AES is unique in that, rather than simply providing its people with answers, we teach them how to think—developing their intellect and ability to think critically and problem-solve in complex environments.

The AES Learning Center

We’ve teamed with the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration to create an intensive academic program.  The AES Learning Center program is built around the concept of “leaders teaching leaders.” Courses are co-taught by AES leaders and professors who develop course curricula based on months of upfront preparation. Individual courses can run for up to two full weeks of all-day, uninterrupted seminars and study. The students come from all levels of AES and from AES businesses all around the world. In the same seminar, you can find a Plant Supervisor from the Netherlands sitting next to a Regional President from Latin America. These efforts create great opportunities for networking across the world, while helping to develop consistent practices and a common language for problem solving.

The AES Learning Center has been so successful, we’ve exported it, setting up sister programs in Ukraine, Cameroon, Kazakhstan and Brazil in cooperation with leading local universities.

Frontline Supervisor Training

AES provides a Frontline Supervisor Training program, which provides management training in our power plants.

Instructor-led training is just one leg of a learning stool that also includes online training and formalized mentoring.

Online Training

To enhance project management skills and tools, AES has adopted the Harvard Business School’s “ManageMentor” online training program, which is available in six languages across our global enterprise. AES also has created a comprehensive set of online “how-to” courses in conjunction with General Physics Corp. This self-directed, online technical training covers a wide range of topics in the energy area and provides instruction on running a power plant, from the latest emissions scrubbing technologies down to the nuts and bolts of how to repack a valve.

Mentoring

Mentors provide a unique perspective and insights into AES and the global power market. AES provides all its businesses with a framework that includes training for both mentors and mentees, as well as guidelines for structuring such relationships. For example, each MBA hire is given an AES leader as a mentor, and together they forge a unique relationship guided by best practices, collaboration, trust and mutual commitment.