The Different Pathways to Launching Your Career into Orbit with Lockheed Martin
If you grew up with your eyes to the sky and spent your childhood imagining the possibilities of what lies beyond our planet, there’s a good chance that fascination with space still lies within you. At Lockheed Martin Space, we get to actively engage that curiosity every day through our customers’ important missions that advance the boundaries of science and strengthen the defense systems that keep people safe.
For those interested in taking part in these missions, there’s no one way to start your career at Lockheed Martin Space. The paths to working at our storied company are as diverse as the job opportunities that are available.
Real World Internship Experience
Internships are one of the core avenues to working at Lockheed Martin Space. They allow college and high school students to get valuable real world experience at the company, spending anywhere from nine to 14 weeks participating in several projects across the organization. The program provides opportunities to grow in meaningful ways through on-the-job training, mentoring, leader shadowing, development workshops, networking opportunities, community service, social activities, and tours.
This past summer, we welcomed about 600 interns to the Lockheed Martin Space family.
Among those interns was Kyra Cunningham, a Penn State University student who worked as a subcontracts intern for our Commercial Civil Space line of business. As a Supply Chain Management student pursuing a minor in the Legal Environment of Business, Cunningham hoped to bridge her two areas of study during her internship.
“I learned a lot about the procurement process and everything that goes into how contracts are made and what processes need to be followed and I was able to get some experience within a data software system called SAP, which is definitely beneficial for my career,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham wants other students to know that Lockheed Martin Space offers internships outside of the traditional engineering roles.
“To others considering internships at Lockheed Martin, I’d say there’s definitely a role that every major would fit into, like I never thought I would be working for this type of company,” she said. “I’m not an engineer. I don’t have this aerospace background, but I’m working in the space business area for a defense contractor. There are so many opportunities that you wouldn’t expect and there’s a role for everyone.”
Some students intern at Lockheed Martin Space multiple years, each time learning skills in different areas of interest. Pruthvi Banginwar is one example of this. The Cornell University master’s degree student interned at the company for a third time this summer, this year participating in our guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) engineering internship.
“This summer, I learned how to apply the concepts of orbital mechanics and coordinate transformations to sort of real world applications to aerospace, in terms of satellites, planes, missiles, etc. I also developed my software skills in terms of translating physical principles into code,” said Banginwar. “Overall, just learned how it is being a GNC engineer.”
Banginwar noted that Lockheed Martin Space gives its interns the tools they need to succeed, whether it’s showing them new fields or encouraging them to find mentors to help guide them forward.
“They give us a lot of opportunities to develop different sides of our professional selves along the way and within the actual job itself, I never feel like I’m doing busy work or anything like that,” he said. “They treat us like a new hire, full-time employee and expect us to learn anything anyone else would and so kind of being put in that situation is a big fast-track to learning the skills you need to become an engineer in that field.”
Lockheed Martin Space’s internships aren’t just for college students either. Our high school internship program is designed to give teenagers paid opportunities to work with aerospace scientists and engineers.
Aiden Casas took advantage of the high school internship program this summer after first hearing about it through his mother, who works at the company, and then again at his school.
After developing his first resume and participating in his first job interview, Casas was hired on as a manufacturing engineering intern. In this role, Casas says our engineering team showed him the process for manufacturing parts and taught him valuable life skills.
“The engineers that have been here a long time gave me tips about always doing things correctly and doing things with precision and communications skills are always important,” he said.
Casas plans to apply these skills and tips as he pursues an Aerospace Engineering degree in college.
Regardless of their area of study, our interns are being exposed to a wealth of knowledge and experience, and they’ll often be offered a chance to transition into a full-time, salaried role at Lockheed Martin. That’s something Cunningham, Banginwar, and Casas all say they’d be interested in.
