The Siemens Graduate Program A success story 90 years SGP www.siemens.com/career/sgp Timeline 90 years of Generation interview success 1 A global community 2 3 The SGP - 90 years of encouraging excellence October 2012 is a very special month for the Siemens Graduate Program. Founded in 1922 the program can look back on a history of successful 90 years and is celebrating its anniversary with an extra newsletter. In the past 90 years the Siemens Graduate Program (SGP) has evolved from a local circle of engineers in Germany to a renowned worldwide entry-level program for developing future leaders. Today the SGP improves Siemens employer attractiveness, in particular for high potentials, targeting talents that are specifically looking for programs supporting a fast track career. In April 2012 the SGP was rewarded as a career advancing and fair trainee program by ABSOLVENTA, a German job platform for students, graduates and young professionals. This certificate is only given to selected entrylevel programs. The article on page 2 provides an insight into the most impressive steps in the history of the SGP. The SGP had to continuously improve itself to meet the needs of an ever faster changing environment, although it still has the same vision to prepare young talents for a successful career within Siemens: Encouraging excellence since 1922 Because of their intercultural project work and their assignments abroad, SGP participants are quickly establishing a global network and are capable of adapting to new situations and of integrating in international teams. This result is one of the main benefits for the SGP participants and for the business and these are just a few reasons why some of them fill in top management positions during their career development. Basically the SGP offers a win-win situation: On the one hand, Siemens reaches outstanding talents with it; on the other hand, the participants can go through an exciting and challenging program. (Dr. Juergen Brandes - CEO Large Drives, Industry Sector 2010) Over 2000 SGP participants started their career with the Siemens Graduate Program. As of today the Alumni Community has more than 1900 people and present a strong global network. Currently the program has around 220 participants located in 14 different countries with a variety of diverse study backgrounds, ethnics and gender. Find out more about the global presence and facts and figures of the SGP on page 3. Please find out what different generations of SGP participants tell about their expectation, work value and their working entry. Please enjoy reading our generation interview, starting on page 4. We are proud to present the first anniversary SGP Newletter and hope you enjoy reading Interested to know more? Follow the development of the SGP on Facebook. A success story 90 years SGP 1
A global community making the sustainable difference since 1922 Looking back at 90 years of history, the SGP presents itself more vital than ever. The successful background emphasizes the achievements and the attractiveness of the program but where lies its origin? Follow the traces of this success story, whose roots date back to the year 1922. SGP became more and more global. The program got its today s name in 1999 the year when the first participant not "based" in Germany joined The Siemens Graduate Program. 2000 2010 - Establishing an international network By 2001 the SGP Alumni community was founded with currently over 1900 members. This growing community reflects the increasing development as well as the long history of the SGP. For active SGP participants and Alumni this is a great benefit to be part of an international community across Sectors and functions. One opportunity to keep SGP Alumni Conference 2008 connected is the annual SGP Alumni Conference. More than 200 highly motivated and committed SGP Alumni discuss topics of strategic relevance for Siemens and use the time to foster their own network. During the SGP I got to know quite interesting, highly motivated people, who had a strong career orientation and an incredible readiness to show commitment.. (Dirk Hoke - CEO Costumer Solutions, Industry Sector and SGP Alumnus 2010) 2010 2012 - The SGP goes global The emphasis on internationality was expressed in the Siemens HR vision of a world of proven global talent. 1922 1999 - Encouraging excellence The focus on young bright talents is not a new one. Already in 1922 Siemens was conscious of the importance of great employees to shape the future of the company. We are dependent on people who are enabled to top performances. (Dr. Köttgen - Siemens Generaldirektor 1927) Within the first decades, the program was focused on young technical professionals in Germany to fill the engineering demands. Over the years, several non-german engineers enriched the program and laid the foundation for the development of future leaders. It is not a secret that there is an acute demand of future leaders and that the next years hundreds, yes thousands leadership roles must be occupied ( Heinz Groeschel - Siemens Engineer 1955) In 1989 an important change was made, when the first participants without engineering background joined the program. In this context, another big step was the renaming of the program into International Trainee Program. With the turn of the millennium, due to the demand and the growing success, the To realize this vision, the SGP as the international entry level program in Siemens was now fully implemented in the USA in 2010 as a first country next to Germany and since then the program was implemented in further 12 countries. These international possibilities and the network, that the participants can build up during their assignments, are just one part of today s SGP. Summarized since its foundation, the target group has changed from German engineers to international graduates with technical or business related backgrounds. Moreover the program stands out due to its distinguished variety and the different challenges during the three assignments nationally and internationally. As a result of its special structure and possibility, the SGP was this year rewarded as a career advancing and fair entry-level program by ABSOLVENTA, a German job platform for students, graduates and young professionals. Out of the today perspective all clusters and businesses continue to perceive the SGP as valuable strategic tool to meet the talent management challenges and show a strong commitment to the program. The SGP is a unique opportunity to find and develop your true professional potential. All the tools you need are provided, it s up to you to make most out of it. (Sarah Oraby - SGP Alumna USA, Healthcare Sector 2010) A success story 90 years SGP 2
