GE enrolls 35 employees in MIT supply chain course

Industrial giant General Electric Co. will bolster its industry credentials by enrolling dozens of its employees in a supply chain management masters degree program through a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the school said Monday.

GE, which moved its corporate headquarters to Boston in 2016, has been investing heavily in supply chain technology through projects such as a maritime information portal at the Port of Los Angeles.

The company will now leverage its new Massachusetts location by sending 35 of the employees in its Operations Management Leadership Program to attend the Cambridge-based MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (MIT CTL)'s MITx MicroMasters Credential in Supply Chain Management courses.

The partnership marks the first time that MIT CTL has partnered with a company this way, and will provide GE employees with access to MicroMasters classes and online teaching materials, as well as customized courses that are tailored to the company's specific educational needs. MIT CTL's executive educational offerings include custom in-person programs that provide both in-person and on-line classes, and custom on-line programs based on MicroMasters content.

"MicroMasters has opened a new chapter in supply chain education," Chris Caplice, director of the MITx MicroMasters in Supply Chain Management program, said in a statement. "Our exciting collaboration with GE builds on this success with a program that helps a world-leading company give its employees the supply chain skills they need to compete and excel in a global marketplace."