A Special Report

Launching the 21st Century

American Aerospace Workforce 

December 2008

This report was produced under the direction and leadership of the 

Aerospace Industries Association's National Security Council 

and the Industrial Base and Workforce Committee.
The Aerospace Industries Association of America

The Aerospace Industries Association of America (AIA) was founded in 1919, only a few

years after the birth of flight.

Today, nearly 300 major aerospace and defense companies and suppliers are members of

the association, embodying every high-technology manufacturing segment of the U.S.

aerospace and defense industry from commercial aviation and avionics, to manned and

unmanned defense systems, to space technologies and satellite communications.

AIA represents the nation’s leading designers, manufacturers and providers of:

• Civil, military and business aircraft

• Helicopters

• Unmanned aerial vehicles

• Space systems

• Aircraft engines

• Missiles

• Materiel and related components

• Equipment

• Services

• Information technology
Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 

December 2008

The long-term vitality of the U.S. aerospace workforce is a priority issue for the Aerospace

Industries Association.

Our nation is not producing enough qualified workers to fill important jobs in U.S. aerospace

companies, and the shortfall will increase as retirements grow in coming years. To maintain

America’s leadership in the global aerospace marketplace in the 21st century, we must cultivate a

highly skilled workforce of scientists, engineers and other technical specialists critical to our

national security, our economy and the strength of our industrial base.

This report is a starting point for the aerospace industry to collectively recommend and develop

solutions to overcome the problem. And it is an invitation for government and like-minded

stakeholders to partner with us in designing those solutions. 

Together we can vigorously respond to today’s pressing aerospace workforce challenge with the

conviction and focus that led the nation to prevail in the Space Race and the Cold War. 

Sincerely,

Marion C. Blakey

President and Chief Executive Officer
Table of Contents

i

INTRODUCTION: REPLACING THE AEROSPACE TALENT THAT WON THE SPACE RACE

AND THE COLD WAR........................................................................................................... 1

SECTION 1: A TOP NATIONAL PRIORITY................................................................................2

The Need for Action....................................................................................................... 3

SECTION 2: INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE.....................................................................................4

The Importance of U.S. Aerospace in America’s Economy........................................4

Workforce Challenge......................................................................................................4

State of the Industry........................................................................................................6

SECTION 3: TOP NEEDS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION AND INDUSTRY’S RESPONSE..........................7

Pre-college Science and Mathematics Concerns........................................................7

Industry Response to Teacher Development...............................................................8

Industry Response to Student Achievement.............................................................10

Post-secondary Concerns...........................................................................................12

Industry Response to Post-secondary Concerns.....................................................13

SECTION 4: RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT PARTNERS...............................................14

Recommendation 1.......................................................................................................14

Recommendation 2.......................................................................................................15

Recommendation 3.......................................................................................................15

Recommendation 4.......................................................................................................16

Recommendation 5.......................................................................................................16

Recommendation 6.......................................................................................................17

Recommendation 7.......................................................................................................17

Recommendation 8.......................................................................................................18

Recommendation 9.......................................................................................................18

CONCLUSION: A COALITION OF COALITIONS FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS...................................19

End Notes..................................................................................................................................20

Appendix A: AIA Member Company STEM Education Initiatives........................................22

Appendix B: AIA Member Company Education-Workforce

Survey Highlights..................................................................................................................... 34

Appendix C: Workforce Goals and Commitments for America’s

Aerospace Industry...................................................................................................................35

AIA Member Companies.......................................................................................................... 36

AIA Associate Member Companies........................................................................................ 37
INTRODUCTION: 

Replacing the Aerospace Talent that Won the 

Space Race and the Cold War

The United States has enjoyed preeminence in aerospace for more than one hundred years. The industry

was invented here, and American achievements and technology continue to lead the world.

That supremacy is now in danger. The primary threat comes not from competitors’ actions but from our

own demographics. The generation of aerospace talent that won the Space Race and the Cold War is

reaching retirement age, and America is not producing the number and quality of engineers, designers and

technicians needed to even begin replacing those who have served so well.

The 2005 National Academies report Rising Above the Gathering Storm (RAGS) presented the definitive

statement of our nation’s problems and challenge in producing a workforce prepared for the global

economy and jobs of the 21st century.1 This important document also provided a detailed roadmap of

recommendations to address the issue across the workforce pipeline from K-12 to post-graduate education. 

In response to the RAGS report, the Aerospace Industries Association in 2006 established an Industrial

Base and Workforce Committee charged with advising the industry’s top executives on steps that should be

taken to solve the workforce shortage. In particular, the committee was tasked with finding best practices in

science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs — those that should be expanded and

brought to national scale. The committee was also asked to identify organizations with which AIA and its

member companies might cooperate to address the issue at all levels and in all its aspects. 

In August 2008 AIA published Launch into Aerospace, a white paper outlining the workforce crisis and

steps the industry is committed to taking to turn the situation around. One stated goal is to make

government a partner in achieving the future technical workforce. 

Making government a partner is essential to filling the aerospace workforce pipeline by advancing an

integrated, national strategy that addresses STEM education and training as a systemic issue that affects all

high-technology industries. Through research and outreach we have learned that innumerable organizations,

groups and individuals are doing good work in inspiring, educating and training young people to pursue

high-tech careers. But to a large extent they are working on their own without the benefit of an overarching

plan or the synergies that come from communication and cooperation with others pursuing a common

purpose. 

AIA, therefore, is striving to become a key participant in a grand “coalition of coalitions” dedicated to

solving our national STEM workforce crisis. Aerospace companies intend to do their part among a coalition

of stakeholders from government, business, academia, workforce development entities, education nonprofits

and others. 

The federal government must be engaged and take a leadership role given the magnitude and scope of the

workforce challenge and its impact on our nation. But most of the work must be done and many of the

decisions must be made at the state and local level where education and training actually take place. We

believe that real progress will only come when dedicated parties work together at all levels to tackle the

problems that exist in every phase of education and training. 

This report spells out in greater detail the aerospace industry’s need for technical talent, showcases steps that

individual aerospace companies are already taking (and that could be scaled up) and recommends ways in

which government entities can help and partner with us. While the report is intended for senior government

Launching the 21st Century 

American Aerospace Workforce 

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 1
policymakers, others in the education and workforce development community will also find it of interest.

The report has four goals and is structured accordingly:

• Emphasize why the STEM workforce shortage is a top issue for the nation.

• Explain why this is an especially serious problem for the aerospace industry.

• Share what the aerospace industry is already doing to address the problem.

• Indicate how we believe government can help.

Industry’s Role

We want to emphasize a distinction in the workforce discussion: This report uniquely represents the

American aerospace industry’s perspective.2 We recognize and acknowledge the efforts of numerous private

and government-sponsored organizations that have written reports and promulgated recommendations on

the U.S. STEM workforce, many of which have helped form our conclusions.3

Keep in mind that the scope of this report is carefully restricted to what the aerospace industry knows.

While we identify STEM programs that industry has found to be constructive — in part to urge further

support for them — we are keenly aware that the specifics of educational policy and practice are better left

to those with more expertise in the field. Just as we would not ask an educational faculty to design a

helicopter, we do not presume to prescribe specifically how to educate an engineer — although we do

believe that business should play a role by identifying for educators our skill-set needs.

This paper is an invitation for partnership in meeting the STEM workforce challenge by working together to

identify, assess, improve and bring to national scale the most effective STEM curricula and activities. 

SECTION 1

A TOP NATIONAL PRIORITY

"...Leadership is not an American birthright. ... Greatness has to be earned and

continually re-earned." — Norm Augustine, Is America Falling Off the Flat Earth?

Economic growth is unattainable without a capable scientific and technological workforce. A skilled and

talented workforce is a fundamental requirement to attract investment, foster wealth creation and spur

innovation. This linkage is understood around the globe. According to China’s President Hu Jintao, “The

worldwide competition of overall national strength is actually a competition for talents, especially for

innovative talent.”

In the 20th century the achievements of the Sputnik-generation workforce propelled the U.S. position as the

world leader in the development of new technologies and products. Innovations that resulted from research

and development during World War II, the Space Race, and afterwards — many that originated in the

aerospace and defense industry — were critical to the prosperity of the nation in the second half of the

20th century. Those innovations, upon which virtually all aspects of current society now depend, were made

possible because of the American men and women who led the world in science and technology. 

Today, however, stark indicators suggest that the United States is losing its lead:

2 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
• Aging Science and Engineering Workforce. Retirements from the STEM labor force are

likely to become more significant over the next decade. Twenty-six percent of all STEM degree holders in

the labor force are age 50 or older. Among STEM doctorate holders in the labor force, 40 percent are age

50 or older.4

According to the National Science Board’s Science and Engineering Indicators, by age 62 half of STEM

bachelor’s degree holders had left full-time employment. Doctoral degree holders work slightly longer with

half leaving full-time employment by age 66.

• Declining "Homegrown" STEM Workforce. At the same time that retirements are increasing,

the number of American workers with STEM degrees is declining. In 2003, 25 percent of all U.S. collegeeducated workers in STEM occupations were foreign born as were 40 percent of doctorate holders in

STEM occupations.5In 2007, 60 percent of engineering Ph.D.s were awarded to foreign nationals.6

According to a recent RAND Corporation report, the inflow of foreign workers has been critical in

maintaining the U.S. STEM workforce and the major reason that the nation is currently not in a crisis-state.

Due to the national security nature of our industry, however, this report focuses on the need for the United

States to continue its efforts to cultivate homegrown talent.

• Propensity toward a STEM Career. For every new Ph.D. in engineering, America graduates one

new Ph.D. in physical science, 18 new lawyers and 50 new MBAs.7 More than one-half of those holding

bachelor of science degrees in engineering enter careers outside of engineering, including investment

banking, law and business.

Recruiting domestic STEM talent depends heavily on student perceptions of the STEM careers that await

them. Those perceptions can be solidified early in the educational process — before students graduate from

high school. The desirability of a career in STEM is determined largely by the prospect of attractive

employment opportunities in the field.

Some aspects of the graduate education and training process can also influence student decisions to enter

STEM fields. The “pull factors” include time to degree, availability of fellowships, research assistantships or

teaching assistantships and whether a long, post-doctoral appointment is required after completion of the

Ph.D.8

The Need for Action 

Preparing the next-generation scientific and engineering workforce is critical to the future of the entire

national economy. Although scientists and engineers today make up only 4 percent of U.S. employment,

they contribute disproportionately to the creation of jobs for the other 96 percent of the nation’s workforce

by generating knowledge, innovating and establishing new companies based on that knowledge and

innovation. 

Numerous reports, commissions and educational leaders have determined and argued the need for the

United States to address and invest in our STEM capabilities — from training a highly qualified STEMliterate workforce to funding research projects and programs for these workers to take on. The Council on

Competitiveness, the Business Roundtable, the Business-Higher Education Forum and others, with

membership including some of the top CEOs from a variety of American industries, have expressed

concern about the state of STEM education and research and the impact it will have on America’s ability to

compete. The Department of Defense and our national laboratories have sounded similar alarms. Civil

scientists and engineers are just as in demand as their private sector counterparts.

The issue came to the forefront for the aerospace industry in 2002 when the Commission on the Future of

the U.S. Aerospace Industry declared workforce to be a priority.9

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 3
SECTION 2:

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

The Importance of U.S. Aerospace in America’s Economy

As the U.S. economy enters uncertain times, America’s aerospace industry remains a powerful, reliable

engine of employment, innovation and export income. Aerospace contributed $97 billion in export sales to

America’s economy in 2007. U.S. aerospace sales alone account for 1.5 percent of our country’s gross

domestic product, and every aerospace dollar yields an extra $1.50 to $3 in further economic activity. While

the industry directly employs over 600,000 workers, it enables 10 million high-quality American jobs. 

In 2007 more than 600 million passengers relied on U.S. commercial air transportation, and more than 150

million people were transported on general aviation aircraft. More than 40 percent of the value of U.S.

freight is transported by air. Aerospace capabilities have enabled e-commerce to flourish with overnight

mail, parcel delivery and just-in-time manufacturing.

Other sectors of the economy depend on aerospace businesses and related disciplines for technical skills

and technologies that are critical elements of our security infrastructure and that improve America’s position

in the global marketplace. The diverse sectors of aerospace include commercial, civil and military aviation,

space and defense projects. They encompass an array of talent and competencies not limited to researchers,

engineers, technicians, mechanics, skilled machinists and precision production jobs.10

At the core of our industry’s success are the highly qualified men and women who work every day making

history by blazing new technological trails. In order to continue providing our services to the nation, it is

critical that we ensure the continued development of a robust, well-educated and well-trained workforce.

Our nation is not producing enough qualified workers to fill important jobs in America’s aerospace

companies at present, and the shortfall will increase as retirements grow in coming years. To maintain

America’s position in the global aerospace marketplace, we must immediately address how to cultivate a

highly skilled workforce of U.S.-based scientists, engineers and other technical specialists who are eligible for

security clearances. 

Workforce Challenges

The aerospace and defense industry faces challenges similar to those of other high-technology industries,

including an aging workforce and an impending shortage of skilled STEM workers. But the aerospace

industry, along with closely associated defense companies, also faces unique workforce challenges: security

clearances, recruitment and retention.

• Security Clearances. The United States produced 122,450 total engineering and science graduates

in 2007, but less than two-thirds are eligible for high-level security clearances based on citizenship.11

While other industrial sectors can outsource labor to foreign workers, security requirements dictate that

most U.S. aerospace and defense systems be developed in this country by U.S. citizens. Thus, the need for

home-grown, U.S.-developed technical talent is particularly acute for the aerospace industry. According to

the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force, there are two major issues associated with security

clearance requirements: clearable talent and clearance process portability.