The SGP an international network around the world During the three eight-months assignments, the assignment abroad is the highlight of the two years program, which can be absolved at one of Siemens nearly 1,700 business locations. The focus on this rotation is to show the participant the local business and culture. At the moment, 40% of our participants are on their international assignments all over the world. They have the opportunity to gain a wide range of perspectives and experience in international business. Moreover, the participants learn how to best deal with intercultural challenges in their new environment and can also cultivate an international Siemens network. Apart from this, SGP participants from all over the world meet annually to establish and enlarge a global network at the SGP World Conference. The SGP the entry level program around the world The SGP is implemented in the following countries: GER = Germany NAM = United States of America NEA = China MEA = Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait RCA = Russia SAS = India BRA = Brazil SWE = Spain, France, Belgium NWE = Denmark It is this internationality, which characterizes the SGP and offers to the participants almost endless possibilities to develop a successful career within Siemens. Fostering Diversity As of October 1st 2012 the Siemens Graduate Program has 224 participants and already more than 48% are hired outside of Germany: Today the Siemens Graduate Program has evolved into the flagship entry-level development program for graduates in Germany an all Clusters of strategic relevance such as NAM, NEA, SAS, RCA, BRA and MEA. The SGP shows a continuous growth of gender diversity amongst its participants and thus fostering an equal management rate of men and women: Global implementation status of the SGP The global implementation of the SGP has started in the NAM in 2010 and formed a milestone in the global roll-out of the program. With the latest implementation of the SGP in Brazil, by now university graduates have the possibility to start the program in 14 countries around the world. A success story 90 years SGP 3
Different generations one SGP interview In October 2012 five SGP participants and Alumni came together virtually to give an interview discussing their expectations, experiences and insights they had so far in the SGP. Although they all have different backgrounds and come from different Sectors they still have one thing in common: they are all SGPers. SGP Team: Which expectations did you have starting your career with the SGP? How does the SGP support you? Samrin Tanzeem: Samrin Tanzeem: As I gained my first work experience in a small company in New York, I did not know what to expect from joining such a big company like Siemens in Germany. Being part of the SGP, however, almost felt like joining a family because of the large network that comes with the program. Everyone including my mentor, coworkers and SGP Alumni helps me to reach my goals. Felix Müller Witt: I am still in the beginning of my career, but looking ahead I want to find challenging and diverse positions that fit my interests. In this process the SGP is a great support allowing me to get a good overview and insight into different functions and departments within Siemens. Furthermore the SGP helps me to build a professional network which is beneficial to find a matching position after the SGP. SGP Team: Considering the different generations of SGP participants how do you think the expectations have changed? Miranda Bellchambers started her SGP in 1987 when it was still called Ingenieurskreis. With her background in Mechanical Engineering she was one of the first female participants in the program and has her 25 year anniversary this year. After different jobs in and outside of Siemens she is now Head of Global Account Management in the Industry Sector. Miranda Bellchambers: Miranda Bellchambers: I cannot judge how expectations have changed, but I can comment on what our expectations were when we went into the program. We were youngsters whose ambitions were to succeed in our careers as quickly as possible. The Ingenieurkreis, as it was called at the time, was an excellent program it gave us many things like a network with young like-minded people. And we met in many ways be it in conferences, workshops or in self-organized graduate events. In the time period of 5 years after the program, some of us became frustrated. You lose the one-on-one supervision when leaving the SGP. It becomes critical if you have not moved or if nothing is going forward. I can recommend when coming out of the program to find a mentor who is high up, has experience in coaching and mentoring but also has technical and practical knowledge about products and processes. SGP Team: Out of today s perspective how did participating in the SGP influence your career? Peter Schopf: Peter Schopf: I have been in a quite exciting phase the last months, where I have been looking for a new challenge in my career and I was able to benefit from the SGP in three different ways. First I could talk open to older semesters, former SGP members who are more senior in the organization and who can show new possibilities and offer coaching; that s priceless! Second, there are always some former or current SGP participants in HR departments. They know what s going on and are quick to give advice. And third, I can talk to everybody else from the SGP when I want some information about a job I always found somebody who has done that or even been there and can tell me the advantages and disadvantages. That will also be helpful for your own career plans. Peter Schopf says that he had never so far regretted ever starting the SGP in 2008 after studying International Business in Jena, Germany. He adds that the last months have been an exciting phase where he was looking for the next challenge following his job as a Commercial Sales Manager in the Industry Sector. SGP Team: How do you benefit from the SGP and the global network? Sergio Wong: That s interesting it s the same case in my private life. I have many friends in different places like the US and in Mexico and I travel much. It is good to have