I chose the GMM-education because the international perspective appealed to me. I also found it very exciting that I would spend a lot of my time during the education in a company and work with existing problems.
After the 1st semester we were asked to write a CV which should include wishes for specific mentor companies or industries in which we would like to work. I must admit that I had no clue to what could be more interesting to work with as my knowledge with Danish companies and industries was quite limited at that time. I wrote the CV, but didn't write any specific wishes, thinking that one could be as good as the other.
The result was that one of my teachers picked a classmate and myself to start in Grundfos, which I was quite pleased with since I knew it was a recognised Danish production company.
I remember my expectations concerning Grundfos were that I would be helped on my way to get a good a start on my initial project, but I knew there could be bumps along the way as this was the first time either part had tried such a co-operation. The formalities were discussed and handled between my student advisor and the company so that both parties knew what they expected. I was very eager to get a good start and jumped into the problem from day one.
I can't specify a single semester where I learned more than another. Of course there is the new theory that you need to implement on every semester, but that can be studied and learned. The biggest challenge lies in finding out how to manage yourself in the company, work with new colleagues and creating results with the ressources you are given. This is not taught in the ordinary theory books, but must be experienced and you learn from your experiences.
Each semester I have tried to work in a new department corresponding to the subject of the semester. This has given me a broad insight in the production company and taught me how the company works from a practical perspective. I have had a contact person in each department who has supervised my projects, but also my development as a human asset to the company.
This leads me to the essence of the GMM program. The company chooses projects which are then observed with unbiased eyes and hopefully it gives new angles on how to approach their business. At the same time the company gets to know the student on a personal level and evaluate his/her potential of becoming an asset in the company. The student gets the opportunity to work with relevant problems from the theoretical viewpoints that he/she learned during the school periods. At the same time it is a golden opportunity to promote yourself to the company.
Jonas Bennett, GMM Student, 5. Semester
Personal Background
I am 21 years old and graduated Lemvig Gymnasium in 2005 (Math.)
After high school I spent a year in the military and some time as a blue-collar worker.
I quickly discovered that I had a desire to study further with a special interest within business management, which made my choice of study: The GMM education at AU.HIH.
Dream study
As stated, my field of interest lies within management and business, which made the structure and composition of the GMM study seem very appealing, especially the mentorship solution was appealing.
The fact that part of the study goes on in a company, gives the program a good balance between practice and theory. I especially like the fact that we get to try out relevant theories in our semester assignments.
Socially
Since the GMM study is international, the classes consist of both Danish and foreign students, this provides the framework for a relevant cross-cultural forum, where there is great opportunity to learn and network from and among each other.
Besides these formal gatherings, I also see a number of classmates in my spare time in much more informal surroundings. All in all we have strong bonds across the class.