The graduate program at Schneider Electric was an opportunity for me to embrace the facets of a global organisation, being leader in its field and help make the world a better place. Very early in the program, I connected with the values of the organization which are lived and breathed daily.
The program consists of 3 rotations of 8 months each and that allowed me to be exposed to some unique cross business-unit projects, helping me rapidly expand my network and develop an understanding of how we collaborate. I executed some large data centre projects and served small to mid-sized contractors across Energy Management and SCADA systems, medium and low voltage switchgear applications and lastly I finished the program in product development. The program provided a platform for my dedication and passion to be seen and recognized as a key talent. This opened new doors, helping me secure a permanent role as a Product Manager taking full ownership of the Power Quality portfolio for the whole of Australia.
The mentoring component of the program was essential to my development in that it provided me with extra support and an arm to grow my network, technical knowledge and understand business operations from a more experienced person.
As a result of the exposure I gained through the graduate program, I was hand-picked to be part of the Leadership Development Program 2014 providing me with additional leadership and soft-skills training, networking opportunities with global executives in addition to an intensive group project with team members from all four corners of the world. Presenting the project outcome to the Executive Committee of Schneider Electric not only highlights the investment made by the organization but also the framework to recognise, value and trust in developing young talents.
The graduate program has definitely fast-tracked my career development. It is an opportunity to be discovered and reach new horizons to help shape your career, your way.