Regarding the difficulty of finding clearable talent, the task force notes that American youth are often

unaware of the necessity for and rigors of security screenings and clearances before employment in national

security-related occupations. American youth need to be made aware of “disqualifying life events” — drug

abuse, arrest and even activities presented on social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, that 

4 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
depict the candidate engaging in activities that could prohibit employment in national security-related

occupations.

Every year tens of thousands of aerospace industry personnel are subjected to security clearance and

renewal processes in order to perform many critical national security services. The current system is often

backlogged for a year or longer and produces security clearances that are not portable among departments,

agencies, from government to industry, industry to industry and so forth. As a result, industry and

government suffer a myriad of problems in recruitment and from increased costs due to the unavailability

of personnel.

• Recruitment. AIA estimates that while the United States graduates approximately 70,000 engineers

each year, only 44,000 are eligible for aerospace careers. The aerospace industry must compete with other

industries, such as information technology and financial institutions, for the small pool of talent.

Adding to the challenge, the U.S. aerospace sector — once the employer of choice for the “best and

brightest” technically trained workers — now holds a negative image for potential employees. Surveys

indicate a feeling of disillusionment even among industry personnel, including production/technical

workers, scientists and engineers. Eighty percent of nearly 500 responding to a survey, indicated that they

would not recommend aerospace careers to their children.12

Engineering students gave the aerospace industry low ratings for its physical work facilities, exciting and

meaningful tasks, opportunities for professional development and growth, and supportive and encouraging

management.13

Questions about the future viability and stability of the defense and aerospace industry are also leading

prospective science and engineering graduates toward other career paths. The perceived volatility and lack of

career opportunities in defense and aerospace due to the large cutback and retrenchment of the industry in

the early 1990s has contributed heavily to this lingering perception. 

Recognizing an image problem, industry leaders serving on the 2008 Aviation Week Workforce Advisory

Board identified the necessity to “develop — individually and as an industry — messages that share the

technical achievements of this industry and what those achievements have meant to civilization/society.” 

• Retention. The aerospace industry has historically been cyclical and strongly driven by defense

spending, with increases corresponding to national conflicts and budget fluctuations. Sales within the

commercial sector of the industry also have been cyclical as has government spending on space science and

exploration. Due to this dependency on external and, to some extent, uncontrollable events (for example,

politics and the marketplace), aerospace jobs have an undeserved reputation for insecurity.

While the industrywide average attrition rate is 10 percent, younger workers with 0-5 years of experience

had a higher rate at 14 percent.14 This has prompted many in the industry to place special emphasis on

keeping their younger workers. The Workforce Advisory Board recognized this issue when it recommended:

“Drive down the voluntary attrition level among young professionals.”

An Aviation Week article reports an increasingly common scene in the workplace: four generations of

workers occupy the cubicles and factory floors of the aerospace/defense industry.15 Among them are

individuals who benefited from Sputnik-era education benefits and used slide rules along with employees

who use instant-messaging to resolve complex design issues.

The four generations — known as Matures, Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials16 — were educated

differently with unlike tools and measures of capability. The newest generation’s requirements were captured

in a study with the following findings: They want to learn and participate in decisionmaking, want mentors,

are skeptical and value fairness and ethical behavior. They also expect customized career paths molded to

the individual — creating a sense of control — and they value the newest and best technology and tools to

do their jobs.17

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 5
While it is difficult for more mature companies to change, some employers are already exploring ways to

work with the incoming generation, such as mentoring programs, flex schedules and arranging the

workspace in different ways, such as more open areas vs. cubicles.

On the topic of work environment, the advisory board saw the necessity for companies to “understand that

the concept of work/life balance has evolved in the last five years and today we must encourage an

integration of work and life versus a clear demarcation of where one begins and the other ends.” As one

leader noted, “The need to shift modes between personal and professional occurs in real time and demands

fluid transition on the part of the organization and the individual.”

Another retention issue identified by Aviation Week is more near-term: the gap in workers between ages

35 and 45 who continue to be problematic in hiring. This experience range is the most in demand among

hiring managers, particularly in the areas of systems and network architecture engineering and program

management.

State of the Industry

Current State. The aerospace industry continues to show short-term growth, which bodes well for job

seekers.

In 2008, for the fifth year in a row, U.S. aerospace sales increased in virtually every industry sector. Total

sales are expected to reach $204.4 billion. The aerospace industry continues to be a major contributor to the

nation’s trade balance with exports in 2007 reaching $97 billion and is expected to grow modestly to $99

billion in 2008. 

The aerospace industry is expected to add 10,000 workers to its ranks in 2008, closing the year with 655,500

direct employees. Aerospace employment has risen steadily since 2004 with data up to the third quarter 2008

reflecting increased employment opportunities. Aircraft manufacturing makes up roughly one third of

industry employment and has grown by 5,000 employees since 2007. Production workers, approximately half

of the total workforce, will have taken home $29.58 per hour and logged 43.5 hours of work weekly in

2008.

Additionally, 43 percent of the aerospace and defense workforce is comprised of employees categorized as

engineering, R&D/scientist, program management and information technology. Of the professional

employees hired in 2008, 53 percent will require security clearances.

The 2008 Aviation Week Work Force Study reports that the industry’s current workforce is in a steady state

but indicates signs of future concerns about staffing levels. While the average age of the workforce is 45

years, only 22 percent of the workforce is 35 years or younger, meaning a smaller pool inadequate to replace

the 45 year olds as they retire. With 58 percent of the workforce over age 50, the majority of aerospace

workers is heading to retirement. The rate of retirement for 2007 was 2 percent of workers eligible. This

equates to the loss of 12,846 individuals. The number eligible for retirement is of more concern: 13 percent,

which equals 83,499 individuals.

At present, female and minority workers represent about 25 percent of the aerospace workforce.

Forecasted State. AIA expects the industry to continue growing through 2009. Aerospace sales are

projected to grow to nearly $214.3 billion in the coming year, an increase of 4.8 percent, as a result of

robust backlogs and predictable defense spending occurring in 2008. Continued growth of the industry

could likely result in the need for an even larger workforce.

Forecasted Needs. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics provides projections

concerning future job growth. In its Fastest Growing Occupations data, BLS reports that the most

significant gain in jobs for 2006-2016 — 5.9 percent — will have been in scientific/technological jobs.

6 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
In 2007, BLS reported that 2.5 million STEM workers would be needed to fill vacancies occurring in the

10-year period 2004-2014 across all industry sectors, including:

• 15 percent job growth in science.

• 31 percent job growth in technology.

• 12 percent job growth in engineering.

• 10 percent job growth in mathematical sciences.

For aerospace engineers alone, the BLS reports a 10 percent growth in employment over the decade, which

is about as fast as the average for all occupations.18

Individual companies have shared retirement and need projections that suggest the dimensions of the

demand:

• Lockheed Martin conservatively estimates it will need to hire 140,000 people in the next 10 

years, but that figure could be as high as 190,000 (with half of that number being STEM 

professionals).19

• In recent press reports both Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin reported that within the 

next five to 10 years roughly half of their workers will be eligible to retire.

• Responses to a recent survey conducted by AIA of its member companies revealed that the 30 

companies that responded will need to hire 58,899 salaried scientists and engineers in the next five

years. Including production/touch labor employees raises the combined requirement to more than

129,350 in five years.20

In summary, broad, forward-looking indicators show that industry will have many positions to fill in coming

years as it loses workers to retirement and more jobs are created as the industry grows.

SECTION 3

TOP NEEDS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION AND 

INDUSTRY'S RESPONSE

Our industry recognizes that the workforce issue is an end-to-end challenge. Several studies, reports and

commissions have documented problems at various stages in the STEM workforce pipeline from early

childhood development through pre-college to undergraduate and graduate training and onwards. In this

section, the most commonly discussed major problems are noted along with highlights on how the industry

is responding to the issue.

Pre-college Science and Mathematics Concerns

Top Need #1: Today many school children are systematically discouraged from

learning science and mathematics because their teachers lack professional

preparation and, in some cases, confidence in teaching science and

mathematics.

Teacher Training and Qualification. Research has established that the quality of a pre-college

mathematics and science teacher’s substantive training is one of the most important factors in improving

student mathematics and science achievement.21

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 7
Currently, there is such a shortage of highly qualified K-12 teachers that many of the nation’s 15,000 school

districts have had to hire underqualified or even uncertified teachers.22

Studies have shown that STEM teachers at the middle school level are especially ill-prepared. According to a

Department of Education study,23 approximately 68.5 percent of U.S. middle school students were taught by

math educators who had neither a major nor certification in mathematics. For science, the proportion was

57.2 percent. 

The prevalence of out-of-field math and science teachers is much greater in high-poverty areas and in

schools where a high proportion of students are members of racial minority groups. In some states, the gap

was glaring. In Maryland, 95 percent of elementary classes in affluent areas were staffed with highly

qualified teachers, compared to only 66 percent in poorer schools.24

Retention of Teachers. Research has shown, moreover, that the problem of attracting highly

qualified teaching candidates into mathematics and science fields is overshadowed by the ability to retain

experienced teachers. Approximately half of all teachers leave within five years of entering the profession.

The rate of attrition in poor schools is 50 percent higher that in wealthier ones.25

The National Science Foundation finds that science and mathematics teacher salaries continue to lag behind

salaries for individuals working in comparable professions, and the gaps have widened substantially in recent

years. In 2003 the median salary for full-time high school mathematics and science teachers was $43,000,

significantly lower than the salaries of professionals with comparable educational backgrounds, such as

computer systems analysts, engineers, accountants or financial specialists, and protective service workers

($50,000-$72,000.) The NSF reports that 53 percent of public middle school and high school mathematics

and science teachers said that they were not satisfied with their salaries.26

Replacing a highly qualified STEM teacher is much more costly than retaining a current one and,

furthermore, negatively affects student achievement.27

Retirement of K-12 Educators. The problem of recruiting and retaining science and math teachers

is further compounded by chronic shortages in the overall teaching workforce. About two-thirds of the U.S.

K-12 teachers are expected to retire or leave the profession over the coming decade, and so the nation’s

schools will need to fill between 1.7 million and 2.7 million positions during that period — about 200,000 of

them in secondary science and mathematics classrooms.28

Industry Response to Teacher Development

Many of our member companies are involved in programs that address challenges facing our educators, for

example. One such program is the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF). 

In response to America’s diminishing global advantage in science, technology and innovation, BHEF

released the 2007 report, “An American Imperative: Transforming the Recruitment, Retention, and Renewal

of our Nation’s Mathematics and Science Teaching Workforce,” which chronicled the necessity to transform

teaching and improve student learning. Led by Warren J. Baker, president of California Polytechnic State

University, and William Swanson, chairman and CEO of Raytheon, the report made several

recommendations in the areas of recruitment, retention and renewal that address several of the previously

discussed issues. 

Another BHEF initiative — “Securing America’s Leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics (STEM)” — seeks to double the number of U.S. STEM college graduates by 2015 by

strengthening the mathematics and science teaching workforce and pursuing promising strategies to bolster

the education pipeline that leads to STEM careers. 

8 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
Leaders from BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SAIC and other AIA member

companies are also supporting BHEF efforts.

Examples of individual company efforts to support teacher development include (but are not limited to):

• The Boeing Company – SPACE CAMP® program. In partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket 

Center, Boeing sponsors educators to its Space Camp facility in Huntsville, Alabama. 

• GE Aviation – GE Foundation Developing FuturesTM in Education. One of the core 

components is professional development for teachers via innovative strategies for the classroom.

• Harris – “Science Teacher of the Year” award. The winner is provided a stipend and inducted 

into the Harris Hall of Fame.

• Honeywell –“Creating the Next Generation of Scientists” program that supports development 

of math and science educators to teach space-based science.

• IBM – “Computer Science Curriculum” program. In partnership with the Computer Science 

Teachers Association, IBM provides computer science resources to high school teachers.

• Lockheed Martin – Supporting Project Lead The Way curriculum adoption in middle and high 

schools, including the embedded teacher and guidance counselor training.

• Northrop Grumman – “Weightless Flights of Discovery” program for middle school teachers. 

• Rolls-Royce North America – “Building the Innovation Generation” program. This collaborative 

effort between industry/government/academia offers internships to faculty and students.

Top Need #2: Our youth are not performing well in math and science compared

to students in other developed countries. Many students are not prepared either

to pursue college or to go straight to work.

Student Achievement. Indicators of student achievement starkly highlight the severity of the decline

of the U.S. STEM workforce and its capabilities.

The National Assessment of Education Progress test (NAEP), often referred to as the “nation’s report

card,” is the only national test that assesses student performance. In 2007 for math, it was found that 62

percent of fourth graders scored below proficient. For the eighth grade, 69 percent were below proficient.

In science, scores were 68 percent below proficient and 73 percent below in fourth and eighth grades,

respectively, in 2005. “Below proficient” includes scorers in “basic and below basic,”29 and while the majority

of students score below proficient, the National Center for Education Statistics, which runs the test, reports

that scores at the basic level show improvement.

International Comparisons. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)30 measures

performance of 15 year olds in reading, math and science literacy. In the most recent PISA science test, U.S.

students ranked 21st out of 30 countries. In math, U.S. students ranked 25th out of 30. And in both cases

for math and science, the U.S. score was below the average.31

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study32 is another international assessment that

measures and compares fourth- and eighth-grade students from around the globe. The latest data available

for 2007 show U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders scoring in the middle of the pack, outpaced by their Asian

and European peers. In math, fourth- and eighth-graders rank 11th and 9th, respectively. In science, fourthand eighth-grade students ranked 8th and 11th, respectively.

