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Is the 21st Century Workforce Diverse?
The question of diversity in the aerospace/aviation
industry inevitably is part of any discussion about attracting and
retaining the brightest, most-talented people.
"Two things have really changed during the
last 10 years. First, there are more women going to school and in
the workforce," said Linda Gooden, president of Lockheed Martin
Information Support Services. "Second, the demand for qualified
engineers and computer science graduates greatly exceeds the number
of available people. This has opened the door to females and minorities--doors
that might not have been opened as readily if the business imperative
was not there."
In Europe the situation differs dramatically
from that of the U.S. Fairchild Dornier looks upon itself as a start-up
and for that reason can build an organization in which richness
of diversity is a given and valued part of the corporate culture.
Airbus Industrie is an amalgamation of cultures
by definition. "We are not a German company or a French company
that went international," explained Erik Pillet, senior vice president
for human resources. "We are an international company. We are developing
multi-cultural employees. In 2001, we took more than 100 non-national
graduates to work in a country other than their own.
"We also recruit in the U.S.--in Boston and
Chicago and next year in San Francisco," added Pillet. "We are keen
to get U.S. citizens, but we often find French or German students
in America who want to join this international company."
The average age of aerospace industry employees
is a key factor in the growing diversity of the workforce. Ten years
ago, the average age of aerospace workers was in the low- to mid-30s.
Today, the average age exceeds 40 at many companies. So while hiring
of college graduates has continued, the workforce continues to age.
Most companies claim there is a bubble that was brought on by the
layoffs of the past decade. Companies learned the hard way that
they would have trouble hiring college graduates in the wake of
headlines about mass layoffs in aerospace. As a result, most set
annual hiring goals for university campuses, even in times of corporate
downsizing.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics (AIAA) has tracked gender and minority graduation rates
during the past 10 years. The percentage of women in the aerospace
engineering workforce rose from 14% to 18% during the decade. During
the same period, female representation among all engineering graduates
increased from 15% to 20%. The rate of minority engineering graduates
increased from 17% to 23%, with 2% increases among African-Americans,
Hispanics and Asians. The only minority group tracked by AIAA that
did not increase during the period was American Indian.
The data indicates that there has been some
measurable improvement--perhaps not enough--in the hiring of minority
workers. In addition, the statistics show that aerospace engineering
is increasing diverse representation at a rate slightly lower than
that of the overall engineering profession.
Schools such as Tuskegee University are reaching
out to the traditionally minority rural communities surrounding
their campuses. The College of Aeronautics in New York is historically
a Hispanic institution.
"As we expand, a central component of our agenda
is to continue to attract Hispanic and other minority students,"
said Herb Armstrong, head of the college’s academic program.
Georgia Tech and Purdue University continue
to increase enrollments of minority and female students, but admit
the numbers still need to grow.
Companies, however, concede the competition
is so high for college graduates that they must develop and maintain
strong relationships with professional organizations.
Susan Dong, vice president of human resources
at BAE Systems North America, said affiliations with organizations
such as the Society of Women in Engineering, the National Society
of Black Engineers, Mexican-American Engineers and the Society of
Hispanic Engineers are important.
United Technologies Corp. (UTC) undergraduate
recruiting manager James F. Foley said his company’s long-standing
relationship with the National Society of Black Engineers and key
sponsorship of that organization’s national conference in March
resulted in UTC hiring 13 people during that annual meeting.
Many aerospace companies now have a director
of workforce diversity. A new twist this year, however, is that
UTC appointed an engineer--R.G. Reed--to the position.
Lockheed Martin’s Gooden points to anecdotal
evidence that change in minority representation is occurring.
"With the business climate being what it is
today, opportunities do open up," she said. "We find talent that
was there all the time but we would not have identified before because
we would not have looked. Our organization is made up of 40% females,
and it is a very successful business."
2001
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