Textron is committed to responsible corporate citizenship and helping improve the quality of life in communities where our employees live and work. Volunteerism and support of local non-profit organizations are part of our culture across the Textron enterprise and strengthen our community relationships.
Below are some examples of employee volunteerism and our businesses’ efforts supporting local communities in 2018:
Bell
Bell supports military veterans. In 2018, the company was a sponsor of the American Airlines Sky Ball, the premier fundraising event for the Airpower Foundation, which supports active duty, reserve and National Guard families, as well as projects to assist wounded, ill, or injured service members and children of fallen military veterans. Bell also sponsored the Gary Sinise Foundation, the George W. Bush Institute and Team Rubicon, each of which are organizations which support veterans and our communities, with both funding and volunteers.
Bell is committed to education and our future workforce development. Employees volunteered nearly 2,000 hours in programs such as the Bell “Mission Possible” STEM challenge, a program to encourage local middle-school students to pursue STEM career pathways, robotics and drone competitions with several area school districts, and numerous mentoring relationships. Bell also supported local chapters of the Boy Scouts of America in hosting a composite merit badge course and a mini-drone competition with Girl Scouts.
In Amarillo and Fort Worth, Texas, employees come together every year to raise money to buy bikes for Toys for Tots. In 2018, they purchased over 500 bikes, and the Amarillo team assembled 350 of them.
Bell makes charitable contributions and employees volunteer regularly with Presbyterian Night Shelter and Tarrant Area Food Bank to focus on basic needs and tackle homelessness and hunger in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Bell also helps provide more affordable housing for the community through its 15-year partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Bell employee teams sponsor and help build two homes annually for families in need.
TEXTRON AND OUR PLEDGE TO AMERICA’S WORKERS
As part of the National Council for the American Worker, the Trump Administration has asked companies and trade groups throughout the country to sign Our Pledge to America’s Workers—committing to expand programs that educate, train, and reskill American workers from high-school age to near-retirement. Textron is one of more than 200 companies and organizations that signed the pledge in 2018 committing to create new education and training opportunities for students and workers over the next five years.
Scott Donnelly, Textron’s Chairman and CEO, pledged to invest in Textron’s current workforce and our communities to create opportunities to train future employees. This includes expanding our apprenticeship and work-based learning programs and internships as well as our continuing education and on-the-job training programs. Donnelly says, “Programs like these are good for our people and good for our company – we’re looking forward to expanding our work in these areas.”
Kautex
In Guararema, Brazil, Kautex trains employees to become ambassadors in the community through the Qualification Program for Employees, Children and Community. This program prepares local youth for professional life and is taught by employees from functions such as engineering, environmental health and safety, finance, human resources, information technology, logistics, maintenance, manufacturing, procurement, quality and sales. In addition, the program promotes employee engagement at that business, increasing pride in being part of the Kautex Textron team. Six new apprentices have been hired from the pool of program participants.
Four employees at Kautex’s facility in Detroit promoted interest in STEM activities by volunteering to participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition, sponsored by the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation. The employees spent four hours during each week of the program to mentor local high school students until they were ready for the April competition.
Kautex’s facility in Bonn, Germany sponsored the Formula Student Germany (FSG) competition held in August at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg motor racing circuit. FSG is an international design competition sponsored by the Association of German Engineers. Students from around the world compete by building a single-seat formula race car with either a combustion engine or electric powertrain. Kautex employees staffed a refuelling and refreshment station and helped to judge the students’ business plan presentations.
Textron Aviation
Textron Aviation led a collaboration between the Kansas Department of Education, Wichita Public Schools and WSU Tech to form Aviation Pathway, the first aviation technical education pathway for Kansas high school students. Through the program, high school students can receive their high school diploma and technical certificate at graduation, creating the potential for immediate employment within the aviation industry. Aviation Pathway allows students to concurrently take classes at both the student’s home high school and at the student’s local technical college and exposes them to real work environments through required shadowing and internship experiences during their senior year. Aviation Pathway has created a talent pipeline supporting two focus areas – Aviation Production and Aviation Maintenance – both being critical workforce segments for Textron Aviation and the general aviation industry. The program launched in 2018 at four Wichita area high schools with 250 students enrolled.
