08/05/2008

GEIP Workshop in Vienna and Otrokovice

The students of the Global Engineering Internship Program (GEIP) met in a workshop in Vienna and Otrokovice from July, 27^th until August 2^nd. During the workshop 18 selected students from seven countries got together with professors from the Global Engineering Excellence (GEE) Universities, as well as with high-ranking Continental representatives. The students, nominated by the universities, are currently completing an international internship within Continental. The central issue of the GEE program is a study about the global orientation of engineering students, published in 2006.

The visit of Continental’s board member Heinz-Gerhard Wente was the first highlight of the workshop. After his presentation about the strategic challenges of Continental and the company’s demand on engineering students, Mr. Wente answered questions of the students. Amongst others, he advised the prospective executives not to change their position too fast at the beginning of their career. The experiences on the first job, he argued, form a major element for their further professional development. Moreover, Heinz Gerhard Wente explained the significance of the GEIP for the company: “With this program, we have taken the first step in implementing the theoretical insight we gained together with eight universities in the practical operations of a global corporation. And we are convinced that this program is highly attractive in addition to Continental’s existing training components. It positions Continental more effectively as an attractive employer, both on the entry level and for career development within the company”.

A plant tour in Otrokovice was a further point on the agenda. After the plant tour the students had the possibility to ask questions to the plant manager Libor Laznicka and further high-ranking representative of the plant.

There was also an outdoor event on the agenda of the workshop, during which the students had to solve tricky team-tasks. "Working together with students from all over the world was an amazing experience. That is what teamwork is all about: different minds helping each other to solve challenges and accomplish tasks." Said the GEIP intern Paulo Bacchin Gois Manso from the Escola Politecnica da Universidade de Sao Paulo.

To round off the GEIP workshop, the GEIP students worked on two case studies. Additionally, they had an intercultural training which should help them to reflect their experiences during their international internships.

Apart from the workshop, the university representatives also discussed the future of GEE. They decided that the GEE-program should be on a wider basis. Therefore they will ask additional University and Industry Partners to join the GEE consortium.

Furthermore, the representatives of the universities decided concordantly that the RWTH Aachen University will become a new member of the GEE initiative. “We are happy to welcome such an excellent German university within our network” says Stefan Kraft, Head of Corporate Human Resources Development, Employer Branding & Recruiting of the Continental AG.

The results of the GEE study from 2006 has proven that the education of engineers with worldwide competency has failed to keep pace with globalization’s complex and highly dynamic development process. The study therefore recommends that global competence has to become a key qualification for prospective engineering graduates. “The GEIP program seeks to make a contribution to more internationality within the education of students and to win international students from top universities for our company”, comments Bärbel Henghuber, Recruiting Manager and responsible for the GEIP. The workshop is to give the students the opportunity to build up a network and broaden their intercultural competencies.

The GEIP is a cooperation of the Continental AG with the Georgia Institute of Tecnology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Escoloa Politecnica da Universidade de Sao Paulo, the Tsinghua University, the Jiao Tong University, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich and the RWTH Aachen (since 08/2008). Continental intends to attract the most talented students once they have completed their internship abroad and their academic careers.

The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) congratulates Stefan Kraft and Continental on the „Corporate Leader of the Year Award 2008“

The North American association NSEE honored the commitment of Stefan Kraft to the worldwide collaboration between companies and universities. Especially within the Global Engineering Internship Program (GEIP) Mr. Kraft, Head of Corporate Human Resources Development, Employer Branding & Recruiting, fostered the experiential education of junior employees on an international scale. The outstanding achievements of Kraft were rewarded during the bestowal of the “Corporate Leader of the Year Award” in Orlando, Florida.

The educators, businesses and community leaders of the nonprofit membership association serve the use of learning through experience. It is intended for intellectual, ethical and personal development and social responsibility. Thereby they aim to improve the effective use of experience as an integral part of education. The trailblazing Global Engineering Excellence Initiative contributes to the  intention of the associates. Stefan Kraft has a remarkable dedication to the initiative and underlines the significance of engineering in the world markets. Also it is the education of engineers on a worldwide basis. Continental provides a transformational and international work experience to the participants of the GEIP and fosters the global competence of engineering students. 

GEE delegates meeting in Atlanta

Technical innovation is the mainspring of every national economy around the world. Which is why Continental has joined forces with eight of the world’s leading universities to launch the Global Engineering Excellence Initiative (GEE). As already reported in conti intern, the primary aim of the initiative is to underline the growing significance of engineering sciences in the globalized economy. Now students from the Corporation’s partner universities are being offered the opportunity to undertake an international internship with Continental in Germany, Romania, Sweden or the USA. Dr. Sigrid Berka of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is working on the implementation of an academic framework program to prepare the students for these periods abroad. In another academic support measure for the interns, a joint intercultural workshop will be staged in the Czech Republic at the end of July.