Lockheed Martin To Establish Mentoring Program - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, August 30, 2001

HOUSTON

Lockheed Martin Space Operations are scheduled to open the first in a series of its Consolidated Space Operations Contract (CSOC)-sponsored storefronts at Prairie View A&M University in September.

CSOC's store front program involves setting up a mentoring environment near or on selected university campuses, where students are then trained and hired to perform software engineering work under the supervision of CSOC and one of its subcontractor companies.

"The work will not only provide students with real world, corporate experience, but it will generate substantial savings to NASA in software sustainment costs as a result of lower labor costs," says Dr. Doug Tighe, program manager for CSOC. "In addition, we hope that as a result of their exposure to this type of work, students will seriously explore the career opportunities available in the space industry upon graduation."

The universities being targeted by the CSOC program are historically Black colleges and universities and minority educational institutions. These specific institutions are targeted to support NASA's goal of having 1 percent of all prime and subcontractor monies directed to support HBCUs and minority education institutions.