More than 11,000 military veterans currently work at GE — with one in 14 employees being a U.S. veteran. GE’s had such success drawing on the skills of men and women with military backgrounds that finding them is a central part of the company’s recruiting efforts — and it’s why GE’s chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt gave the keynote address in Washington, D.C. today at a conference for graduates of the nation’s elite service academies.



The 500 attendees at the Service Academy Career Conference had assembled to talk to recruiters and learn about opportunities that match the skills they gained and developed during their service. They’re graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Most have recently served in Iraq and Afghanistan. All have served a minimum of five years.

As Jeff said, “Your training and experiences give you perspective and a level-headedness that is invaluable in a business setting. I know we need you because your predecessors helped build GE, long before I got here or became CEO. And in my 27 years at GE, I have seen it in my peers and in my teams, many of which had graduates of the academies.”

During his speech, Jeff highlighted GE’s Junior Officer Leadership Program (JOLP), which is a key career pathway for many veterans looking for jobs once they complete their service. Like other GE leadership programs, it consists of several rotations over a two-year period and helps give service academy graduates and veterans the chance to discover where their distinctive skills and strengths best fit within the company.

Anthony Faucette, a former U.S. Army Captain who served in Iraq and is now a commercial manager at GE Energy, summed up the confidence and determination that veterans bring to GE’s JOLP: “When we come to an organization, we change it for the better.”

* Visit GE’s veterans Web site