Edison Engineering Development Program
Encyclopedia
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
's six corporate entry level programs. Focused on engineering, the program aims to "develop technical problem-solving skills through advanced courses in engineering and technical projects that are aligned with business objectives".
Typically each GE business runs its own program, and candidates are required to apply for and rotate within the program at a specific business.
"EEDP is one of the most distinctive programs at GE," says Nancy Martin, manager of leadership business development for entry-level talent and new employees. Martin is responsible for overall execution of and strategy for EEDP, which counts many of today's company leaders among its graduates.
EEDP, the oldest of GE's rotational programs for new BS and MS grads, provides three to four assignments (6–8 months each (12 months in GE Aviation)) over two or three years. Assignments are driven by real GE business priorities, which may include working with systems, analysis, design, quality, reliability, integration, and testing. Program members develop and enhance their technical problem-solving skills through advanced engineering course work, reports, and team presentations. Another benefit of EEDP is the opportunity to earn a masters in engineering while in (or shortly upon completion of) the program. EEDP is most popular at the more technical businesses in GE's portfolio, including GE Technology Infrastructure
GE Technology Infrastructure
GE Technology Infrastructure is a business group of General Electric composed of three GE companies: GE Aviation, GE Healthcare, and GE Transportation. John G. Rice is president and CEO. A company-wide reorganization prompted by staggering financial losses led to the unit's formation in 2008 from...
(which includes the Healthcare, Aviation, and Transportation businesses), GE Global Research
GE Global Research
GE Global Research is the research and development division of General Electric.GE Global Research's primary facility is located in Niskayuna, New York. The Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center is a satelite facility located in Van Buren, Michigan...
, and GE Energy Infrastructure
GE Energy Infrastructure
GE Energy is a division of General Electric and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. A company-wide reorganization prompted by staggering financial losses led to the unit's formation in 2008 from companies within GE Infrastructure.-History:...
(which includes the Wind, Hydroelectric, Solar, and Oil & Gas businesses).
Program Summary
- Two or three year entry-level program consisting of at least three rotation assignments
- Assignments are engineering projects and may include systems, hardware/software/mechanical design, quality, and validation
- First year coursework includes advanced engineering topics to develop technical skills
- Second year coursework includes corporate leadership topics to develop business skills
- Program members are encouraged (if not required) to earn credit towards an MS degree in Engineering while on program (normally done in the third year of the program)
Candidate Criteria
(from GE's official site)- Passion for technology
- Demonstrated academic excellence
- Commitment to technology and quality
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and communication skills
- Engineering degree and relevant internship/co-op experience preferred
- Minimum GPA 3.0/4.0
Advanced Course in Engineering
The Advanced Course in Engineering, or ACE, is the official title for the graduate-level coursework undertaken by EEDP members. The ACE is divided into three sections: A Course, B Course, and C Course. Grading is assessed based on homework and/or tests. Homework may consist of problem sets, short reports, or formal reports, and typically requires 20 hours of effort per week, which must be completed outside of normal work hours.During the first year in the program, EEDP participants are required to take GE's engineering "A Course," which is designed to sharpen technical and problem-solving skills. The content of A Course varies by business, but typically includes a collection of topics rooted in technology, math, and science, such as Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, Differential Equations, Digital Electronics, Analog Electronics, Software Design, Data Mining
Data mining
Data mining , a relatively young and interdisciplinary field of computer science is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and database systems...
, Metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
, and Heat Transfer
Heat transfer
Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the exchange of thermal energy from one physical system to another. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as heat conduction, convection, thermal radiation, and phase-change transfer...
, as well as business-specific engineering, which may include engines, digital imaging, chemistry, and the physics of technologies used in that business' field. Additionally, members participate in GE's esteemed "Foundations of Leadership" course on its Crotonville, NY campus.
The second year in the program, participants are required to take the "B Course," which applies technical skills to actual business proposals. Coursework typically involves technical business fundamentals, such as program management, reliability, Lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, "Lean," is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination...
, design controls, and environmental issues. Additional classes cover modern topics related to the business or its customer base (e.g. current trends in energy, health care, aviation, etc.). Program members will choose a major business project to complete at the conclusion of the program, and then report out to senior management on the benefits generated (cost reductions, use of advanced technologies, etc.).
The third and final part of the ACE program is "C Course," which is a strictly optional course for some businesses. The focus of C Course is a design project related to the enrollee's Masters thesis. Few program members pursue a C Course certificate, but it is considered a top achievement throughout technical roles at GE.
After completion of the ACE program, EEDP engineers will have a number of graduate credits they can transfer to one of several universities (typically universities located near the business, or other top schools available via distance learning) to help complete a Masters degree. This allows program participants to earn a Masters or other advanced degree through a number of top schools while still employed by GE and working full-time.