Why U.S. student achievement declines in the upper grades is a common quandary. Some point to the

quality of teaching, the curriculum (the need, for example, for more inquiry-based learning33 ) and social and

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 9
cultural factors, such as gender and what subjects boys versus girls are good at34 despite recent studies

showing that young females and males perform equally when it comes to math.35

Widening Achievement Gap. A recent study by Education Week reports that 1.23 million students

will fail to graduate in 2008.36 Nationwide, about 71 percent of ninth-graders make it to graduation, but that

figure drops to 58 percent for Hispanics, 55 percent for African-Americans and only 51 percent for Native

Americans. That means that about 50 percent of Hispanics, African-Americans and Native Americans do

not graduate high school. In some metropolitan areas with these peer groups, we see rates as high as 60

percent not graduating.

According to the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, boosting the participation of women and minorities in

the science and engineering workforce presents the single greatest opportunity to expand the nation’s pool

of technical talent. Current graduation rates for America’s minority population show that this is a major

problem — and opportunity — that calls for great attention.

Preparation for Post Secondary. A 2008 report issued by the Strong American Schools

organization found that more than one-third of American college students require remedial courses for

basic academic skills. The group pointed to the failure of American high schools in preparing young people

for post-secondary studies.37

In a survey of young people who have recently entered the workforce, only 14 percent of high school

graduate respondents reported that they are confident that they are generally able to do what is expected in

the workplace.38 Forty-eight percent of those without a college degree say their high school teachers and

classes should have done a lot more to prepare them for college or the workplace.39

Industry Response to Student Achievement

The following are examples of joint efforts by AIA member companies.

Project Lead The Way Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a national, not-for-profit educational

program that helps give middle and high school students a rigorous, ground-level education necessary to

develop strong backgrounds in science and engineering. The curriculum is tied to national math and science

standards. In the absence of a national standard for pre-engineering curriculum, PLTW is considered by

many to be the de facto national standard.

The program offers a dynamic high school curriculum that provides students with real-world learning and

hands-on experience to help them understand how the skills they are learning in the classroom can be

applied in everyday life. This approach is called activities-based learning, project-based learning and

problem-based learning — or APPB-learning. 

Students in the PLTW program receive training in current technology using the latest computer software.

They explore major career paths in STEM careers and participate in hands-on activity that utilizes team

efforts. Students interested in engineering, biomechanics, aeronautics and other applied math and science

arenas discover that PLTW is an exciting portal into these industries. 

For the 2008-2009 school year, PLTW was active in 3,000 schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia

and trained 7,000 teachers and 5,000 counselors. In 2006 AIA endorsed PLTW for its outstanding

contribution to STEM education, and many AIA member companies are already working with local schools

to implement PLTW. More than 60 percent of the college-bound graduates of PLTW programs major in

engineering, and their retention rate through college is double the national average.

Team America Rocketry Challenge. The Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) is the

world’s largest rocket contest, sponsored by AIA and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). It was

created in the fall of 2002 as a one-time celebration of the Centennial of Flight, but enthusiasm about the

10 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
event was so great that AIA and NAR were asked to hold the contest annually. 

Approximately 7,000 students from across the nation compete annually in TARC. Teams design, build and

fly model rockets that reach a specific altitude and flight duration. The contest is designed to encourage

students to study math and science and pursue careers in aerospace. 

Based on local qualification flights, the top 100 teams are invited to the Washington, D.C., area in May for

the national finals. Prizes include $60,000 in cash and scholarships split among the top 10 finishers. NASA

invites the top 25 teams to participate in its Student Launch Initiative, an advanced rocketry program. Some

AIA member companies, such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, have sponsored additional prizes,

including scholarships and a trip to an international air show.

In a recent survey of TARC participants, 61 percent reported increased interest in STEM because of their

participation in TARC, and 54 percent of participating seniors plan on pursuing a STEM degree in college.

FIRST Robotics. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics was

founded in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. FIRST hosts

extracurricular robotic competitions for high school students across the nation. It also has extracurricular

programs for middle and elementary school students. 

FIRST Robotics has had an impact on more than 159,000 students, 44,000 mentors and 28,000 event

volunteers. In the 2008 competition, FIRST brought together 1,501 teams from 37,535 high schools from

every U.S. state, plus Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

A study conducted by Brandeis University found that FIRST provided a positive experience that gave

participants an opportunity to be involved in a challenging team activity, build relationships, learn new skills

and gain a new understanding of and interest in science and technology. 

Eighty-nine percent indicated they had “real responsibilities.” Seventy-six percent believed they had a chance

to play a leadership role, and 74 percent reported that students made the important decisions. Of those

FIRST Robotics alumni reporting a college major, 41 percent had selected engineering. Based on national

data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Beginning Post-secondary Student Study, FIRST alumni were

nearly seven times as likely to become engineering majors as the average college student nationally (41

percent for FIRST Robotics competition alumni vs. a national average of 6 percent). FIRST alumni were

also twice as likely to enroll as computer science majors (11 percent vs. 5 percent nationally).

Many AIA member companies are involved in FIRST Robotics, including major sponsorship and volunteer

support nationwide.

MATHCOUNTS. MATHCOUNTS is a middle school program that heightens student interest in

mathematics by making math achievement as challenging, exciting and prestigious as a school sport. But it is

more than a competition. MATHCOUNTS involves students and teachers in year-long coaching sessions

and helps students at all levels improve their problem-solving skills. 

Corporations and individuals donate $1.5 to $1.7 million annually to the national program and more than

$500,000 to the local and state programs. Business and industry partners have provided schools with

coaches for students and assist in coordinating competitions. They also host local MATHCOUNTS

activities, such as workshops and outreach programs to promote the importance of mathematics.

More than 17,000 volunteers (teachers, engineers, other professionals, parents and alumni) participate

annually to coach students and conduct competitions. Since the program began in 1983, more than 6 million

students in 6,000 schools have participated in competitions annually from all 50 states, the District of

Columbia, U.S. territories and State and Defense department schools worldwide. Each year, more than

250,000 students participate in MATHCOUNTS at the school level. 

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 11
Many AIA member companies are involved in MATHCOUNTS as founding and major sponsors as well as

by providing volunteer support nationwide.

For a sampling of individual company efforts, see Appendix A on page 22.

Post-secondary Concerns

Top Need #3: Many more undergraduates express an interest in science,

technology, mathematics and engineering than eventually complete bachelor's

degrees in those fields.

Quantity of U.S. STEM Graduates. Just over 122,000 American university graduates earned a

degree in science and/or engineering in 2007.40

According to the National Science Foundation, approximately one-third of U.S. bachelor’s degrees are in

science or engineering. The number pales next to Thailand’s 69 percent, Japan’s 63 percent, Singapore’s 59

percent, Laos’ 57 percent and China’s 56 percent.41

For advanced degrees, recent NSF data show that temporary residents earn more than half all U.S.

doctorates in engineering, mathematics, computer sciences, physics and economics.42 Because advanced

degrees are often required for R&D in science and engineering, this could adversely affect American

innovation.

Since 1975, the United States has dropped from third to 13th in the world in terms of proportion of 24

year-olds who hold engineering degrees. Within the United States the number of aerospace engineering

degrees awarded fell 47 percent from 1991 to 2000.43

Retention of Students in STEM Majors. The undergraduate years have a profound influence on

career direction and can provide a springboard for students who choose to major and then pursue graduate

work in science, mathematics and engineering. Many more undergraduates, however, express an interest in

science, mathematics and engineering than eventually complete bachelor’s degrees in those fields.

In numerous surveys undergraduate students have indicated that “poor teaching” and “unsatisfactory

learning experiences” were the primary reasons for switching majors and leaving the sciences.44

Studies have found that hands-on research opportunities have boosted the retention of students in STEM

fields. Students who have an in-depth understanding of engineering through a program like Project Lead

The Way switch majors half as much as the national average. Students who participated in an undergraduate

research experience generally reported a greater interest in STEM research, greater understanding of the

research process and the strategies and tools that scientists use to solve problems and a broader sense of

career options in the field.

Attracting More Women and Minorities. As minority groups grow as a percentage of the U.S.

population, increasing their participation rate in science and engineering jobs is critical if we are to just

maintain the overall participation rate among the U.S. population. Currently, the data show a

disproportionate non-representation of women and minorities earning STEM degrees and in the STEM

workforce.

In its latest Science and Engineering Indicators,45 the National Science Board reports that in terms of STEM

degrees, males earned the majority of bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering (80 percent), computer

sciences (78 percent) and physics (79 percent). According to the American Society for Engineering

Education, only 18.1 percent of engineering bachelor’s degrees went to women in 2007-2007. AfricanAmerican and Hispanic student representation accounts for only 11 percent of engineering bachelor’s

degrees, despite comprising over 27 percent of the U.S. population.46

12 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
Enrollment in Two-year Institutions. In addition to four-year institutions, those going into twoyear and technical schools are just as important to our industry. “Vocational” aerospace education and

training programs have experienced declining enrollments over the past 10 years even though 50 percent of

the current aerospace workforce is made up of workers in installation, maintenance, repair and production.

Most of these workers have completed stand-alone apprenticeship programs or intensive training programs

that combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction leading to an associate’s degree from a

community college.

While some major aerospace companies have apprenticeship programs to train production and technical

personnel, few currently have apprentices in their programs due to the downturn in the economy. The need

to replace retiring workers over the next two decades, however, points to the importance of starting to refill

the “pipeline” of qualified workers now.47 Analysis of the economic benefits of apprenticeship programs

shows an impressive $50 return for every dollar of federal investment.48

Industry Response to Post-secondary Concerns 

At the post-secondary level, AIA member companies report that internships are the largest activity for this

demographic. 

Launch into Aerospace. Launch into Aerospace is an AIA Web site geared toward providing high

school and undergraduate students with information about careers in aerospace. Students will find

information about aerospace programs, internship opportunities and general information about working in

the industry. Students will also find a link to “Ride the Leading Edge,” a video featuring three young

engineers in the aerospace industry who discuss their experiences as young professionals. 

Examples of some individual company efforts that support post-secondary education are:

• BAE Systems – “Introduction to Engineering Design.” BAE employees design projects and 

mentor first-year engineering students.

• Lockheed Martin – “SAE Collegiate Design Competition.” Lockheed Martin hosts collegiate 

student teams from across the nation for an airplane design competition. 

• Textron – “Engineering Boot Camp.” Junior-level engineering students design a flight control 

system with the assistance of Bell Helicopter employees.

Industrywide STEM Education Statistics. In the Launch into Aerospace report, AIA members

declared that the aerospace industry must and will take sweeping and coordinated action now to ensure the

ongoing competitiveness and success of U.S. aerospace. 

In an effort to get coordinated, AIA surveyed its members to seek input on their STEM education

initiatives. The purpose of the survey is to form a broader picture of how industry as a whole is responding

to STEM education challenges. Understanding where resources are being placed will help the industry to reexamine and strategically address the issue.

Based on response to the AIA member survey:

• Member companies on average49 support 26 STEM educational programs.

• Seven out of 10 member companies provide employee/volunteer support to STEM education 

programs.

• Ninety percent of member companies encourage their employees to volunteer or mentor 

students.

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 13
• STEM education programs most frequently address high school students (75 percent of 

respondents).

Forty-four percent of member companies have STEM education programs geared toward women

and 47 percent have programs geared toward minorities.

• Ninety-one percent of member companies offer or support some kind of STEM education 

programs.

And based on our respondents, we found that AIA member companies on average invest about $8 million

per year on STEM education initiatives. Companies with more than 100,000 employees spent on average

$10 million.

This report highlights the activities of several AIA member companies on the STEM education front. Some

have been ongoing for decades, and many involve collaboration with local communities through teachers or

principals, nonprofit organizers, local government and other community leaders. 

Through these private-public partnerships, aerospace businesses have shown time and again their

commitment to improving the lifelong career prospects of students, and educators have responded

positively to industry’s interest and support.50 But industry can’t do it alone. In the next section of this

report, we provide recommendations to our government partners.

SECTION 4

RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

AIA member companies know the importance of making a difference on the community level, but the

aerospace industry also realizes that the STEM workforce issue now requires a national systemic approach.

Given the current state of our economy and the looming shortage of qualified workers for high-technology

industries, addressing the problem on the grassroots level remains necessary but is not enough. State and

national leaders must also play a part in solving the problem nationwide.

Our research, experience and interaction with a variety of stakeholders have led AIA’s Industrial Base &

Workforce Committee to the following recommendations (in no particular order). They are global in scope

and address many of the top needed actions for our STEM workforce pipeline mentioned in the previous

section. They are also intended to show how government and industry can partner in solving the national

workforce crisis.

RECOMMENDATION 1: ESTABLISH, FUND AND IMPLEMENT A STRONG INNOVATION AND

ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AGENDA.

The national agenda should prioritize the development of a robust, homegrown,

scientific and engineering workforce, should include the recommendations of this

report and should be made in consultation with education and business leaders.

The aerospace workforce challenge is an intrinsic part of a much larger issue of economic competitiveness

and growth. In order to truly make an impact, national leaders must make a public commitment to solve the

U.S. education and workforce issue in the context of a strong innovation and economic plan agreed to by

the executive branch, Congress and other stakeholders. 

