Our Commitment to STEM Education

Northrop Grumman designs and manufactures some of the world’s most advanced technologies. Our world is facing critical shortages in the number of students who have an interest in STEM careers. To maintain excellence in innovation, it is imperative that we increase students’ abilities and interest in STEM. We have made it a top priority to help develop a diverse workforce through strategic STEM education programs and initiatives that align with the company’s future need for talent.

Our strategy focuses on workforce readiness for students who are underserved in STEM globally. We maintain strong partnerships with organizations and institutions focused on engineering and technology-based experiences designed to excite, engage, and educate students from middle school through college and university.

STEM literacy and quality education play a critical role in students’ likeliness to pursue STEM careers. We recognize the important role teachers play in developing critical skills and laying the foundation for future success. To that end, we support teacher professional development programs that help increase their competency in teaching STEM subjects, with a focus on those that align with the company’s core disciplines. By exposing educators to strategic learning opportunities, they are better prepared to demonstrate the connection between curriculum and exciting STEM careers.

To reduce disparities in K-12 STEM education for underrepresented students, we set a goal to provide 5,000,000 STEM experiences annually through formal and informal programming and teacher professional development. We also established an education equity goal to dedicate a minimum of 50% of our education funding to resources or programs that support social justice through diversity, equity and inclusion.

Education Outreach Initiatives, Partners and Programs

Computer Science Education Programs

We support computer science teacher professional development and youth programs to inspire the next generation of computer scientists. Partners include Code.org, GirlsWhoCode, CS4ALL, CyberPatriot and global programs such as CyberCenturion, CyberArabia and CyberTaipan.

Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (REC)—VEX Robotics

VEX Robotics gives students the opportunity to develop a passion for robotics in a fun, hands-on way. In addition, VEX encourages teamwork, problem solving, and leadership. The Northrop Grumman Foundation is the presenting sponsor of the Annual VEX Robotics World Championships, which includes teams from all over the world.

Space Camp

U.S. Space and Rocket Center®—Space Camp®

For over a decade, we have provided Space Camp® scholarships to students and teachers to explore space and gain a greater appreciation of STEM. In addition, we support Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students.

EarthEcho International— EarthEcho Expeditions

Led by explorer and environmental advocate Philippe Cousteau, Jr., this program provides professional development for teachers to learn new ways to excite and educate students about real-world science.

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High School Involvement Partnership

Our High School Involvement Partnership program pairs high school students with employees to provide mentoring, business-environment exposure and hands-on experience in real-world STEM applications.

Employee Volunteerism

Employees are a key component of our company’s Corporate Citizenship initiatives. Volunteers engage in a number of ways including board service, school visits, mentoring, hosting on-site facility tours and supporting partner organizations such as Great Minds in STEM’s Viva Technology and the National Society of Black Engineers’ Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK).

STEM Education Partnership Case Study: A Collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and the Baltimore City Public Schools System

In 2015, after the unrest in Baltimore City, Northrop Grumman and UMBC collaborated to create a comprehensive strategy geared at uplifting the local community by providing robust curriculum-based STEM education resources, relevant professional development for teachers and state-of-the-art technology at three Baltimore City Schools: Lakeland Elementary/Middle School, Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove and Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High School. Read the case study here.

Learn more about our STEM education strategy or email STEMEducation@ngc.com with questions.