The changing nature of work and the workforce presents a challenge to both employers and employees. Global and diversified organisations like General Electric (GE) Malaysia rolled out an intern-friendly policy in 2007.
GE has a strong tradition in developing talent and programmes like the company’s Graduate Leadership Programme (GLP), an extensive two to three months on-the-job leadership experience extended to budding executives, and the Financial Management Programme (FMP), a two-year programme which grooms fresh grads into world-class finance leaders. Such programmes set the standard in the corporate world. And the best part is that local millennials augur well in their plans.
GE’s Asean FMP manager and human resource specialist Choy Koon Seng said that local grads had performed well so far and the company was eager for more quality interns or applicants for the above programmes.
“GE has a lot of local grads in our workforce and many are very talented individuals and our experience with the interns has been positive,” he says.
“Unlike other companies, we entrust our interns with significant projects and our GLP and FMP programmes are geared towards leadership.”
Tracy Moey, a marketing specialist with GE Healthcare agrees and looks back at her internship experience fondly.
“GE threw me into the deep end from day one,” she said. “I was dealing with healthcare products that cost millions but the company had enough faith in me.
“It really left a mark because interns usually check faxes or make coffee for their superiors. Instead, I had the opportunity to learn from and work with the bosses and mentors in the company.”
Changing Perspectives
In hindsight, such events allow emerging talents to rise to the fore. And by providing individuals with a fast track to self-actualisation, companies enhance their talent pool in the process.
GE’s human resource director Sugunah Verumandy points out that some do not get to experience Moey’s internship experience in their entire career.
“Of course, being in a global company like GE allows one to shine, but ultimately, the individual has to take that opportunity with both hands,” she says.
“That is what we want to see in our Gen-Y recruits and the company is committed to retaining talent in any positive internship or development programme.”
Sugunah adds that this could be tricky as talent retention is hard even for a company like GE, in today’s ultra-competitive business environment.