U.S. policy toward domestic aerospace employment must reaffirm the goal of stabilizing and increasing the

number of good and well-paying jobs in the industry. Doing so will not only promote creation of new jobs

14 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
here in United States but also will foster development of an American workforce prepared to lead the

nation in the 21st century.

We urge the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress to make American competitiveness and the

preparation of a robust, highly capable and technically skilled workforce a top priority. Many potential

aspects of this agenda are embodied in the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully

Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science) Act, passed in 2007 but never fully funded. 

RECOMMENDATION 2: CREATE A CABINET-LEVEL EXECUTIVE BRANCH STEM EDUCATION

COUNCIL.

In consultation with education and business leaders, this STEM council should work

across federal departments to identify, align and coordinate government efforts on

STEM education toward achieving common strategic goals.

Our industry leadership has undertaken an initiative in which member companies will inventory and assess

the STEM programs they already support. The next step is for them to align their programs in an effective,

strategic manner that will produce significant results in developing the next-generation aerospace workforce.

In a similar vein, we believe that the federal government should create a high-level official body in the

executive branch to identify, assess, strategically align and oversee government investments in STEM

education programs.

We applaud the first steps taken by the Academic Competitiveness Council in inventorying federal programs

that found that more than $3 billion dollars had been spent by the government on STEM programs in fiscal

2006. Common sense suggests that the next step is to determine how better to measure and coordinate all

these programs to ensure meaningful results.

Additionally, this federal council should work with state governments as well as private nonprofit and forprofit entities to identify common goals. Only by such cooperation, coordination, partnerships and

alignment can we activate a systemic approach that will produce real solutions.

One possible model for the federal workforce council is the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task

Force led by the Department of Labor with members from the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense,

Education, Energy, Homeland Security and Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration; the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National Science Foundation; the President’s Council of

Economic Advisors; the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy; and with broad advisory

participation from the aerospace industry and educators. We believe that a similar body should be created to

address the overall national STEM workforce issue.

RECOMMENDATION 3: EACH STATE SHOULD CREATE ITS OWN EXECUTIVE BRANCH STEM

COUNCIL.

State councils, in consultation with education and business leaders, should work

across state government departments to identify, assess, align and strategically

coordinate statewide efforts on STEM education toward common goals.

Ultimately, education is a state and local endeavor, and so coordination and collaboration at this level is at

least as important as at the federal level.

AIA has come across many instances of regional collaboration where public-private partnerships have

developed among businesses, local government and educational institutions. We’ve seen some examples of 

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 15
very mature regional partnerships with burgeoning programs and are amazed at the results these groups

have achieved. 

For example, we’ve been informed about cases where business leaders interfaced with their local community

colleges for workforce development programs. Doing so created win-win-win situations for all players: the

community college is able to attract more students because students know there is a job waiting for them

once they finish the program; the business wins by getting workers with the skill-sets they require; and

government wins because more people working in good jobs strengthens the local economy.

We recommend that state leaders establish STEM regional collaborative bodies in their state and 1) align

these groups into a statewide strategic framework, 2) provide resources for groups with proven and

demonstrable progress and 3) scale up those regional programs where possible.

RECOMMENDATION 4: REVISE THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT TO IMPROVE STUDENT

ACHIEVEMENT IN STEM AND OPTIMIZE PREPARATION OF STUDENTS FOR PURSUING

TECHNICAL CAREERS.

Such revisions could include requiring all states to administer the same ageappropriate test on math and science set to the highest international standards;

providing schools with resources to meet these tests; strengthening and improving

leadership capacity for school administrators and teachers, including provisions on

teacher recruitment and retention; and placing more emphasis on math, science and

technology at all grade levels. The Obama Administration should consult with existing

programs, such as Project Lead The Way, to consider establishing a national curriculum

standard for pre-engineering.

The No Child Left Behind Act has enabled educational progress by implementing tests that evaluate student

performance and holding schools accountable by linking federal funding to performance, although there

appear to be many issues with the current state of the act’s implementation. 

We have heard a common complaint that educators now “teach to a test.” When teachers are pressured only

to cover material that will be tested, students miss the real-world application of their lesson plans. 

Another problem is that the rigor of these tests varies from state to state, making it difficult for teachers

and students to define achievement. A student deemed proficient in one state might be much more

advanced than a “proficient” student in another state.

Because the industry wants the best in its homegrown workforce and, in many cases, our positions require

citizenship for security reasons, we believe strongly that 1) tests should be set to the highest international

standards in order to make the American workforce as competitive as other nations, 2) tests should be

designed so teachers are able to provide real-world context to their lessons and 3) the federal government

must provide the policies, tools and resources schools need to meet this challenge. Such resources include

not only funding but also provisions that give school administrators more authority and support

professional development for teachers.

RECOMMENDATION 5: ENHANCE SUPPORT FOR TWO- AND FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS THAT

PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE DIRECTLY TRANSFERABLE TO THE

WORKPLACE.

Government should play a role in requiring hands-on and inquiry-based learning and in

reducing barriers for schools to be involved in such curricular and extra-curricular

programs. 

16 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
AIA supports STEM programs that give students real-world, practical experience. As discussed in the

previous section, many AIA companies engage in hands-on activity that will increase the motivation of

young people to pursue careers in technical fields and develop skills they can ultimately use on the job. 

In order to expand hands-on and interactive learning, schools need to have more technology in classrooms,

increase the number of teachers with experience in the field, add to the number of classes geared toward

specific interests and teach what the industry needs. Programs such as Project Lead The Way help achieve

this.

At the elementary and secondary school levels, government should require interactive learning to be part of

the curriculum and support these activities by providing the necessary technology and equipment for young

people to use. Industry can assist. In secondary schools, career readiness should be emphasized and career

technology education supported.

At the post-secondary level, government and academia should work with business to define the skills and

competencies needed for the workforce and commit resources to meet these requirements. Additionally,

many aerospace and defense companies offer internships and educational activities, but companies only have

that capability where their facilities are located. We look to government to support post-secondary research

that would enable young people to work on hardware. It’s not enough for students to read about rockets:

they need to build and launch them in order to develop the skills aerospace companies will need.

Consequently, we urge government to continue funding university research projects that allow students to

gain hands-on experience.

RECOMMENDATION 6: ENHANCE RECRUITMENT, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND

INCENTIVES FOR NEW AND INCUMBENT STEM TEACHERS.

Effective strategies must be developed to attract talented STEM professionals to

teaching and to ensure that they are adequately prepared. Actions to increase the

number of highly qualified K-12 math and science teachers could include strengthening

proven teacher preparation programs; implementing comprehensive packages to recruit

STEM teachers that include incentives such as scholarships, signing bonuses and

differential pay; and establishing a national standard for STEM teachers.

Skilled STEM teachers are essential to the success of our students. We must position our teachers for

success by providing better professional development and compensation. A few of our companies support

programs for teacher development, and we believe that the federal government must step up and lead to

ensure a nationwide impact in this important area. Government must support the expansion of proven

programs, such as UTeach.

Government should also examine establishing national standards for STEM teachers. If a strong economic

and competitiveness agenda demands that our students be held to world class standards, then their teachers

must be judged in like manner. Raising the bar for STEM teachers will help make the profession more

attractive. Government can lead the way on this, and industry can play an important supporting role if

government enables our participation. 

RECOMMENDATION 7: PROVIDE TAX INCENTIVES FOR BUSINESSES THAT OFFER

RESOURCES FOR STEM EDUCATION.

Resources provided by aerospace companies should include research-related

experiences offered to science and math teachers, sending visiting engineers for the

purposes of informing students about STEM careers and loaning staff to support

teachers in the classroom.

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 17
Aerospace companies have a variety of resources that can be employed to aid our educational system. AIA

members encourage workers to volunteer as mentors, tutors and teaching assistants in their local

communities, and many educators have contacted our members asking for assistance. While giving back to

communities is a priority, for-profit enterprises with thousands of workers also need to be profitable.

Government can help reduce barriers for companies to participate in local schools by implementing tax

incentives for allowing workers to go into classrooms to inspire students to STEM careers and assist

educators with their lesson plans. Another option is to make time spent in classrooms supporting STEM

education an allowable expense on federal contracts.

Government can also help produce new STEM teachers and enhance the development of existing ones by

providing business with tax incentives for company activities that foster STEM teacher development. 

RECOMMENDATION 8: INCENTIVIZE AND REDUCE BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT OF RETIRING

AEROSPACE WORKERS AS EDUCATORS OR TEACHING ASSISTANTS.

Such actions include revising the federal tax code and other federal laws as

appropriate to mitigate the financial impact for STEM retirees who decide to re-enter

the workforce as teachers. Also, these actions would provide tax incentives to

businesses for allowing employees time to enroll in an alternative teacher credentialing

program toward becoming a STEM educator.

The existing aerospace STEM workforce possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience that can benefit

students in the classroom. If offered strong teacher preparation/alternative credentialing programs, retirees

who are looking to give back to the community can become a remarkable pool for the teaching workforce.

Industry, government and the education community must develop programs to help aerospace retirees

transition to become teachers, mentors and serve in other roles. This approach would employ their

experience and skills to help young people pursue STEM careers and transfer knowledge to the next

generation.

Government must make it easier for retirees to re-enter the workforce by exploring legal and regulatory

issues that pose barriers for older workers, such as within the Employee Retirement Income Security Act

and the tax code. Government must remove the financial and other disincentives that actually make it more

beneficial to retirees not to work. Keeping our greatly experienced older workers engaged in the workforce

— contributing to the economy and helping educate and train the next generation of high-tech workers —

is just common sense.

RECOMMENDATION 9: STREAMLINE THE SECURITY CLEARANCE PROCESS WHILE STILL

MEETING THE NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NATIONAL SECURITY WORKFORCE. 

Actions might include working with the Office of Personnel Management and other

agencies to reduce backlogs of security clearances, including implementing "universal

reciprocity and portability" among agencies.

While security clearances are an imperative, we believe the process can and must be improved to meet the

speed and security rigors of the 21st century. Tens of thousands of our industry personnel are subject to

security clearance and renewal processes each year, and the heavy backlog means this process can take up to

a year or longer to complete. This is unacceptable when our companies are working on contract deadlines

and is costly to the government.

18 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce
To make the process more efficient, we recommend that the security clearance process be managed and

overseen by one government agency. This body should establish a universal system in which a clearance can

follow a person from agency to agency, government to business, business to business and so forth —

similar to how a social security number follows an individual.

CONCLUSION:

A COALITION OF COALITIONS FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS 

The long-term ability to recruit and retain a professional workforce with the needed skills will determine the

viability of our industry for the remainder of this century and beyond. The challenges are real and they are

growing. Absent positive action from national leaders, the future of the industry is at risk.

The aerospace workforce challenge is an intrinsic part of a much larger issue of economic competitiveness

and growth. We urge the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress to make American competitiveness

and the preparation of a robust, highly capable and technically skilled workforce a priority. This report lays

out a number of recommendations in which the aerospace industry looks forward to working with

government and others to solve this vitally important national issue. 

AIA recognizes that there are many stakeholders in the STEM workforce issue. They include government,

business, chambers of commerce, trade associations, K-12 educators, vocational-technical schools,

community colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations, and the workforce development community —

workforce investment boards, state and local workforce agencies. All stakeholders are trying to do their part

but are working without the benefit of an overarching and integrated strategy. AIA’s membership, which is

united in the need to fix this problem and present policy recommendations, is striving to coordinate its

various education programs into an industrywide effort.

A major impediment to progress is that the American public is largely unaware of the STEM workforce

challenge and how it is affecting the nation. To grow public awareness and support for STEM-related

efforts and more effectively implement and integrate STEM programs, formalization of a “coalition of

coalitions” is a logical next step.

AIA strongly believes that a politically neutral body whose only objective is to foster STEM education and

U.S. competitiveness would be best suited to serve as the linchpin for the grand coalition. That organization

would unite the coalition, guide the shaping of a national STEM education strategy and communicate the

significance of solutions for all Americans, especially youth and their parents. 

The AIA’s Industrial Base and Workforce Committee will follow up with a report in one year on the

progress of the action items and solutions recommended in this report and with an update on the state of

the industry and its workforce.

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 19
20 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

End Notes

1. National Academies, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Washington, D.C., 2007.

2. It is important to note that while this report is written from an industrywide perspective and approved

by several company representatives, most member efforts to date have been done singly rather than

cooperatively. In fact, many AIA member companies have created their own STEM education programs.

While this report is a call for partnership with the government, it is also a starting point for AIA to develop

an industrywide collaboration with its membership. 

3. See Achieve, Inc., Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared for College and

Work? 2005; Augustine, Norm, Is America Falling Off the Flat Earth? National Academies, Washington,

D.C. 2007; Business Roundtable, Education, Innovation and Workforce Initiative; Business Higher

Education Forum, An American Imperative: Transforming the Recruitment, Retention, and Renewal of

Our Nation's Mathematics and Science Teaching Workforce, Washington, D.C., 2007.

4. National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2008, Vol. 1, National Science

Foundation, Washington, D.C., 2008.

5. National Science Board, 2008.

6. Gibbons, Michael, "Engineering by the Numbers," American Society for Engineering Education,

Washington, D.C., 2008.

7. Augustine, Norm, Is America Falling Off the Flat Earth? National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2007. 

8. National Academies, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing & Employing America for a

Brighter Economic Future, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2005.

9. Employment Training Administration, "Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task

Force," Department of Labor, Washington, D.C., February 2008.

