Honeywell, Cardinals to help educate students on STEM

The aerospace company Honeywell has partnered with the Arizona Cardinals to spark curiosity and promote STEM fields to Arizona students.

The multi-year partnership was announced last month and includes in-person STEM activities at home games at the “Flight Deck” at State Farm Stadium.

Also, both the company and team will contribute $250 for each first down in the regular season to the “First Downs for Flight” fund.

That money will be used for scholarships aimed at women working toward careers in aviation.

“We are thrilled to enter into this partnership that will positively impact Arizona youth for many years to come and help develop the next generation of leaders in STEM,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a press release.

This initiative comes as Honeywell continues to try and uplift students from Arizona schools into successful careers.

Diana Danforth leads Honeywell’s learning and workforce development and says the ultimate goal is to make sure there’s enough workers in Arizona for growing and existing industries.

“In order to drive innovation and growth we really need to invest in the future generation,” Danforth said.

Outside of this initiative, Honeywell also has programs both for current high school students looking to start a career after graduation and for those looking to pursue college.

More information about those programs can be found here.

“Overall there’s a talent shortage going into some fields. There are just more and more alternatives about what kids can choose to do these days,” Danforth said.

She also hopes more companies in need of highly skilled workers turn to partnerships with local communities and educational institutions. That way, curriculum and programs can be more accurately designed around the current needs of local industries.

As for Honeywell’s broader goals, the company says these educational programs are informed by the company’s three “megatrends” regarding the future of aviation.

Those megatrends the company is focused on are: Digital transformation, sustainability and energy efficiency.

“And so that’s why there’s such a big focus on fostering interest in STEM for us,” Danforth said.