Lockheed Martin Corporation:
Real-World Environment
This global company, headquartered in Bethesda, MD, is a premier systems
integrator and global security business. Its four business areas include
aeronautics, electronic systems, information systems, and space systems.
It engages principally in research, design, development, manufacturing,
integration, and sustaining of advanced technology systems, products,
and services. Two of its larger programs are the Orion Exploration Vehicle
for transporting astronauts and the F22 fighter jets. The company employs
about 140,000 people.
Leslie Chappell, director for university relations, estimates that,
presently, about 82% of its hiring needs are for technical talent in
computer science and engineering. “In engineering,” she
says, “the skills that are most in demand for us are systems,
electrical, and computer engineering and then mechanical and aerospace
engineering.”
The company looks for individuals who have good communication, leadership,
and problem-solving skills, the ability to work in a virtual environment
and on teams that include diversity in its members and ideas, flexibility,
and adaptability, besides excellent technical skills.
Lockheed Martin recruits nationwide on over 80 college campuses. It
also recruits its engineers at national events of organizations such
as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the National Society of
Black Engineers (NSBE). Online applications at the company’s Website
can be made for all open positions.
Internship and co-op opportunities are available in computer science
and engineering. “Last year,” Chappell states, “we
had a little over 1,800 intern/co-ops combined,” adding that students
with the same non-technical skills are sought because the desire would
be to utilize intern/co-ops to fill the pipeline for entry-level talent
upon graduation.
Students in all college levels are eligible for internship and co-op
programs. They work for between eight and 12 weeks in an assignment
with a definitive start and end, so they can see a project through to
completion. “What we look to do is give them an assignment that
allows them to apply what they learn in the classroom in a real-world
environment,” Chappell explains. They can return to the company
multiple years, each time in a different program or area of the company.
Full-time employees who wish to further their education can participate
in Lockheed Martin’s tuition-reimbursement program. Those who
need to relocate can receive assistance for that purpose. Internal training,
either online or with live instructors, is also available. Many of the
company’s facilities offer a flexible work schedule, others what
Chappell calls a nine-by-80 work week, during which employees work nine
hours daily for nine consecutive days and have the day off on alternate
Fridays. Some locations offer a sign-on bonus.
Mentoring, both formal and informal, is available. The employee’s
manager usually suggests the first formal mentor after getting to know
the employee for a few weeks. The employee usually arranges subsequent
mentoring relationships, either formal or informal.
Entry-level computer scientists might work on software development,
modeling, or simulation-type projects. From entry-level both computer
scientists and engineers can choose to take a technical track and become
a senior technical expert in a particular area or pursue a management
track in their area of expertise.
Chappell says that in the future Lockheed Martin will continue to look
for growth in the governmental, civil agencies, and non-Department of
Defense areas as well as its international business. Computer scientists
and engineers will still drive its hiring needs.
For additional information or to apply online, go to <http://www.lockheedmartin.com/>
and click on Careers.
BAE Systems—
Well-Rounded Individuals
BAE Systems is a global company that is in the business of developing,
delivering, and supporting advanced defense and aerospace systems on
land, sea, air, and in space. Based in Rockville, MD, it employs 96,000
people worldwide, with nearly half of them working in the U.S.
Michelle Cipolla, BAE Systems college recruit leader, says that the
company recruits mainly computer scientists and computer, electrical,
and mechanical engineers. But it also hires some systems, aerospace,
and material engineers and graduates with math and physics majors.
Recruiters go on-campus at about 50 colleges in the U.S., but they have
six focus schools—Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the Universities of
Arizona and Maryland, Penn State, Rochester Polytechnic Institute, and
Purdue University. Locally, they recruit at such schools as the University
of Virginia and Virginia Tech. Cipolla adds, “I’m personally
actively involved in the UCLA Center for Engineering Excellence in Diversity
as well as on its board.” Recruiters are involved in activities
with NSBE, SWE, and SHPE (the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers),
going to their national conventions and building relationships there.