10. Employment & Training Administration, President's High Growth Job Training Initiative (Aerospace

Industry Profile), Department of Labor, May 2007.

11. Aviation Week, AIA, AIAA, Joint White Paper (publication forthcoming). 

12. Lean Aerospace Research Agenda and Lean Aerospace Initiative, Developing a 21st Century

Aerospace Workforce: Policy White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. 

13. The Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, Final Report, 2002, p. 8-5.

14. Note: No data was collected to determine if workers choosing to leave their employer were leaving

the industry or just the company/agency.

15. Hedden, Carole, Flexibility for Employees Key to U.S. A&D Industry Future, Aviation Week, Aug. 20,

2007.

16. Note: Terminology of generation titles vary by demographers. For an example of intergenerational

communication, see Harris, Rothenberg International, LLC, "Interpersonal Best: Working Tools for Life"

Fall 2007. 

17. Conducted by NAS Recruitment, an agency of McCann Worldgroup.

18. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-09, Department of Labor, 2007.

19. Presentation to AIA by Ken Disken, SVP of HR, Lockheed Martin.

20. AIA Member Survey, 2008. See "Methodology."

21. Business-Higher Education Forum, An American Imperative: Transforming the Recruitment,

Retention, and Renewal of Our Nation's Mathematics and Science Teaching Workforce, Washington,

D.C., 2007, p. 9 

22. National Academies, Rising Above Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a

Brighter Economic Future, p. 113.

23. Those students being taught by teachers with no major, minor or certification were 21.9 percent for

mathematics, 14.2 percent in science, 28.8 percent in biology/life science and 40.5 percent in physical

science. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Qualifications of the Public

School Teacher Workforce: Prevalence of Out-of-Field Teaching 1987-88 to 1999-2000, p. 10.
24. Education Week & EPE Research Center, Diplomas Count 2008.

25. Alliance for Excellent Education, Teacher attrition: A costly loss to the nation and to the states (AEE

Issue Brief), Washington, D.C., 2005. 

26. National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2008, pp. 1-5. 

27. Ingersoll, R.M., Understanding supply and demand among mathematics and science teachers, 2006.

In J. Rhoton & P. Shane (Eds.). Teaching science in the 21st Century. Arlington, VA: National Science

Teachers Association Press.

28. National Academies, Rising Above the Gathering Storm.

29. http://nationsreportcard.gov/science_2005/s0106.asp?tab_id=tab2&subtab_id=Tab_1#chart

30. PISA is sponsored by the OECD and is administered every three years with the latest test in 2006.

31. While these numbers are shocking, we might also take into account with comparative studies that

the United States faces barriers that some of the higher scoring countries might not face. For example,

top scorer Finland has a largely homogeneous population with few students who do not speak Finnish

and fewer disparities in education and income levels. In contrast, the United States faces larger

socioeconomic and even cultural disparities, such as a high English-learning population.

32. TIMSS is administered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement

and is administered every four years.

33. Cavanagh, Sean, "Science Labs: Beyond Isolationism," Education Week, January 10, 2007,

Hanauer, David I., Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Marisa L. Pedulla, Steven G. Cresawn, Roger W. Hendrix, and

Graham F. Hatfull, "Teaching Scientific Inquiry," Science, v. 314, December 22, 2006, pp. 1,880-1,881.

34. "Top 5 Myths About Girls, Math and Science," Live Science. [http://www.livescience.com/health/

070827_girls_math.html]; Herbert, J., and Stipek, D. (2005). The emergence of gender differences in

children's perceptions of their academic competence. Applied Developmental Psychology, 26, 276-295.

35. Hyde, Janet, Lindberg, Sara M., et al., Gender Similarities Characterize Math Performance, Science,

v. 321, July 2008.

36. Education Week, Diplomas Count: Ready for What? Preparing for College, Careers, and Life After

High School, 2008.

37. Strong American Schools, Diploma to Nowhere, 2008.

38. Achieve, Inc., Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared for College and Work?

2005. See http://www.achieve.org/node/582.

39. Public Agenda, Life After High School: Young People Talk About Their Hopes and Prospects. 2005.

See http://www.publicagenda.org/research/research_reports_ details.cfm?list=31.

40. Aviation Week, AIA, AIAA, NDIA, Joint White Paper, publication forthcoming.

41. National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2008.

42. Ibid. 

43. Aerospace Commission, 2002, pp. 8-10.

44. House Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Research, Undergraduate Science, Math and

Engineering Education: What's Working?, 109th Cong., 2nd Sess., March 15, 2006,

[http://www.house.gov/science/hearings/research06/marchpercent2015/index.htm]

45. National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2008

46. Gibbons, Michael T., Engineering by the Numbers, American Society for Engineering Education,

2008. 

47. Aerospace Commission, 2002.

48. Ibid.

49. Overall average is based on the number of respondents to AIA's survey.

50. For example, see: Chaker, Anne Marie, "High Schools Add Classes Scripted By Corporations," Wall

Street Journal, March 6, 2008; Chaker, "Reading, Writing... and Engineering," Wall Street Journal,

March 13, 2008.

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 21
22 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

AEROJET

Aerojet has pursued many STEM-related initiatives

to help prepare for future shortages in a competitive

market.

Aerojet, through the GenCorp Foundation, seeks

innovative and collaborative ways to enrich math

and science education in our communities. Our

mission is through grants, scholarships and

employee contributions to support education in all

the communities where we do business. Ninety-two

percent of our contributions go to promote science,

technology, engineering and math education with

the goal of inspiring the next generation of

aerospace engineers and rocket scientist.

Internally, Aerojet focuses on employee

development by way of extensive technical training,

mentoring in STEM-related disciplines, knowledge

transfers, scholarships and a very competitive tuition

assistance program to promote advanced degrees

for our employees.

Externally, Aerojet is focused on education and

employee community involvement programs that

promote STEM education for children. We have two

programs that are very successful:

• “Adventures in Aerospace” sends our engineers 

and scientist into schools to teach aerospace and 

propulsion through experiments and hands-on 

learning.

• “Educational Dollars for Doers” rewards 

employees for volunteering their personal time 

and talent in education. For 10 hours in the 

classroom, we make a $75 grant to the school on 

the employee’s behalf. Our employees logged 

more than 14,000 volunteer hours last year. 

We support many educational programs to

encourage students to explore careers in

engineering, such as Project Lead The Way, the

Science Screen Report program, the Aerospace

Museum of California, Discovery Museum, AIA's

Team America Rocketry Challenge and many others. 

The GenCorp Foundation gave nearly $1 million

toward education in our communities last year. We

have developed excellent relationships with the

academic community to collaborate on issues that

can be win-win for all of us. 

Some of the programs we participate in are:

• Engineering internships.

• Diversity initiatives on various campuses.

• Educational gift matching program.

• University partnerships to help fund and support 

aerospace projects.

• Community college relations to assist in 

curriculum development.

• Support for science centers and science museums 

in our communities.

• The National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

• Many non-profit organizations with outreach to 

children.

• Regional science fairs.

• Challenger Learning Centers.

• FIRST.

We are proud of the commitment of our company

and employees to make the world a better place one

child at a time.

AMERICAN PACIFIC

We have a long history of providing scholarships to

students at the University of Nevada – Reno. We are

also active with the Engineering Council for UNLV,

the UNLV Foundation and the Nevada State

College Foundation. We fund research at Georgia

Tech that involves both pre- and post-doctorate

APPENDIX A: 

AIA MEMBER COMPANY

STEM EDUCATION INITIATIVES

The following are profiles submitted by member companies interested in being a part of this report. Many

are working above and beyond what is described here; visit their Web sites to learn more. To date, most

companies have addressed STEM education singly rather than cooperatively, which explains the variety of

programs presented here. In the next year, AIA will work with AIA members to explore education

programs in an attempt to develop an industrywide strategy for addressing STEM education.
Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 23

students. The research is primarily in chemistry but

also involves electric propulsion. As a result of that

program, we hired a key scientist who works in

aerospace.

At times we employ co-op students during the

summer from Southern Utah University and from

Georgia Tech.

We encourage employees to participate in continuing

education and reimburse their tuition expenses.

BAE SYSTEMS

In 2008, BAE Systems increased its contribution to

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science

and Technology) to more than $1 million annually

through donations of money, resources and

employee volunteers. With this commitment, BAE

Systems became a “Strategic Partner” of FIRST and

its largest corporate contributor to FIRST Robotics

Competitions (FRC). The financial commitment also

funds FRC team grants and college scholarships for

FIRST participants attending select universities

across the United States.

Our strategic partnership with FIRST represents an

investment in the future high-tech workforce that

BAE Systems will need to draw upon to compete

effectively in the 21st century. BAE Systems and

FIRST share a common culture and goals — both

organizations have a passion for science, engineering

and technology combined with the social skills of

cooperation, teamwork and leadership.

Since the early 1990s, BAE Systems has sponsored

many teams and regional competitions throughout

the United States, and more than a dozen former

FIRST students have become BAE Systems

employees while many more have interned in our

offices. In 2008, BAE Systems directly supported

more than 90 teams competing near our sites in 12

states and the District of Columbia. The company

also sponsored seven FRC regional events as well as

the FIRST Championship in Atlanta.

FIRST also provides opportunities for BAE Systems

employees to get involved as team mentors and

advisors, judges and competition hosts and

coordinators.

In addition to our sponsorship of FIRST, we have

committed to scholarship programs that support

students pursuing engineering degrees at six focus

schools: Penn State, Purdue University, the

University of Arizona, the University of Maryland,

Cal Poly and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. These

schools were selected based on the following four

factors:

• Engineering Rankings (U.S. News & World 

Report).

• Geographic Proximity to one or more locations.

• Past Success (hiring, relationships, specific 

program).

• Diversity Enrollment.

BAE Systems supports approximately 200

internships at facilities across the company and also

sponsors other STEM-related activities, including:

• Intro to Engineering Design – project designed 

and mentored by our engineers for first year 

engineering students.

• Engineering Diversity Technical Showcase – 

networking events for women and underrepresented minorities in science and engineering.

• Diversity Awards Events – providing scholarship 

awards to students in The National Society of 

Black Engineers, the Society of Women 

Engineers and the Society of Hispanic 

Professional Engineers.

• Senior capstone design projects in the InterDisciplinary Design Program.

• College of Optical Sciences Industrial Affiliates 

Program (member).

• Senior Capstone Robotics Course.

• The Robotics Club.

• Project-Based Learning Institute – sponsor of 

three engineering design projects for senior 

capstone courses.

B&E

At B&E, we consider our employees our greatest

resource, and company-sponsored education

programs are promoted to ensure our success in the

future. B&E has been able to retain the majority of

employees that have gone through employersponsored education programs.

B&E offers its employees a tuition reimbursement

program for work-related courses, with tuition

reimbursement being a percentage based on the

grade achieved.
24 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

B&E also sponsors a scholarship fund to Springfield

Technical Community College.

B&E works with the Western Mass Tool Makers

Association to provide offsite training for associates

at the apprentice level. Apprentices also work

alongside seasoned veterans to help hone their skills,

which allows them to advance within the company.

We are working on a mentoring system that will

eliminate newer employees getting lost in the system.

To attract students into the machining industry,

B&E sponsors school class trips down to the junior

high level to tour our facility. The tours include

giveaways and a lunch.

We have set up co-op work programs with local

high schools in which students follow a work-based

learning plan monitored by the school and B&E.

BOEING

Boeing has defined principles that guide educational

involvement, including:

• Everyone deserves a quality education.

• Parents are the first and most important 

teachers.

• Learning starts at birth and continues 

throughout life in and out of classrooms.

• Additional resources are required to support 

minorities and under-served populations. 

• All areas of society must be engaged in ensuring

that our educational systems are producing 

individuals who can fulfill the requirements of 

the future workforce.

Five key strategies directing engagement and

alignment of education-related activities and

investments are:

1. Early Learning

• Provides parents and other caregivers with 

access to training/resources in social, emotional 

and cognitive development for informed 

parenting to help children reach their full 

potential. 

• Raises public awareness of the importance of 

the first five years of life in social, emotional 

and cognitive skill development and ultimate 

success in life. 

Example: Sid the Science Kid. Boeing is a major

supporter of this educational television series

produced by KCET Public Television and The Jim

Henson Company. This series promotes exploration,

discovery and science readiness among preschoolers. 

2. Primary and Secondary Education – Teacher 

Development

• Provides quality professional development to 

teachers for delivery of rigorous curriculum in 

math, science and literacy that will motivate 

students to pursue challenging and fulfilling 

careers. 

Example: Boeing Educators to SPACE CAMP®

.

Since 1992, Boeing has partnered with the U.S.

Space & Rocket Center to sponsor educators to its

Space Camp facility in Huntsville, Alabama. More

than 600 teachers have participated in Boeing’s

program, reaching approximately 30,000 students

around the globe.

3. Primary and Secondary Education – 

Leadership Development

• Strengthens school leadership to improve and 

inspire teacher effectiveness. 

4. Primary and Secondary Education – 

Curriculum Alignment

• Promotes an aligned, comprehensive and 

coherent curriculum based on the highest 

international standards. 

5. Higher Education

• Supports educational programs for early 

learning, primary and secondary educators and 

school leaders. 

• Works to enhance undergraduate math, science, 

business, engineering and technology curricula. 

• Facilitates access to undergraduate students, 

including under-represented and economically

challenged students, at educational institutions 

key to Boeing 

Example: Boeing supports FIRST Robotics

scholarships.

• Ensures alignment of curricula and programs to

Boeings need for current and future employees.

