EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 14, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Integrated Systems sector has been honored by the Los Angeles Unified School District for its High School Involvement Partnership (HIP) program, a nationally recognized, employee-driven mentoring program that has provided high school seniors with "real world" work experience for more than three decades.
The award marks the fifth time the sector has been recognized for its leadership in promoting higher education in the communities where its employees live and work. In 1996, the company received a President's Service Award, the highest presidential honor for volunteerism. The El Camino College Foundation recognized HIP in 2000 with a School-to-Career Partnership Award. The U.S. Congress and the California State Assembly have also honored Northrop Grumman for its commitment to preparing students for careers after graduation.
"This award is a small token of our appreciation for Northrop Grumman's long-term commitment to the success of this partnership program," said Eiko Moriyama, director of the school district's Partnerships and Adopt-A-School program.
Each spring for 33 years, high school seniors from Los Angeles and other school districts have come to Integrated Systems facilities for two hours a day, five days a week to obtain hands-on training in an actual work environment. The HIP program provides the opportunity for each student to work side by side with a Northrop Grumman employee who has volunteered to serve as his or her instructor, mentor and role model.
"It's a privilege for Northrop Grumman to be able to touch the lives of so many young people, many of whom will become our future leaders," said Gary W. Ervin, sector vice president of the sector's Air Combat Systems business unit. "This award also recognizes the contributions of our employee instructors who generously donate their time to give these students a head start."
The company's HIP program currently sponsors students at Integrated Systems facilities in El Segundo as well as Palmdale and Rancho Bernardo, Calif. Approximately 6,100 students have "graduated" from HIP since the program began in 1971. Many of those students have gone on to become full-time Northrop Grumman employees.
HIP students choose to receive training in one of more than 15 disciplines including engineering, manufacturing, office administration, environmental management, health and safety, model building, medical care and firefighting. In addition to providing job training, the HIP program teaches students the importance of good work habits such as punctuality, teamwork and accountability.
Northrop Grumman HIP instructors conduct periodic evaluation sessions based on the students' acquired competencies, attitude toward learning and quality of work. They also discuss how to set and achieve specific goals.
HIP was developed in response to Los Angeles school district concerns that too few opportunities existed for "hands-on" vocational training. Over the years, the program has expanded to include other Southern California school districts, including Antelope Valley, Centinela Valley, Compton, El Segundo, Escondido, Inglewood, Poway and Ramona.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a premier aerospace and defense systems integration enterprise. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., it designs, develops, produces and supports network-enabled integrated systems and subsystems for government and civil customers worldwide. Integrated Systems delivers best-value solutions, products and services that support military and homeland defense missions in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; space access; battle management command and control; and integrated strike warfare.
Members of the news media may receive our releases via e-mail by registering at:
http://www.northropgrumman.com/cgi-bin/regist_form.cgi
LEARN MORE ABOUT US: Northrop Grumman news releases, product information, photos and video clips are available on the Internet at: http://www.northropgrumman.com. Information specific to the Integrated Systems sector is available at: www.is.northropgrumman.com/index.html