All of BAE’s positions—entry-level, internship, and co-op--are
also listed on its Website.
Recruiters, according to Cipolla, value individuals with good communication
skills who are team-oriented and have leadership experience. “We
look for a well-rounded individual,” she adds.
Summer internships for students are generally of two-to-three months
duration. Cipolla says that some of BAE’s lines of business offer
co-op programs as well—they start either in spring and extend
into summer or start in summer and continue on into fall.
Interns/co-ops receive hands-on work experience, usually working on
a single project. However, many return several times, working on different
project each time. They also have the opportunity to work on a Charity
Challenge, where they choose a community organization to support. “In
Reston, VA, last year they decided to support the USO, so they had a
BBQ-car wash and they raised money for that organization,” Cipolla
remembers. They had fun while competing against the interns in San Diego.
The company offers tuition reimbursement, although it varies a little
across the company, a relocation package to employees who need to relocate,
and, at some locations, sign-on bonuses. It offers in-house training
and partners with many local universities who offer certificate programs.
Some of BAE’s locations offer a nine-8- work week.
Some entry-level computer scientists will do software-development work,
while others go into modeling and simulation-type projects, depending
on individuals’ skillsets and the company’s needs. Entry-level
engineers take specific courses that prepare them for their positions.
Hands-on training on specific programs are provided for both.
“In general, individuals stay in entry-level positions between
12 and 18months,” says Cipolla. After that, and depending on their
performance, they are promoted. They can opt to follow a technical path
or one that’s more supervisory and management path.
Some BAE locations offer a leadership development program, which has
individuals working in different parts of the company, attending leadership
conferences, being mentored, and includes working toward a company-paid
master’s degree. While all employees interested in management
can apply, not everyone is accepted into the program.
BAE Systems will continue to move toward becoming a top-tier systems
integrator. To accomplish this goal, it will need to employ more systems
engineers in the future. For more information and to apply on-line,
go to <http://www.baesystems.com/>
and click on Careers.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
A Variety Of Career Paths
A leader in the design, development, and manufacture of innovative aerospace
systems, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. produces spacecraft,
instruments and sensors, RF and microwave technologies, exploitation
solutions, and a variety of advanced aerospace technologies and products.
It has made contributions in support of space and earth science, exploration,
national security and intelligence programs, and imaging systems and
spacecraft. With its headquarters in Boulder, CO, the approximately
3,000 engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff work there
and in facilities in six other American cities.
Typically, Ball Aerospace hires aerospace, computer, electrical, mechanical,
and optical engineers. It also hires individuals with degrees in physics,
engineering physics, computer science, information technology (IT),
business and finance, communications, and electrical and mechanical
engineering technology. Its recruiters attend college career fairs and
diversity job fairs in the spring and fall, conducting information sessions
there, post jobs on its own Website, and campus Websites. However, its
summer internships and co-op programs are the number-one source for
Ball’s new graduate hires, says Suzanne Delchamps, professional
recruiter.
Ball Aerospace offers three levels for its technical and administrative
interns, depending on the academic year the students have completed,
starting with the summer between the student’s sophomore and junior
year and ending with graduate level. Co-ops typically begin after completing
their freshman year and rotate through four-to-five work sessions. Two
co-op students typically alternate semesters at school and in work sessions.
In addition to technical skills, the company seeks interns, co-ops,
and full-time hires with good written and verbal communication skills,
excellent teamwork and problem-solving skills, who are self-motivated,
creative, flexible, reliable, and responsible.
Delchamps says Ball Aerospace offers outstanding benefits, including
a relocation package for those that need it and flex-time; an educational
assistance program is available to all regular, full-time employees.
In addition, there is an employee stock purchase plan and a 401(k) plan
that is based on both individual performance and company performance.
Workout facilities are available onsite and volunteer activities/community
involvement opportunities exist as well.
