AUCKLAND, New Zealand, October 11, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, today announced the creation of a new $10,000 scholarship to support women and gender minorities to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
According to the United Nations, in the global space industry, only one in five workers is a woman. The World Economic Forum’s latest Global Gender Gap Report also revealed that women around the world continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields. The percentage of graduates in engineering and manufacturing is 6.6% for women compared to 24.6% for men, with an even lower representation in information and communication technology (ICT) at 1.7% for women and 8.2% for men. With innovation driven by different perspectives within a diverse workforce, these statistics put the future of the growing space industry at risk.
The Rocket Lab Women’s Scholarship aims to change that. The scholarship is open to all students who identify as female or non-binary who will be pursuing a tertiary qualification in aerospace-relevant STEM fields. The Rocket Lab Women’s Scholarship provides an applicant with $10,000 over up to four years of study, to be used for fees and/or course-related costs. Applicants will be assessed on a range of suitability criteria, including financial hardship, community engagement, aspirations, and academic resilience.
The Rocket Lab Women’s Scholarship is the newest addition to Rocket Lab’s offerings to help students pursue STEM careers and create a new generation of homegrown talent. The women’s scholarship joins the existing Rocket Lab scholarship, now in its sixth year, which provides tertiary funding to students who whakapapa or have a strong connection to the Mahia and Wairoa communities where the New Zealand launch site is located. from RocketLab. Rocket Lab also supports STEM education in Accomack County, Virginia as a major sponsor of Virginia Spaceflight Academy’s Opening Access to STEM Pathways program, which partners with Accomack County Public Schools to offer students new opportunities to experience an aerospace program, new and engaging STEM curriculum, career preparation, and exposure to new life experiences that students can apply to their academic year. The program also addresses the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic, social, and emotional well-being of underserved students in the region.
Rocket Lab Founder and CEO Peter Beck says, “We know we have a long way to go before our industry reflects the diversity and experiences of society at large, and we want to provide practical solutions instead. to just talk about it. was developed to foster a diverse talent pool of next-generation innovators, and now the Women’s Scholarship is specifically aimed at helping more women build fulfilling careers in space.
Both scholarships are part of Rocket Lab’s tiered educational programs. Rocket Lab’s Space Ambassadors, a group of employees given training and release time to devote to educational outreach, met with more than 11,000 students in New Zealand and the United States during the first year of the program. . As part of Rocket Lab’s education mission statement to inspire, inform, and engage communities to become the future of space industry for humanity, Rocket Lab has created world-first education initiatives , including apprenticeships, industry-led rocket clubs, mentoring programs, teacher accelerators, and designing its own post-secondary qualification for high school graduates pursuing non-traditional careers in aerospace.
“We know that addressing the lack of diversity in aerospace is a complex challenge that requires equity-focused interventions from multiple angles,” said Felicity Powell, Rocket Lab’s Education Manager. “We’ve designed our education programs with sustainability and long-term impact in mind. We want to know that while we inspire students to pursue careers in aerospace, we’ve also paved the way for them to pursue careers in aerospace. ‘they’re getting into it too.’
Applications are now open for both scholarships and close November 17, 2022. To apply, students should visit https://www.rocketlabusa.com/careers/scholarships/
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