Looking Ahead

If we are to secure our company’s position — and our ability to continue to meet the needs of our customers — we not only need to think about our talent requirements today and tomorrow, but also the day after tomorrow.

How do we retain and attract generations of outstanding talent? How do we ensure that the talent pipeline remains full well into the future? For technology companies like Raytheon, this is clearly a strategic business issue.

As co-chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum’s initiative on Securing America’s Leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, I can report to you that many companies and institutions are responding to this challenge.

At Raytheon, we are using a multipronged approach: sponsoring MATHCOUNTS®, which emphasizes math enrichment, partnering with VolunteerMatch™ and MATHCOUNTS to connect interested employees with opportunities to support math in their communities, investing in our Raytheon Scholars program for college scholarship assistance to children of employees, sponsoring FIRST Robotics school teams and scholarships, and moving forward with our major national initiative, MathMovesU™, aimed at inspiring interest and excitement in math among middle school students across the country.

We’re just one voice, but many companies and many industries are looking at this issue, and together, we hope to make a difference in the lives of young students, showing them that the path that focuses on math and science leads to an exciting and rewarding future — and we hope to our door.