• Supports the company’s engagement with these 

institutions, including selected HBCU/MIs. 

• Fosters relationships with faculty to ensure 

students are prepared to meet the broad 

challenges in our society. 
Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 25

Example: The Boeing Welliver Faculty

Fellowship. Since 1995 this eight-week program

competitively selects professors globally to “look

over the shoulder” of working professionals in

technical, business and management career paths.

This experience is transferred into the classroom

with a practical application of technical and business

skills. 

• Support research and development to increase 

the technical knowledge base.

GE AVIATION

The GE Foundation Developing FuturesTM in

Education program seeks to create positive social

change by using a systemic approach that begins

with collaboration among key constituencies.

Focusing on the entire district, not just one or

several schools, grant activities engage central

offices, teachers’ organizations, school

administrators, local GE volunteers and other

members of the community. 

The core components of Developing Futures are:

• Curriculum and Instruction: Implementing 

research-based, districtwide math and science 

curricula aligned with globally competitive 

standards.

• Professional Development: Enhancing the 

ability of teachers to use meaningful, innovative 

and research-based strategies in the classroom 

through high-quality professional development.

• Constituency Engagement: Forming a 

common vision through facilitating 

collaboration among education leaders and 

administrators, teacher organizations, parents, 

GE leaders, students and community leaders 

and organizations.

• Management Capacity: Developing 

systemwide capacity to improve functional and 

financial efficiency and effectiveness within 

district central offices.

• GE Engagement: Leveraging the professional 

capacity and skills of GE senior executives and 

GE volunteers to support district improvement 

and student success.

• Evaluation: Tracking key metrics of change 

to support the implementation of the 

initiative and document success.

The grants are districtwide serving K-12 students in

targeted GE communities. GE Aviation, which is

headquartered in Cincinnati, is integral in supporting

the grant objectives. 

Cincinnati Public Schools received a five-year, $20

million grant in October 2006 from the GE

Foundation, marking the largest nongovernmental

grant ever received by the district. 

Cincinnati Public Schools Interim Superintendent

Mary Ronan said, “This grant is systemic, strategic

and smart.” 

GENERAL ATOMICS AERONAUTICAL

SYSTEMS

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GAASI) of San Diego, California, provides

comprehensive solutions for military and

commercial applications worldwide. A leading

designer and manufacturer of unmanned aircraft

and high-resolution and radar imaging systems, the

company has a strong and ongoing need for

talented, dedicated engineers and technicians.

GA-ASI recognizes the critical need to develop

young people’s interest in engineering and

technology and to help steer them to the educational

choices that will feed into the company’s employee

pool.

To stimulate their interest, GA-ASI encourages and

supports its employees as volunteers in local schools

from the primary grades through universities. The

company sponsored teams of engineering students

at the University of California, San Diego, in four of

the annual AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competitions.

To help steer students to the educational fields that

support the company’s business, GA-ASI maintains

ongoing relationships with colleges and universities,

such as the University of California at San Diego,

the University of San Diego, San Diego State

University, Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo, the

University of North Dakota, Iowa State University,

Redstone College in Denver and Stanford University,

Palo Alto, Calif.

To demonstrate to students the impact of their

career choices, the company participates in

workshops, such as the AUVSI Youth Education

Program, at the association’s annual meeting. In

2008, GA-ASI financially supported the workshop

and gave a dynamic presentation about the industry
26 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

and the company to more than 100 middle-school

and high-school students. The company also

responds to requests for tours from groups such as

the Boy Scouts of America.

GA-ASI was ranked second in Aviation Week &

Space Technology magazine’s 10th annual workplace

survey for promoting diversity in the workplace and

valuing its employees.

GOODRICH

Goodrich began a focus on STEM several years ago

as a way to strengthen the core pipeline of a diverse

workforce as well as develop ways to generate

curiosity and excitement about the worlds of math

and science for K-12. 

The company’s business depends on children who

will learn more than just basic reading, writing and

arithmetic. The Goodrich philosophy is a

comprehensive approach to education reform

through broad programs that deepen a focus on

STEM — whether through mentoring engineering

students, an innovative middle school arts program

with proven ties to increased science abilities, an

after-school science program for at-risk and low

income students or a STEM-focused Junior

Achievement pilot program Goodrich hopes to

model across the company’s enterprise.

Research conducted by Goodrich has shown that

K-12 continues to be the richest environment for

these types of learning programs. While the

company’s programs are presented to the general

school-aged populations, Goodrich continues to

allocate donations with a special emphasis on

diverse, at-risk and low-income populations.

HARRIS

As a responsible corporate citizen, Harris

Corporation plays an active role in strengthening the

quality of life in America and the communities it

calls home. 

The corporation contributes generously to initiatives

and nonprofit organizations internationally,

nationally, regionally and locally. Employees also

donate countless volunteer hours to advance a

variety of causes that are shaping a difference

throughout the world. 

Harris is dedicated to the learning development of

students within the fields of math, science,

technology and engineering and its commitment to

quality STEM education is evident in the programs

Harris Corporation supports and funds.

Harris supports the following K-12 educational

programs through funds, employee volunteers and

mentors, or other company resources:

• Teach the Teacher Seminars, providing Brevard 

County secondary teachers and administrators 

with the most current information and 

resources within four primary subjects.

• Harris-sponsored art and science fairs, 

supporting all public and private schools in 

Brevard County participating in the fairs.

• Harris Science Teacher of the Year in which a 

teacher is given a stipend and inducted into the 

Harris Hall of Fame.

• Mini-grants for funding proposals from private 

and public school teachers to provide support 

for math and science programs.

• Harris Science Saturdays, creating engagement 

within the STEM fields at an early age.

• Mentors, funding and development 

opportunities for Bayside Engineering and 

Technology Academy.

• Engineering Week to engage high school 

students in STEM-related professions.

• Harris support of 65 district wide STEM-related

teams, such as FIRST/SCEME/OM and 

Florida Future Problem Solving Program.

Harris is also committed to supporting young talent

at the college level through the funding of several

STEM-focused universities and programs, including

the University of Central Florida’s Harris

Corporation Engineering Center, Computer Lab and

Atrium; the Rochester Institute of Technology’s

Harris Laboratory; Georgia Tech’s Harris

Nanotechnology Lab; the University of Florida’s

Harris Corporation Rotunda and Lecture Hall;

North Carolina State University’s Harris

Corporation Student Leadership Office; Purdue

University's Harris Corporation Classroom; Clemson

University’s Harris Corporation Interview Room and

Florida Institute of Technology’s Harris Center for

Science and Engineering and Harris Institute for

Assured Information.

Several Harris employees also volunteer and mentor

through STEM educational programs and sit on the

boards of directors. A few of the organizations for
Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 27

which Harris holds board of director seats include

the Florida Center for Research in Science,

Technology, Engineering & Mathematics; the

Aerospace Industries Association; the Florida High

Tech Corridor Council; the University of Florida;

the University of Central Florida and Florida

Institute of Technology Colleges of Engineering

STEM Dean’s Advisory Board; North Carolina State

University Department of Electrical and Computer

Engineering Industrial Advisory Board; the Florida

Space Authority; and the Florida Research

Consortium.

HONEYWELL

Through a unique community outreach initiative

called Honeywell Hometown Solutions, Honeywell

and its employees (via contributions to the annual

Employee Giving Campaign) provide an array of

innovative programs and activities aimed at

stimulating student interest in math and science,

especially at the middle school level. 

Under the general theme of “Creating the Next

Generation of Scientists,” the program equips math

and science teachers to do an even better job of

teaching space-based science and opens student

minds to the possibilities of a career in the technical

fields. 

A centerpiece of these efforts is a traveling road

show called “FMA Live!” Created in partnership

with NASA, “FMA Live!” is an award-winning

science education program named for Sir Isaac

Newton’s second law of motion (force=mass X

acceleration). It uses professional actors, original

songs, music videos and interactive science

demonstrations to teach middle school students

Newton’s Laws of Motion and the universal

principle of gravity. More than 170,000 youngsters

at 450 schools in 39 states have now seen this

program.

Other key programs include the Honeywell

Educators @ Space Academy STEM, a scholarship

program for middle school science teachers to

attend a week-long immersion program at the U.S.

Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. Since this

program’s inception, Honeywell and its employees

have sponsored more than 1,000 scholarships for

teachers from 24 countries and 49 U.S. states. They

are now back in their classrooms, reaching more

than 70,000 middle-schoolers with interesting and

effective lessons in science. 

Also, through the Honeywell – Nobel Initiative, the

company provides live, on-campus events that bring

Nobel laureates in physics and chemistry to

universities in North America, Europe, India and

China for high-impact interaction with students and

faculty. By so doing, one generation of leading

scientists is linked with the development of the next.

Through the Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Challenge, a

massive school competition is conducted in

conjunction with the annual Fiesta Bowl in which

schools compete for the best design of the nextgeneration of the International Space Station.

Judging is done by NASA astronauts and Honeywell

engineers. 

Beyond these special programs, Honeywell

continuously encourages and creates opportunities

for employees to serve as mentors in nonprofit

organizations in their communities that are focused

on advancement in the fields of math and science.

IBM

Improving public schools around the world

continues to be IBM’s top social priority. Through

strategic initiatives, the company is helping solve

education’s toughest problems with solutions that

draw on advanced information technologies and the

best minds IBM can apply. 

To prepare the next generation of leaders and

workers who will lead in the Innovation economy, a

number of IBM’s projects are focused on science,

technology, engineering and math education.

EX.I.T.E. Camps: Industry experts says that girls

as young as 10 to 12 have already developed

misperceptions about technical careers that steer

them away from the advanced math and science

courses necessary to earn a technical degree in

college. The IBM EX.I.T.E. Camps are week-long,

summer day camps for middle school girls (ages 11-

13) designed to show them the exciting career

opportunities in technology and engineering,

introduce them to female role models who can

demonstrate what they can achieve in these fields

and give them hands-on experiences in technical

activities that are fun, challenging and educational.

PowerUp! (www.powerupthegame.org):. IBM

developed PowerUp!, a free, multiplayer 3-D online

game to help lure students to careers in engineering.
28 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

The game relies on student interest in virtual fantasy

worlds to teach about engineering principles as they

save the planet “Helios” from ecological disaster by

enabling them to ride over rugged mountains in

buggies to build solar towers or search through grim

junk yards to repair wind turbines.

The activities within the game, which were

developed in partnership with the New York Hall of

Science as part of IBM’s TryScience initiative, have

been correlated to U.S. national science standards

and developed with input from high school students.

It also includes lesson plans for teachers to leverage

PowerUp! in the classroom. Young people also learn

about energy conservation by the choices they make

in completing their missions. 

PowerUp! was chosen as the official game of Earth

Day 2008.

Transition to Teaching: Through Transition to

Teaching, IBM is helping address the critical

shortage of math and science teachers by leveraging

the brains and backgrounds of some of its most

experienced employees, enabling them to become

fully accredited teachers in their local communities

upon electing to leave the company. Transition to

Teaching began as a pilot in January 2006, and

currently has about 100 participants. Eight IBMers

have graduated from the program and have become

math and science teachers. IBM is reimbursing

participants up to $15,000 for tuition and stipends

while they student teach as well as providing online

mentoring and other support services in conjunction

with partner colleges, universities and school

districts.

TryEngineering (www.tryscience.org): IBM is

the technology partner of TryEngineering, a new

Web site owned by IEEE. Designed to appeal to a

wide range of audiences, TryEngineering.org, aims

to inform teachers, school counselors, parents and

students about engineering and what engineers do

through a Web site, launched June 2006, that

combines interactive activities with valuable

information on careers in engineering.

L-3 COMMUNICATIONS

L-3 Communications’ corporate educational

philosophy is to provide business units with the

latitude to support programs that are meaningful to

their employees, their community, academic and

educational organizations and institutional initiatives.

Employee programs include:

• Educational assistance in the form of tuition 

payment for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate academic education. 

• In-house training and education related to job 

specific skills and knowledge education. 

• Purchase of outside educational content as well 

as owning a business unit, DP Associates, that 

develops eLearning and CBT content. 

• Satellite broadcast live training and Webinars. 

• More than 1,500 eLearning courses and other 

courses taught by subject matter experts as well 

as synchronous and asynchronous courses.

Programs for students, teacher academic

institutions and communities include:

• Support legislation at the state level to fund 

technology enhancement programs, provide 

co-op and internship programs, scholarships 

and funding for academic social organizations. 

• Sponsor design competitions and provide 

employees to lecture on current technology and 

challenges. 

• Provide funding to enhance teacher proficiency 

in math and science. 

• Support “Operation Spark” to foster an interest 

in math and science among students in grades 6 

to 9, increase proficiency in math and science 

for students in grades 6 to 9 and increase 

teacher proficiency in instructing math and 

science. 

“Operation Spark” is a $200,000, three-year project

in cooperation with Texas A&M and Greenville ISD.

It is a cooperative L-3 and Texas A&M science and

math education outreach initiative to enhance

awareness of technology and engineering in middle

schools. It is an enabler for educating non-technical

classroom teachers as well as students. 

Academic and industry initiatives include:

• Support academic and industrial educational 

initiatives through memberships, funding, 

leadership, mentoring, serving on boards, 

councils, and university consortiums, FIRST 

robotics competitions, Operation Spark, 

National Society for Black Engineers, National 

Society for Hispanic Engineers, National Society
Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 29

for Women Engineers, STEM programs and the 

Naval Academy Foundation.