“Training is assigned as needed,” notes Delchamps. “All
new hires receive an employee orientation upon start of work, as well
as the standard compliance training. Additional technical, job-related
training is scheduled based on job requirements.” Both formal
and informal mentoring is provided.
A variety of career paths and opportunities are available to entry-level
employees. They include engineering, manufacturing, and test operations,
business management, and information technology services. A career opportunities
program is designed to promote those career opportunities for all Ball
employees.
Attracting and retaining a diverse workforce is important, Delchamps
says. “The company ensures diversity in hiring and promotion through
targeted recruitment and extensive community outreach.” The affirmative
action program at Ball monitors and its diversity initiative promotes
that diversity within the company.
Ball Aerospace expects to become an even more agile, innovative company
in the future. It will require employees to be creative (push the envelope
to develop solutions to customers’ technical requirements) and
collaborative (work with a diverse interdisciplinary workforce). The
ability to work with more aggressive schedules will also contribute
to an employee’s success.
For more information and to apply online, go to <http://www.ballaerospace.com/>
and click on Careers.
Pratt & Whitney
Remaining Innovative
This Hartford, CT-based company, a division of United Technologies Corporation
(UTC), is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and service of
aircraft engines, industrial turbines, and space propulsion systems.
It provides engines for commercial and military aircraft, powers the
Space Shuttle, and supplies rocket-booster engines to the U.S. military.
Pratt & Whitney employs more than 38,000 people worldwide and has
customers in 180 countries around the world.
“Because of the technical nature of our products, we focus a lot
on engineering,” comments Nitza Rivera, manager of talent sourcing
and workforce diversity. This focus includes mechanical, manufacturing,
aeronautical, industrial, and electrical engineers. The company also
hires graduates for its business, finance, human resources, supply chain,
and communications functions.
Its hiring strategies include participating in conferences, including
those of NSBE and SWE. Recruiters develop relationships and recruit
at universities near Pratt & Whitney facilities, such as at the
University of Connecticut, Darden School at the University of Virginia,
and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Referrals from current employees
are also used and online applications are accepted at www.prattcareers.com
<http://www.prattcareers.com/> .
Excellent communication and analytical skills, the ability to work as
part of a team, and the ability to work in a multicultural team are
important competencies for new hires at Pratt & Whitney, as it is
throughout UTC. “We look for the ability to work with people that
think differently, also with people that have diverse ideas and backgrounds,”
Rivera explains. She adds that individuals having these same skills
will allow Pratt & Whitney to remain innovative in the future.
The company hires both interns and co-ops. Rivera says that, last year,
it hired over 400 students, and posts all of its opportunities for students
on its Website. Students who meet Pratt & Whitney’s criteria
are hired back multiple times—their responsibilities increase
each time in the hope that they will become full-time hires once they
graduate.
Pratt & Whitney offers relocation benefits to those who need them,
giving them access to a “work/life vendor” who provides
information and referrals to ease the transition. The company’s
newcomers club gives individuals with zero-to-two years of work experience
networking opportunities and career development advice. They can identify
a mentor—either a peer mentor or someone at a higher-grade level—to
help them both formally and/or informally. Training is provided through
access to the UTC learning portal, where employees get specific technical
information relating to their jobs, non-technical subjects such as communication
and project management skills, and career development information.
Once hired as full-time employees, individuals are eligible to take
part in the employee scholar program, which pays the tuition for any
program from an accredited school. “We also provide time off for
the person to study while they complete the classes,” Rivera says.
And, she adds, at the completion of a degree, the company offers the
employee $10,000 in company stock.
Engineers go into several rotational programs, learning about different
areas of the engineering function, including manufacturing, structural,
testing, and analytical engineering. They focus instead on one type
of engineering as their specialty. Engineers can eventually become fellows,
Pratt & Whitney’s highest-ranking technical experts. They
can also choose a managerial track, where they would manage teams of
engineers. Similar programs and career paths are available throughout
Pratt & Whitney’s various functions. “There is no one
career path for everyone,” Rivera concludes.
