EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 4, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) High School Involvement Partnership (HIP), which for 34 years has provided teenagers with insight into what it takes to succeed in the "real world," has received a President's Volunteer Service Award, the highest U.S. presidential honor for volunteerism.
Thirty-one Northrop Grumman employee volunteers who serve as instructors in the work experience program also received the awards today at a ceremony hosted by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The company worked with the school district to launch HIP in 1971.
"The HIP program is a shining example of what an industry-education partnership can do to give young people a helping hand in preparing themselves for life," said Gary W. Ervin, a sector vice president for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "HIP is more than a job skills program. Our employee volunteers serve as role models to teach students the importance of punctuality, teamwork and accountability."
Through the HIP program, high-school seniors are brought to Northrop Grumman facilities for two hours a day, five days a week. Each student works side-by-side with an employee instructor in a variety of job disciplines. More than 6,000 students have "graduated" from HIP since the program began, and some have returned to enjoy successful careers as Northrop Grumman employees.
Students receive training in their choice of more than 30 disciplines such as engineering; manufacturing; office administration; environmental management; health and safety; model building; medical care and firefighting. Their instructors conduct quarterly evaluation sessions based on the students' acquired competencies, attitude toward learning, and quality of work. The instructors also teach how to set and achieve specific goals.
Northrop Grumman developed HIP after the Los Angeles School District expressed concerns that few opportunities existed for "hands-on" vocational training. HIP has expanded to include other districts in Southern California, including Antelope Valley; Centinela Valley; Compton; El Segundo; Escondido; Inglewood; Poway and Ramona. Students are assigned to local Northrop Grumman facilities in El Segundo, Palmdale and San Diego.
Training begins in February and ends with a recognition ceremony at the close of the school year, when participants receive certificates of completion. Students receive credit toward graduation and can cite the work experience when applying for jobs.
Northrop Grumman also received a President's Volunteer Service Award for the HIP program in 1996.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a premier aerospace and defense systems integration organization. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., it designs, develops, produces and supports network-enabled integrated systems and subsystems optimized for use on networks. For its 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.