Textron Aviation partners with the Kansas Workforce Alliance to offer the Youth Employment Project (YEP). In 2018, 25 local high school students served as paid, part-time interns as part of a six-week program over the summer. Through the program, the YEP interns worked closely with their department leaders, learning more about Textron Aviation's business, necessary workplace skills and future career opportunities.
SkillsUSA is an organization that trains, equips and prepares students for the technical and professional workforce. Club members receive educational training and compete in more than 60 skilled and technical science category competitions. In 2018, 23 Textron Aviation employees supported 12 SkillsUSA Kansas competitions, including CNC milling, welding and aviation maintenance technology. As the premiere sponsor of SkillsUSA Kansas, Textron Aviation provided sponsorships to 31 first-place winners in supported competitions as they advanced to the SkillsUSA National Competition in Louisville, Kentucky in June.
Textron Aviation leaders established Wings for Dreams in 2015, creating a way to support vital youth organizations in Wichita, Kansas and to give significant, sustainable funding under a consistent brand. The vision of the program is to give youth the ability to dream and to know that there is a community of caring supporters to help make their dreams a reality. In 2018, Textron Aviation’s Wings for Dreams event raised $2.6 million for Boys & Girls Club of South Central Kansas through a unique benefit concert.
Textron Specialized Vehicles
The Reaching Potential Through Manufacturing (RPM) program, a joint initiative of Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc. and the Richmond County School System in Augusta, Georgia, reached a new milestone in 2018, surpassing the 100-graduate mark since its inception. Since the first students matriculated in August 2016, 113 at-risk high school students have earned their diploma through RPM. The program provides at-risk pupils with valuable real-world work experience in manufacturing, a steady income, and a means to make up lost ground toward their high-school diploma. Currently, more than 30 RPM alumni are employed at TSV, and many others have found gainful employment at other companies or continued their education in college.
Textron Systems
Lycoming Engines donated 15 aircraft engines to Pennsylvania College of Technology, to be used for instructional purposes in the college’s aviation courses. The donation, valued at $317,500, will benefit students who are enrolled in the Aviation Maintenance Technology bachelor’s degree, the Aviation Technology associate degree and the Aviation Maintenance certificate major.
Twelve members of Textron Systems’ Young Professionals Association volunteered to participate in Junior Achievement BizTown, which is hosted by Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. JA BizTown is a program that combines in-class lessons with participation in a hands-on simulated community. The simulated town and persona allowed the students to discuss the role they play in their community and develop a basic understanding of the free enterprise system as they learn basic business practices and budgeting. Textron Systems’ volunteers monitored various businesses around JA BizTown, such as the bank, newspaper, engineering firm and city hall. They worked with the students to teach them about the importance of their jobs and the impact their jobs have in their community.
As part of its annual Veterans Day Ceremony, Lycoming Engines held multiple fundraisers to support K9s for Warriors, a non-profit which provides service dogs to former military recovering from post-service trauma. In 2018, the company presented a $5,100 donation to the organization.
Outdoors Again, a non-profit organization founded by Howe & Howe Senior Vice Presidents Mike and Geoff Howe, holds outdoor events and social activities for those who require the use of a wheelchair. In 2018, Tony Tulo, an employee of Howe & Howe, was recognized by the New England Patriots Foundation for his fundraising and volunteering efforts for Outdoors Again.
TRU Simulation + Training
In Lutz, Florida, TRU Simulation + Training works with AmSkills, a multi-discipline, advanced technical training program for future manufacturing leaders in the greater Tampa area. Through the AmSkills apprenticeship program, TRU welcomed its first AmSkills apprentice in 2018 who quickly rose from manufacturing intern to full time electric mechanical assembler through her hard work and determination to succeed.