LOCKHEED MARTIN

Education is the primary focus of Lockheed

Martin’s community outreach with 50 percent of

contributions and activities geared toward

strengthening student capabilities in engineering,

technology, science and math. While the corporation

has a focused, strategic, K-12 education initiative

called “Engineers in the Classroom,” Lockheed

Martin supports other education activities to bolster

local community priorities, diversity, and

infrastructure.

Engineers in the Classroom: Focused on

developing the next generation of engineers and

technologists, this initiative is based on a wholesystems approach to involve students, teachers,

parents, Lockheed Martin engineers and community

partners. Nationwide in scope and tied to national

standards, the initiative will grow to put an estimated

11,000 students in the STEM pipeline over the next

five years. Mandatory teacher training and optional

guidance counselor training are embedded in the

initiative.

Strategy:

• Partnerships with high schools near Lockheed

Martin facilities that have or will establish a 

STEM focus. Then partner with the middle 

schools that feed into those high schools. 

Then partner with feeder elementary schools.

Initiative Components: School partners 

surround students with

• Engineering-related curriculum to provide 

academic rigor.

- Project Lead The Way is Lockheed 

Martin’s curriculum partner. Schools must 

have or put in place the PLTW curriculum.

• Extracurricular activities to show real-world 

relevance

- Support for a multitude of activities that 

provide project-based, hands-on 

reinforcement of concepts learned in the 

curriculum, like Space Day, Team America 

Rocketry Challenge, FIRST Robotics, 

National Science Bowl and Science 

Olympiad.

• Engineer role models to building lasting 

relationships.

- Lockheed Martin engineers volunteer to go 

into classrooms or coach extracurricular 

teams.

• Merit-based scholarships for graduates of the 

partner school who are accepted into 

engineering-related, post-secondary degree 

programs.

Other Activities

• Space Day is a year-round program founded 

by Lockheed Martin that uses space-related 

activities to interest and inspire students to 

pursue aerospace careers.

• National Engineers Week. Through 

classroom visits, Lockheed Martin engages 

more than 50,000 students each year.

• Teacher training. Lockheed Martin supports 

initiatives in local communities to train 

teacher-leaders who initiate, implement and 

sustain math and science reform efforts.

• Out-of-school program curriculum

supported the Girls Scouts to develop 

curriculum related to information technology 

and are currently working with 4-H to develop

a broad, K-12, engineering-based curriculum 

for use by a variety of out-of-school groups 

like scouts, YMCA, and Boys & Girls Clubs.

Post-secondary Activities: Lockheed Martin

supports a a variety of programs at the collegiate

level, including many with a diversity focus:

• Internships.

• Co-ops.

• Scholarships.

• Senior design projects.

• Student competition teams.

• Student chapters of engineering-related 

professional societies, such as the Society of 

Women Engineers.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN

Philosophy:

Northrop Grumman Corporation, a leading global

defense and technology company, has designed and

implemented a program to increase student interest

in math and science called “Defining the Future.”

Multifaceted and active at both national and local
30 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

levels, the program relies heavily on partnerships

with the community and employee volunteerism.

“Defining the Future” places a heavy emphasis on

working with women and people of color, groups

particularly underrepresented in the math and

science field. It also provides teachers with tools and

resources to inspire student interest in math and

science.

The program addresses the declining number of

engineering students in technical/vocational schools

in the United States. All Northrop Grumman

Corporation business sectors are involved in the

nationwide program at all educational levels —

elementary through college. 

Programs include curriculum development, teacher

development, mentoring, support to schools,

support to the community and scholarships and

sponsorships. 

The company’s key STEM support includes

programs such as:

• California Science Center.

• Connecting Educators to Engineering legacy 

project.

• CyberChase Television Show and National 

Exhibit.

• High School Involvement Partnership (HIP) 

Program.

• MATHCOUNTS.

• National Board for Professional Teaching 

Standards.

• National Conference on Aviation and Space 

Education.

• National Diversity Engineer Programs.

• National Science Foundation Extraordinary 

Women in Engineering Coalition.

• Partners in Education.

• Project Lead The Way.

• Sally Ride Science Festivals/Toy Challenge.

• Scholastic curriculum Define Your Future.

• Smithsonian Heritage Family Days.

• Teach for America.

• Weightless Flights of Discovery Program for 

Teachers.

• Company sector local programs, including 

tutoring, mentoring, career day presentations.

RAYTHEON

Raytheon believes it is essential to secure the

technical talent pipeline for the future. With a great

generational transition on the horizon as “baby

boomers” near retirement, the company believes it is

imperative to help students prepare for the skills

they will need to enter careers in science, technology,

engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Raytheon’s most visible activity is its MathMovesU®

program designed to engage middle school students

on their own terms and make the connection

between math, their interests and “cool” careers.

The program’s cornerstone uses a favorite medium

for youth — an interactive Web experience.

The Web site is “immersive,” designed to create

“aha” moments by presenting math in its relation to

some of the topics middle school students care

most about — music, sports and fashion. It uses a

variety of puzzles and games to encourage

development of math skills in fun and creative ways.

The goals of MathMovesU are to

• Transform math’s image among middle school 

students.

• Motivate students to meet their potential in 

math and science education.

• Help create and sustain a strong, talented and 

diverse workforce by supporting math and 

science education.

Since its inception, the MathMovesU Web site has

attracted more than 600,000 visitors from every

state, the District of Columbia and 107 countries.

The program awards hundreds of scholarships and

grants to students, teachers and schools nationwide

each year. In the last two years, Raytheon has

awarded 900 MathMovesU scholarships to students

along with matching grants awarded to their schools

and 65 “Math Heroes” (teachers and tutors) who

each received $2,500 grants.

In addition to MathMovesU, Raytheon is a national

sponsor of MATHCOUNTS®, a nonprofit

organization that promotes math excellence among

U.S. middle school students by providing financial

and volunteer resources.

Raytheon is one of the largest supporters of FIRST

Robotics, supporting as many as 29 high school

teams across the nation. The company provides

scholarships to select students who have participated
Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 31

in the FIRST Robotics program. 

More than 4,000 Raytheon employees volunteer to

support math and science education in their

communities each year through MathMovesU,

MATHCOUNTS, FIRST Robotics and other

activities. And the company holds more than 100

events annually to engage middle school students in

math and science.

In addition to these activities, Raytheon partners

with the Business-Higher Education Forum to

provide corporate leadership to strengthen STEM

education and to promote college readiness, access

and success for underserved populations, particularly

in the STEM disciplines. BHEF is an organization

of Fortune 500 CEOs and senior executives, college

and university presidents, and foundation leaders

working to advance innovative solutions to our

nation’s education challenges in order to enhance

U.S. competitiveness.

Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson

is a member and the current vice chair of BHEF.

ROLLS-ROYCE NORTH AMERICA

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

A program that embodies the expectations of rigor

and relevance as outlined in the U.S. Department of

Energy’s High School Leadership Summit is a notfor-profit engineering program. Its mission is to

ensure the success of an increasing and more

diverse group of students in engineering and

technology study — fields experiencing critical

shortages.

PLTW offers:

• Fully developed contemporary curriculum for all

of its courses in middle and high school 

programs.

• Rigorous professional development for 

classroom teachers at more than 30 university 

sites nationwide.

• A four-year college credit for high school 

students in PLTW courses through a school 

certification process and a college-level end-ofcourse exam.

• An optional national bid on all equipment and 

supplies needed to implement the courses at 

significant savings.

• A strategic plan that focuses on success for all 

students, including female and underrepresented minorities.

Building the Innovation Generation

This program is a collaborative effort between

industry, government and academia in the form of

internship opportunities for faculty and students as

well as meaningful student projects to develop highcalibre engineering skills and leadership

Pathways to Engineering

The intent of this program is to create a math,

science and pre-engineering concentration at the

fifth grade level that will provide a bridge between

middle school and Project Lead The Way or math

and science magnets in high school. High schools

will develop courses that will integrate into Indiana

University-Purdue University at Indianapolis with

credit hours awarded. The collaboration will include

internships with Rolls-Royce.

The benefits of participation in this proposal are:

• Community involvement. 

• Diversity. 

• Increasing the engineering pipeline.

• Increasing retention by recruiting local talent.

High School Senior Internship Program

• Pre-college internship for outstanding high 

school seniors interested in pursuing the 

engineering field.

• Upon graduation from high school, students 

will be eligible to apply for the co-op program.

• Requirements:

- Work as part of academic curriculum.

- Must be a senior in high school.

- Minimum GPA 3.5.

- Demonstrated interest in engineering.

- Demonstrated performance in math, science 

and physics coursework.

- Faculty recommendation.

FIRST Robotics

• Multinational nonprofit organization that aspires

to transform culture, making science, math, 

engineering and technology “cool” for kids.
32 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

Minority Engineering Advancement Program

• Established in 1976 in response to the small 

number of minorities in the engineering 

profession.

• Dedicated to improving the recruitment and 

retention of minority students in engineering 

and technology.

Try-Math-Lon

• Rolls-Royce supports the Regional and National 

“Try-Math-Lon” competition sponsored by the 

National Society of Black Engineers.

ROCKWELL COLLINS

Rockwell Collins invests in programs that inspire

students to pursue studies in math, science and

engineering to build a foundation for careers as

engineers and innovators in our industry. They use

hands-on activities that provide real-world

applications of math and science. 

Rockwell Collins strives to involve its employees and

retirees as professional role models in our

communities. The company has taken a leadership

role in driving this K-12 education outreach at its

headquarters in Iowa and has expanded to regional

locations with the greatest need. Guiding principles

incorporate a national scope with a local focus and

teamwork, collaboration and inclusiveness between

all partners in the education system.

Under the banner of ENGINEERING

EXPERIENCES, Rockwell Collins engages K-12

education levels to develop life-long learning

opportunities. Some activities are :

• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of 

Science and Technology) partnering on LEGO 

League, Tech Challenge and Robotics 

Competitions. 

• EWeek classroom, community and diversity 

event/activity engagement through Introduce a 

Girl to Engineering, career awareness events 

with engineering societies.

• Project Lead The Way sponsor.

• Future City Competition sponsor.

• Team America Rocketry Challenge supporter.

• University Partnerships – providing resources 

and student teams and research initiatives.

• Corridor STEM Initiative – a pilot business, 

government and education community 

partnership model in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City 

funded by the state to build awareness of 

STEM importance and career opportunities.

• Rockwell Collins’ Initiatives.

- Rockwell Collins Road Show – employees 

demonstrate actual business engineering 

problems and solutions in schools.

- Local tutoring for K-12 students.

- Job shadowing, mentoring, internships, tours, 

career presentations to increase career 

awareness in higher education.

- REACT (Rockwell Educational Access to 

Computer Technology), providing refurbished

computers schools.

Rockwell Collins’ goals are to better prepare

students for careers in our industry and to keep the

U.S. workforce competitive through sound STEM

experiences that begin early in education. 

TEXTRON

K-12 Programs

FIRST Robotics. Across the country Textron

sponsors 13 FIRST Robotics teams, providing

funding of up to $10,000 and engineering mentors.

Bell Helicopter introduced the Dunbar High School

team from the Fort Worth Independent School

District to Astronaut Sally Ride for a dialogue on

their project and aspirations and her space

exploration experiences.

BEST Robotics. Cessna sponsors BEST Robotics

teams that encourage students to learn about

engineering, science and technology by developing a

robot and participating in competition.

Math & Engineering Summer Camp. Twentyfive high school students attended a Math and

Engineering Summer Camp this summer at Bell

Helicopter's flight test facility where they were

challenged with design-and-build projects.

Charitable Trust. Bell contributes thousands of

dollars each year to schools and colleges through the

Textron Charitable Trust. This is in the form of

scholarships and cash contributions to the general

fund of organizations. For instance, Bell contributed

$10,000 this year to Dunbar High School to

promote its Robotics Program.
Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 33

Employee Volunteers. Textron volunteer in a

variety of ways, including the Expanding Your

Horizons program to encourage young women to

pursue science, technology, engineering and

mathematics (STEM) careers and A World in

Motion program that brings together teachers,

students and industry volunteers to explore physical

science while addressing mathematic and scientific

concepts and skills. 

Facility Sharing. Many Textron facilities are shared

with high school and college students and teachers

to help them appreciate technology and offering

experiences, providing material teachers can use to

inspire students to pursue STEM careers.

College Programs

Engineering Student Boot Camps. In 2008 Bell

Helicopter conducted its first Engineering Boot

Camp. Ten junior-level engineering students from

the University of Texas participated. The students

were competitively selected and equally split between

aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering

majors. They were assisted by six Bell engineers,

who had graduated from UT less than three years

before, and Engineering & XworX Technical

Fellows.

Students designed a flight control system for attitude

independent aircraft. At the conclusion of the boot

camp, they briefed Bell's leadership team on their

approach. 

Bell credits this type of recruiting strategy with

building excitement for Bell Helicopter, Textron and

the aerospace industry 

The camp was repeated in March for two more

schools and will be continued into 2009. Ten of the

25 students in the boot camps were from under

represented groups. The key performers from the

boot camp were offered positions as summer interns

for Bell.

Summer Intern Program. Most Textron

engineering organizations conduct summer intern

programs to give students exposure to engineering

jobs and to give the company exposure to potential

employees. 

Promoting Diversity. Textron is a corporate

member of the Society of Women Engineers, the

National Society of Black Engineers and the Society

of Hispanic Professional Engineers and sponsors

employees in local and national activities with the

societies. 
34 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

How many of your employees are eligible to

retire? 

• 8.3 percent of employees are eligible to retire, 

although only 1.33 percent retired in 2008.

