Women represent only 13 percent of the engineering workforce in the United States. With that imbalance in mind, tech company Raytheon has teamed up with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to introduce more girls to the field of engineering and the career options it offers.
During Engineers Week, Feb. 21-27, Raytheon, a sponsor of DiscoverE ‘Girl Day,’ will host events for hundreds of girls at Boys & Girls Clubs in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.
Engineers will visit the clubs and lead hands-on learning activities that demonstrate engineering concepts, such as building basic electrical circuits and designing the strongest skyscrapers.
“There are incredible opportunities for young women to fill the engineering jobs of tomorrow, and these jobs will be plentiful,” said Rebecca Rhoads, an electrical engineer and president of Raytheon Global Business Services.
“Not only do engineering jobs traditionally pay well, but they are exciting and challenging and allow you to work on solutions that matter and make a difference in the world.”
[ Also Read: How India Abuses Children’s Right to Education ]
The average engineer’s salary in 2014 was $93,630, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, well above the average wage of $47,230 for all occupations. Engineers who just graduated from college were among the highest paid in the class of 2015, averaging a $64,367 annual salary.
Girl Day is just one way Raytheon hopes to inspire the next generation of innovators. Through its flagship program MathMovesU, the company has invested more than $125 million in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives.
Raytheon is a technology company specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions.
In the picture above: A team of girls builds a structure with spaghetti at the Los Angeles Harbor Boys & Girls Club. The activity was an exercise in civil engineering, and it was part of Raytheon’s program for Girl Day 2015, a National Engineers Week event that encourages girls to discover the field and study science, technology, engineering and math.