WALTHAM, Mass., April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- What can the U.S.
do to prepare today's students to take on STEM jobs in the future?
To help answer that question, U.S. News and Raytheon Company (NYSE:
RTN) today launched the STEM Index to measure just that. It's the
first comprehensive index measuring the key factors related to STEM
jobs and education.
The Index finds that although we are making strides in some
areas, the U.S. continues to fall short in preparing today's
students for tomorrow's innovation workforce. Student aptitude and
interest has been mostly flat for more than a decade even as the
need for STEM skills continues to grow. The pipeline of talent
needed to fill current and future jobs requiring STEM skills is not
adequate to meet the demand.
This week, Raytheon joins industry, government and education
leaders in our nation's capital to address this workforce challenge
head on. Kicking off "STEM Week" is the U.S. News STEM Solutions
National Leadership Conference, a three-day event focused on
addressing the shortage of STEM skills in the American
workforce.
On Friday, Raytheon's Chairman William
H. Swanson will be inducted into the U.S. News STEM Hall of
Fame, recognized for his leadership in advancing STEM education and
preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists. Swanson
and the other three honorees were chosen from a group of industry,
academic and nonprofit leaders.
Closing out the week is the three-day USA Science &
Engineering Festival, April 25-27 in
Washington, D.C. – the largest and
only national festival of its kind. Raytheon will be among 750
STEM-focused organizations to exhibit at the festival. Visitors to
the exhibit will get a rare behind-the-scenes look at how Raytheon
processes the mountain of data that becomes part of every weather
forecast in the country. Called the Advanced Weather Interactive
Processing System, this product plays a critical role in the
ability of U.S. forecasters to make weather predictions that can
save lives and safeguard property. Visitors will also be guided in
building and testing rockets with help from the company's
engineers.
Attracting bright students who are pursuing STEM degrees as
potential future employees is another important mission for
Raytheon. One way the company is doing this is by sponsoring the
nation's largest cyber defense competition for undergraduate and
graduate students, April 25-27 in
San Antonio, Texas. During the
Raytheon National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition students
from across the country compete to defend their own "commercial"
network against an onslaught of cyber attacks.
Raytheon has hired former NCCDC competitors, and as the need for
cyber security solutions continues to increase, there will be more
jobs to fill. In the U.S., the Pentagon committed last month to
hiring 6,000 new cyber professionals by 2016. At the same time,
government and industry are increasing their demand for cyber
experts at an annual rate of more than 11 percent in the next few
years.
A recent Raytheon study shed light on the need to educate
today's students about the growing demand for cyber
expertise – as 82 percent of high school-aged respondents said
they had never heard about cyber security opportunities from their
teachers or guidance counselors.
About MathMovesU
Raytheon's MathMovesU® program is an initiative
committed to increasing middle and elementary school students'
interest in math and science education by engaging them in
hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs of
MathMovesU include the traveling interactive experience
MathAlive!®; Raytheon's Sum of all Thrills™
experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot®, which
showcases math in action as students design and experience their
own thrill ride using math fundamentals; the "In the Numbers" game,
a partnership with the New England Patriots on display at The Hall
at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon; the company's ongoing
sponsorship of the MATHCOUNTS® National Competition; and
the MathMovesU scholarship and grant program. Follow MathMovesU and
other Raytheon community outreach programs on Facebook and on
Twitter @MathMovesU.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24
billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and
innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil
markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning
92 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission
systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing;
effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence
systems, as well as cyber security and a broad range of mission
support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit
us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.
Media Contact
Raytheon Company
Mike Doble
+1.703.284.4345
corporatepr@raytheon.com
SOURCE Raytheon Company