• In 5 years, the aerospace industry will have 

110,501 employees eligible to retire.

What, if any, percentage of your workforce has

retired in 2008?

• 1.33 percent actual retirements is much lower 

than percent eligible to retire.

• 8,772 workers retired from the aerospace 

industry in 2008.

How many STEM-focused education programs

does your company support?

• 26 (the average number of educational 

programs supported by each company). 

How much funding does your company

contribute to these education programs?

• $8,027,864 (the average funding contributed to

educational programs each year per company).

What other forms of support does your

company provide to its STEM education

programs?

• Employee mentors and employee volunteers 

are equally popular (71 percent each).

• 84 percent of all companies support either 

mentors or volunteers.

Does your company require or encourage its

employees to volunteer or mentor students?

• No companies require their employees to 

volunteer or mentor students.

• 90 percent of companies encourage their 

employees to volunteer or mentor students.

What demographics do your company's STEM

education programs address?

• Aerospace companies most frequently support 

STEM programs that target high school 

students (75 percent of respondents).

• Aerospace companies most frequently support 

STEM programs that target high school 

educators (50 percent). 

What type of STEM education program does

your company offer or support?

• 91 percent of aerospace companies offer or 

support some kind of STEM program.

• Internships are the most popular STEM 

program with 72 percent of all aerospace 

companies offering internships.

APPENDIX B:

AIA Member Company Education-Workforce Survey Highlights

In June 2008 AIA prepared a survey of its member companies to acquire accurate and comprehensive data

about current and anticipated STEM workforce demands in order to present a compelling case. The survey

was sent to 105 regular member companies. AIA received 31 responses, a 30 percent response rate.

Companies of all sizes and scopes responded, providing industrywide trends. 

Respondents were asked to report corporatewide numbers for current and future workforce turnover data

and STEM education program efforts. Individual company data was aggregated and analyzed to identify

leading STEM concerns. Data provided by smaller companies was often much different than larger

companies. Therefore, in addition to total aggregations, data belonging to only the largest 70 percent of

respondents was also aggregated for separate analysis. 

Additionally, some respondents included a brief company profile that outlined efforts regarding their STEM

inspiration, education and training efforts. 

Following is a sample of survey questions and cumulative responses.
Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 35

Alarmed over the critical need for improved

development and preparation of America’s

aerospace workforce for the 21st century, the

member companies of the Aerospace Industries

Association reaffirm their commitment to intensify

support for education and workforce initiatives,

including but not limited to

• Partnering with existing programs, such as 

Project Lead The Way, FIRST Robotics and 

Team America Rocketry Challenge.

• Encouraging, supporting and motivating 

industry professionals to participate in 

mentoring and other volunteer opportunities in 

schools and community programs.

• Supporting the transition of retirees to K–12 

science and mathematics teaching, certification 

and enrichment programs in paid or volunteer 

positions.

• Earmarking corporate grants to educational 

programs.

• Developing and managing company-initiated 

educational and workforce development 

programs.

In declaring our commitment to develop and

strengthen the aerospace industry’s workforce for

the 21st century, we agree to the following goals and

actions:

GOAL 1: Revitalize the U.S. aerospace and

defense workforce.

1. Each AIA company commits to the revitalization

of the aerospace and defense workforce by

approving the actions recommended in this

workforce report.

2. Each AIA company will designate a senior

executive responsible for implementing the

company’s commitment to workforce revitalization.

The executive will be aware of all STEM-related

education activities in which the company is engaged

and ensure the alignment and coordination internally

and externally. That executive will be accountable

for measurable progress in revitalizing and growing

the STEM workforce.

GOAL 2: Motivate and inspire young

Americans to study and pursue careers in

STEM disciplines.

1. Each AIA company, in concert with other

stakeholders, will commit to market research to

determine how best to inspire young Americans

toward careers in science, technology, engineering

and mathematics.

2. Through associations and companies, the industry

will energetically promote the aerospace and defense

industry as offering rewarding and attractive career

choices.

GOAL 3: Endorse, financially support and

promote STEM education, workforce

activities and policies that have proven

successful.

1. Each AIA company, working with the association

and other coalitions, will allocate resources to create

an effective national STEM awareness campaign,

including making available high-profile

spokespersons.

2. Each company will conduct a thorough review

and assessment of its current STEM efforts with the

goal of coordinating effective programs in a

strategic framework within each company and

industrywide.

GOAL 4: Make government a partner in

achieving the future technical workforce.

1. Advocate passage, implementation and funding of

STEM-related initiatives, including but not limited to

the America COMPETES Act. Maintain support for

existing programs, such as the Interagency

Aerospace Revitalization Task Force. Pursue

legislative incentives to encourage skilled retirees to

become STEM teachers.

2. Make the future of America’s technical workforce

a top issue for the next administration through

engagement with candidates, science advisors,

transition teams and executive branch appointees.

APPENDIX C:

Workforce Goals and Commitments for 

America’s Aerospace Industry
36 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

3M Company

AAR

Accenture

Aerojet

AeroVironment, Inc.

AirLaunch LLC

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Allfast Fastening Systems, Inc.

American Pacific Corporation

AmSafe Aviation

AMT II Corporation

Analytical Graphics, Inc.

Andrews Space

Aurora Flight Sciences 

AUSCO, Inc.

B&E Group, LLC

BAE Systems, Inc. 

Barnes Aerospace

B/E Aerospace, Inc

Belcan Advanced Engineering 

and Technologies

Best Foam Fabricators, Inc.

The Boeing Company

BreconRidge Corporation

CAE USA Inc.

Celestica Corporation

Click Bond, Inc.

Click Commerce

Cobham

Computer Sciences Corporation

Crane Aerospace & Electronics

Curtiss-Wright Corporation

Curtiss-Wright Controls 

Systems, Inc.

Metal Improvement 

Company

Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation

Doncasters, Inc.

DRS Technologies, Inc.

Ducommun Incorporated

DuPont Company

Eaton Aerospace Operations

Eclipse Aviation

EDS

Elbit Systems of America

Embraer Aircraft Holding Inc.

Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated

ESIS, Inc.

Esterline Technologies

Exostar LLC

Flextronics International USA

FlightSafety International Inc.

FTG Circuits, Inc.

General Atomics Aeronautical 

Systems, Inc.

General Dynamics Corporation

General Electric Company

GKN Aerospace

Goodrich Corporation

W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

Groen Brothers Aviation Inc.

Harris Corporation

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation

HEICO Corporation

Hexcel Corporation

HITCO Carbon Composites

Honeywell

IBM Corporation

ITT Corporation

Kaman Aerospace Corporation

L-3 Communications 

LAI International, Inc.

LMI Aerospace, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

LORD Corporation

Marotta Controls

McKechnie Aerospace

Meggitt Vibro-Meter Inc.

Micro-Coax, Inc.

MicroSat Systems, Inc.

MOOG Inc.

Natel Engineering Co., Inc.

National Machine Group

National Machine Company

National Aviation Products, 

Inc.

National Technical Systems 

Naverus, Inc.

The NORDAM Group

Northrop Grumman Corporation

NYLOK Corporation

Omega Air Inc.

Oracle USA

Pall Aeropower Corporation

Parker Aerospace

Pinkerton Government Services, 

Inc

PPG Aerospace - Sierracin 

Corporation

Proficiency Inc.

Raytheon Company

Remmele Engineering, Inc.

Rockwell Collins

Rolls-Royce North America Inc.

RTI International Metals, Inc.

Satyam Computer Services Ltd

Science Applications 

International Corporation

Siemens PLM Software

SITA

SM&A 

Southern California Braiding 

Company

Space Exploration Technologies 

Corporation

Sparton Corporation

Spirit AeroSystems

Textron Inc.

Timken Aerospace Transmissions,

LLC Purdy Systems

United Technologies Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand

Pratt & Whitney

Sikorsky

Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc.

WIPRO Inc.

Woodward Governor Company 

AIA Member Companies
ADI American Distributors, Inc.

AirBorn Operating L.P.

Airfasco Industries, Inc.

Air Industries Machining 

Corporation

Albany Engineered Composites

Alcoa Fastening Systems

Alken Industries Inc.

Allegiant Global Services, LLC

Allen Aircraft Products, Inc.

American Brazing

AMETEK Aerospace & Defense

Arkwin Industries, Inc.

Arrow/Zeus Electronics, A 

division of Arrow Electronics

Astronautics Corporation of 

America

Astronic

Athena Technologies, Inc.

Avnet Electronics Marketing

Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.

Banneker Industries, Inc.

Blenheim Capitol Services

Brogdon Tool & Die, Inc.

Brookfield Atlantic

Brush Wellman Inc.

BTC Electronic Components

Burton Industries Aerospace Heat

Treating, Inc.

California Manufacturing 

Technology Consulting 

Capo Industries Inc.

Celltron Inc.

Chandler/May, Inc.

Cherokee Nation Distributors

CMC Electronics

Coalition Solutions Integrated, 

Inc.

Consolidated Precision Products

Co-Operative Industries Defense, 

LLC

CPI Aero, Inc.

Crestwood Technology Group

Cytec Engineered Materials

Dassault Systems of America

Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc.

Dayton T. Brown Inc.

Dexter Magnetic Technologies, 

Inc.

Doyle Center for Manufacturing 

Technology

DynaBil Industries, Inc.

East West Associates

Electronic/Fasteners, Inc.

Ellison Surface Technologies

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical 

University

Emhart Teknologies, A Black & 

Decker Company

Endicott Interconnect 

Technologies, Inc.

ENSCO, Inc.

Exotic Metals Forming Company 

LLC

The Ferco Group

Ferguson Perforating and Wire 

Company

Frontier Electronic Systems 

Corporation

Greene, Tweed & Company

G.S. Precision, Inc.

GuardianEdge Technologies

Harvard Custom Manufacturing

Haas TCM

H&S Swansons' Tool Company

HCL Technologies

HDL Research Lab, Inc.

Heartland Precision Fasteners

Aerospace Plating Company

HGS Aerospace

J.F. Hubert Enterprises

Hitachi Consulting

Hi-Temp Insulation Inc.

Hobart Machined Products, Inc.

Hughes Bros. Aircrafters, Inc.

IDD Aerospace Corp.

Industrial Metals International 

LTD

Infotech Enterprises America

Ingenium Technologies Corp

Inmedius

International Technegroup Inc.

TranscenData Division

ION Corporation

ITW CIP

Jabil Defense & Aerospace

JRH Electronics, LLC.

A.T. Kearney Public Sector & 

Defense Services LLC

KPMG LLP-Risk Advisory 

Services

Kreisler Manufacturing 

Corporation

Kreisler Industrial Corporation

Kreisler Polska sp. z. o o.

Kubotek USA

Kulite Semiconductor Products, 

Inc.

LMI

Loos & Co., Inc.

M/A-COM, Inc.

McCann Aerospace Machining 

Corporation

Meyer Tool Inc

Michigan Aerospace 

Manufacturers Association

Microsemi Corporation

Mid-State Aerospace Inc.

Millitech, Inc.

Mil Spec Sales Co.

Morris Machine Company, Inc.

MPC Products Corporation

Nasmyth Precision Products Inc.

Navigant Consulting, Inc.

New Breed Corporation

NMC Group, Inc.

Norfil Manufacturing, Inc.

Nor-Ral Plastics Inc.

Ohio Aerospace Institute

O'Neil & Associates, Inc.

Orion Industries

P3-North America, Inc.

Parkway Products, Inc.

PCA Aerostructures

PCC Airfoils, LLC

Performance Software 

Corporation

Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce 37

AIA Associate Members
38 Launching the 21st Century American Aerospace Workforce

AIA Associate Members (continued)

Perillo Industries, Inc.

PGM of New England, LLC

Plexus Corporation

Plymouth Extruded Shapes

Plymouth Tube Company

Powerway Inc.

Precision Aircraft Machining 

Company

Precision Gear 

Precision Machine & 

Manufacturing Co.

Precision Tube Bending

Premier Precision Group

PRTM Management Consultants, 

LLC

PTC

QuEST 

Radant Technologies, Inc.

RAF Tabtronics LLC

REMEC Defense & Space, Inc.

Renaissance Services

Rubbercraft

Sample Machining, Inc. dba Bitec

Sanmina-SCI Corporation

Sea Air Space Machining & 

Molding

SEAKR Engineering

Sechan Electronics, Inc.

SELEX Sensors and Airborne 

Systems US Inc.

Senior Aerospace

Service Steel Aerospace

Servotronics, Inc.

Sierracin Corporation 

SIFCO FORGE GROUP

Signal International

Southco, Inc.

Spectralux Corporation

Spincraft

Spirit Electronics, Inc.

SPX Precision Components

Starwin Industries

Sunshine Metals

TechSolve, Inc.

Tedopres International, Inc.

TEK Precision Co. Ltd

Telephonics Corporation

Therm, Inc.

Thermal Solutions, Inc.

TIGHITCO, Inc.

Tiodize Co., Inc.

TMX Aerospace

Tri Polus Inc.

TTI, Inc.

TTM Technologies

TW Metals

UMA, Inc.

Unicircuit Inc.

United Performance Metals

Universal ID Systems, Division of

Commerce Overseas 

Corporation

University of Tennessee - 

Aerospace Defense Clearing 

House

Unlimited Innovations

Vishay

Vulcanium Metals Incorporated

Waer Systems

West Cobb Engineering & Tool 

Co. Inc.

The Wharton School - Executive 

Education 

Wind River Systems

Windings, Inc.

Xerox Corporation

X-Ray Industries

XyEnterprise

Yarde Metals