How does interdisciplinarity look like at the workplace?

At Schneider Electric, rotating employees is an important part of the process of building both depth of expertise as well as breadth of skills in different fields, business functions or geographies to solve a business problem.

The knowledge gained from such rotations was behind one team’s success in pitching a potential solution to the management team in Japan and clinching a client project, says Ms Jaslyn TEO, Schneider Electric’s Early Career Program Manager.

College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) interns who were part of Schneider’s data analytics and sustainability teams have likewise benefited from similar exposure. For instance, from the knowledge acquired in at least one other domain - be it supply chain, human resources or commercial excellence, etc. - data science interns can better apply their analytics skills to unlock domain-specific insights.

Beyond gaining an interdisciplinary perspective, Ms Teo has this advice for students seeking to enhance their employability. “First, build your portfolio, by taking elective courses, internships, voluntary work, passion projects, online courses, etc. Second, increase your industry exposure by attending networking events, company visits and trade shows. And always keep an open mind and try new experiences!”