friends all over the world to get helped out. Siemens is a big company and with the SGP you get insights into different areas, departments - you can ask a lot of questions, exchange ideas and you can benefit from the knowledge of your colleagues. SGP Team: How do you stay in touch with the other SGP participants and SGP Alumni? Sergio Wong: I try to attend the SGP Alumni Conferences where I meet old colleagues from my time in the SGP people I have attended conferences together it s good to see them again. Just recently I had been at a Nachwuchskreis summit where I knew no one at first but found other SGP Alumni because of this network. Originally from Heidelberg, Samrin Tanzeem just spent eight years in the US where she finished her MBA at Boston University and worked as a Financial Analyst in New York. Starting her SGP in June 2012 in the Energy Sector Samrin says that although she is quite new, it has been a great experience so far. A success story 90 years SGP 4
SGP Team: Felix, you as an active SGP participant, how do you benefit from the SGP Alumni community? Felix Müller-Witt: I tend to refer to the Alumni as older siblings based on their experience they have. I receive helpful advice from the SGP Alumni with topics like their assignments. No matter what those are unique familiar connections. It helps you to speak very open and frank about topics. SGP Team: Is it important for you to stay in touch with active SGP participants and SGP Alumni? Miranda Bellchambers: Yes! It keeps me young. Now it s the other way around they contact me and ask questions. I find it important to give guidance, especially to young ladies, and I enjoy to give support. It s difficult for women in Siemens so I enjoy to be a mentor for women and give advice. Born in Mexico, raised in the US and with a Chinese last name Sergio Wong finds that the SGP offers a great opportunity to get an insight into different countries and business units. Now working in the Infrastructure & Cities Sector as an Assembly Production Manager, Sergio has a backgrounds in Mechatronics and Automation & IT and started his SGP in 2005. SGP Team: Which expectations do you have to future SGP participants? Peter Schopf: I have in fact very high expectations, because my own reputation and the reputation of the entire SGP Alumni community depends on them; the active SGP participants always influence what people think and say about SGP as a step in our career. I am convinced that fortunately the selection process has high quality standards, so only very good people will join. Future SGP participants must be aware that sometimes, the assignments just don t work as well as planned, as sometimes changes in the organization just happen too fast. In such cases, you need to take it into your own hands and fight for interesting tasks and challenges this will not always be easy. I further hope that everyone participates actively in the SGP community, by organizing activities, as well as parties and gettogethers - it is not only about work but very much about the network. Felix Müller-Witt started his SGP in February 2012 in the Healthcare Sector in Germany. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University in Munich and did his first assignment in the R&D department for Clinical Products. Originally Felix is from Düsseldorf. SGP Team: How has the SGP community and the Alumni network changed? Do you see any differences? Sergio Wong: Yes, it s now more abroad and new regions open up and it makes the program really attractive. It was not so popular before when I was in the US it was really hard to look for other SGP participants but today you have the SGP all over the world like in Brazil or in China. Very important to have different cultures which is a great benefit and its positive to get expanded. I had a very funny experience in China where a memory card got stuck in the computer and we couldn t get it out of it. One German, one Chinese colleague and me had all different ways to think and to solve things. The mix of cultures is important. SGP Team: Samrin, you as a new SGP participant, how do you feel about that mix? Samrin Tanzeem: Global aspect was one of the key reasons why I applied to the program. The support system at Siemens is very strong. It not only facilitates easy integration into the program but also ensures continuous information exchange with other SGP participants about their assignments around the globe. Although I am quite new I am also already an integrator to new SGP participants. SGP Team: How do you feel about the SGP community? Felix Müller-Witt: It s a great group of interested young people with diverse experiences. In this group it is allowed to share and to learn from each other. In Nurnberg/Erlangen where I started working there is a group of 30 SGP participants who are connecting and have activities. They are fascinating people. Peter Schopf: I really enjoyed myself during the SGP. After university I thought that now the hard and boring working life would start, but in the SGP that was not the case: there is always something going on with people roughly the same age and it s great to be part of this. Something I really enjoy is that you are always on first name basis with everyone who participated in the SGP, as well as in the Ingenieurskreis this shows that we really have something in common. Sergio Wong: The SGP community is an all-rounder. You get to meet interesting people at conferences and workshops and you get good insights about all the assignments where other SGP participants have been. The SGP gives you the opportunity to learn from other cultures and also learn languages. My mother tongue is Spanish and the SGP participants do speak many languages. I am always happy and surprised to meet someone who speaks Spanish. But also another thing is common a good technical background you can exchange lots of information about technical development. Miranda Bellchambers: The SGP can play quite a lot of roles like the vertical information you can find out of your friends and you find friends easy. It is far easier to do business with friends. If you go travelling even if it is for leisure - there are people out there. There is always someone you can turn to and discuss problems and they try to solve it together. You find people that you can trust because they are not going to take advantage out of you. SGP Team: Thank you very much for this interview. A success story 90 years SGP 5