also the opportunity All of the IMLPs at Junior Bootcamp in Detroit, MIto attend a 4-week Bootcamp training course at the GE Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center in Detroit, MI.  Here I met the IMLPs from other businesses, 105 recent graduates from all over the globe.  All the other IMLPs were new grads like me, with similar interests, fears and a general feeling of excitement over starting our new jobs. Bootcamp was one of the most beneficial experiences of my life.  I developed friendships and learned more in those 4-weeks than what I could learn in an entire semester in college.  Most importantly, Bootcamp gave us the tools necessary to make a successful transition into GE.

Armed with a new network of GE colleagues and friends, I headed back to my first rotation location.  I’m located in Cincinnati, OH where there are three GE businesses, Energy, Aviation and Corporate.  Although I’m in a completely new part of the country, I now have 12 friends who work at the same location. I also have more than 100 friends who I can reach out to for simple questions like, “how do I connect to a GE network printer?”  I believe that IMLP is the perfect transition from college to the working world, as it allows you to quickly meet friends and develop a support system. 

Without IMLP, I believe my transition would have been much more difficult.  I am so thankful for the program because I know that if I ever need anything, I can count on my new IMLP family. 

Leadership, Friendship, Chairs Made From Balloons & Pretzels… Sehr Fantastish!

During our time as IMLPs, we undertake a week-long course known as Foundations of Leadership (FOL). First in a whole range of leadership classes provided by GE, FOL brings together employees from all GE businesses and fields such as Engineering, Finance, Law, and of course the delightful IT folk. It is a true mixture of people with different backgrounds, cultures, attitudes, working environments, ideas, views. Taking the course in Munich with other European-based GE employees means these differences are elevated even more by coating the social obstacle cake with an additional layer of the language barrier ‘icing.’ How then do we build a rapport with these people, work with them and produce results?

While there are many lessons taught in the classroom on interacting with different social types and building up a general work rapport, true team bonding comes from activities outside of the classroom – outside of the workplace – outside of the work frame of mind. What better place for us to have this experience then in Munich? World famous for its Oktoberfest celebrations, pretzels, and of course lederhosen – Munich was a fascinating city to be located in during the training.

During our free time we had the privilege of witnessing the magnificent architecture and strong cultural scene of Munich and got to know our fellow GE employees from across Europe over some famous German food and drink. Truly an unforgettable experience, our shared adventures not only aided us in succeeding throughout FOL, but also in building our GE network and understanding of the broader working environment.

Please share your FOL experiences!

- Phil H., Aviation UK IMLP

IT Learning Program - Interview with Beth Desormeaux

We had the chance to conduct an interview with Beth Desormeaux. She is responsible for identifying common learning & development needs for the information technology and sourcing functions across GE. She also works with the custom development and procurement of high-quality curricula and learning experiences for the Advanced Information Management Class (AIMC), Experienced Information Management Program (EIMP), and other leadership programs like IMLP.

Here's the interview:

1. As an IMLP, what IT training and certifications would be available to me?

We offer extensive training and resources to IMLPs and other employees. This includes:

• Over 2000 courses, 13000 online references (IT specific library for research – IT publications, white papers, study guides)
• Study pads, live mentors, practice exams, express guides for over 125 certification exams study path Diverse range of topics from ERP systems to Networking and Programming.

2. Do IMLP's get more training than the average employee?

All employees have access to training and get a lot of it. The Leadership Programs get much more, especially while on program (see response to hours of training employee’s log).

Click to read more ...

Now Officially a Green Belt.

It's official.

I'm green belt certified.

What is a green belt? It's the first level of lean/six sigma certification here at GE.

In order to complete your certification, you must take a class, pass a test, and complete a project that proves you have applied the quality tools and demonstrated change.

Is it required? It varies from business to business, but lean/six sigma training is an integral part of the core curriculum and business understanding at GE. It's recommended to participate!

One valuable part of GE's Information Management Leadership Program is our exposure to training that will assist us to consistenly improve and develop us as leaders.

For more information on Quality, check out this explanation via GE.com