Even so, some employees were a little surprised to find just how thoroughly GE is implementing the training process for tens of thousands of staffers worldwide. I made sure I got a decent score. Torony, who had no IT background, finds the course is helping her manage leads generated by a Web site. She also manages metrics and reporting for GE's E-business initiative. Some business units have set up various incentive programs and deadlines for employees to pass the assessment, though the company won't discuss specifics.
Employees generally get three chances to pass, and most employees work hard to do well.
GE is in the early stages of gathering employee feedback, but so far staffers give it a thumbs up, awarding the course content a solid eight out of 10, Markovits says. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of the course on business can't really be measured accurately. To some extent, implementing the class is an act of faith, Markovits admits. Besides taking the course, it's also up to employees to figure out how they fit the 20 hours of course work into their schedules. Torony says she could get through the 20 hours of course material relatively quickly by doing short bursts of half an hour to an hour a day.