WALTHAM, Mass., April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- What can the U.S. do to prepare today's students to take on STEM jobs in the future? To help answer that question, U.S. News and Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) today launched the STEM Index to measure just that. It's the first comprehensive index measuring the key factors related to STEM jobs and education.

The Index finds that although we are making strides in some areas, the U.S. continues to fall short in preparing today's students for tomorrow's innovation workforce. Student aptitude and interest has been mostly flat for more than a decade even as the need for STEM skills continues to grow. The pipeline of talent needed to fill current and future jobs requiring STEM skills is not adequate to meet the demand.

This week, Raytheon joins industry, government and education leaders in our nation's capital to address this workforce challenge head on. Kicking off "STEM Week" is the U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference, a three-day event focused on addressing the shortage of STEM skills in the American workforce.

On Friday, Raytheon's Chairman William H. Swanson will be inducted into the U.S. News STEM Hall of Fame, recognized for his leadership in advancing STEM education and preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists. Swanson and the other three honorees were chosen from a group of industry, academic and nonprofit leaders.

Closing out the week is the three-day USA Science & Engineering Festival, April 25-27 in Washington, D.C. – the largest and only national festival of its kind. Raytheon will be among 750 STEM-focused organizations to exhibit at the festival. Visitors to the exhibit will get a rare behind-the-scenes look at how Raytheon processes the mountain of data that becomes part of every weather forecast in the country. Called the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System, this product plays a critical role in the ability of U.S. forecasters to make weather predictions that can save lives and safeguard property. Visitors will also be guided in building and testing rockets with help from the company's engineers.

Attracting bright students who are pursuing STEM degrees as potential future employees is another important mission for Raytheon. One way the company is doing this is by sponsoring the nation's largest cyber defense competition for undergraduate and graduate students, April 25-27 in San Antonio, Texas. During the Raytheon National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition students from across the country compete to defend their own "commercial" network against an onslaught of cyber attacks.

Raytheon has hired former NCCDC competitors, and as the need for cyber security solutions continues to increase, there will be more jobs to fill. In the U.S., the Pentagon committed last month to hiring 6,000 new cyber professionals by 2016. At the same time, government and industry are increasing their demand for cyber experts at an annual rate of more than 11 percent in the next few years.

A recent Raytheon study shed light on the need to educate today's students about the growing demand for cyber expertise – as 82 percent of high school-aged respondents said they had never heard about cyber security opportunities from their teachers or guidance counselors.

About MathMovesU

Raytheon's MathMovesU^® program is an initiative committed to increasing middle and elementary school students' interest in math and science education by engaging them in hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs of MathMovesU include the traveling interactive experience MathAlive!^®; Raytheon's Sum of all Thrills™ experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot^®, which showcases math in action as students design and experience their own thrill ride using math fundamentals; the "In the Numbers" game, a partnership with the New England Patriots on display at The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon; the company's ongoing sponsorship of the MATHCOUNTS^® National Competition; and the MathMovesU scholarship and grant program. Follow MathMovesU and other Raytheon community outreach programs on Facebook and on Twitter @MathMovesU.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 92 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as cyber security and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

Media Contact
Raytheon Company
Mike Doble
+1.703.284.4345
corporatepr@raytheon.com

SOURCE Raytheon Company