To qualify for Lockheed Martin Space’s high school internship program, students must be at least 16 years old, currently enrolled in high school, live within a commutable distance of a participating Lockheed Martin Space facility, and be capable of demonstrating knowledge and passion for STEM. Interested high school students should first complete a Tallo profile and the company will then reach out to qualified candidates for next steps. As for the college internship program, students have to be currently enrolled in a four-year degree university, including freshmen to seniors or those pursuing a master’s degree. Interested college students can apply for internships at LockheedMartinJobs.com.
Community College Opportunities
One may assume you need a four-year college degree to get your foot in the door, and while that is the case for some roles, there are also paths for those with technical two-year associate degrees to join our engineering teams and support critical program work.
Lockheed Martin Space is making technical careers more accessible to a diverse set of future workers by recruiting candidates from local community colleges. These targeted entry-level roles include programmers, engineering aides, designers, drafters, and more. The people hired for these positions obtain new skills through on-the-job experience, technical training, and mentoring.
Another example of our community college work is the Software Associate Degree Program (SWAP), a three-year development program designed to attract, develop, and retain early-career technical professionals in software and cyber-related careers. Students are accepted into the program before they graduate with their associate degree to accelerate the clearance process and be ready to join Lockheed Martin Space after graduation. To be eligible, you must currently be enrolled in a related engineering associate degree program, have the ability to obtain a security clearance, and aspire to obtain a bachelor’s degree.
Apprenticeships That Ensure Career Growth
Lockheed Martin offers 70 different apprenticeships and training programs geared toward everyone from high school students, college graduates, military veterans, and those returning after a break from the workforce.
Our Advanced Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship Program (AMTAP) is one of these opportunities. AMTAP is designed for people without related experience or a four-year degree. The program can help people launch careers in space and start them on new paths with competitive salaries and opportunities for growth and advancement.
During AMTAP, our instructors teach apprentices all they need to know to become electronics technicians. Participants earn nationally recognized certifications in solder and cable harnessing while also learning skills in conformal coating, torquing, and other manufacturing skill areas.
AMTAP has three locations, in Littleton, Colorado, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and Courtland, Alabama. Marland Pruitt completed the program in Courtland and is now a logistics engineer at Lockheed Martin Space.
Pruitt says AMTAP changed his life.
“It gave me an opportunity to be proud of something that I was doing, being a part of something that was bigger than me, being a part of defense, being a part of making things great, making things safe for everybody here,” said Pruitt. “It really changed my entire life, meeting people to being introduced to new things, to being shown new technology. It really opened up a part of me that I had never seen before.”
For Pruitt, the transition from AMTAP to working at Lockheed Martin was seamless and he encourages others to give the program a shot.
“The AMTAP program made me a vital asset to society. It taught me how to work with people in a close setting and understand that our goals are for success,” he said. “Lockheed was one of the key components for me figuring it out where I wanted to go, figuring out what I wanted to do, figuring out where I wanted to be.”
AMTAP has cohorts starting at various times throughout the year. Those interested in the program can check the AMTAP website for updates, application dates, and links to attend virtual informational sessions.
Another apprenticeship program that Lockheed Martin participates in is called CareerWise. The organization is helping to develop and expand high-quality, modern youth apprenticeship systems by providing tools, technology, consulting, and collaborative learning experiences with top employers.
Heroes Transitioning Into the Workforce
Lockheed Martin is also proud to help military veterans successfully transition into civilian careers at the company. In fact, one in five of our employees has served in uniform.
One process for transitioning and recently separated veterans is called Handshake 2 Hire, which provides veterans with the resources they need to successfully enter the workforce after their service. Once a veteran signs up, our military relations team works to match their resume and desired career path to open positions at Lockheed Martin.
We also have a program called Lockheed Martin Heroes that provides fellowships to military members transitioning to civilian careers, military spouses, caregivers, and wounded warriors. The fellowships include three to six-month, on-the-job training experiences for transitioning service members and a six-week on-the-job training experience for military spouses and caregivers. Participants translate their skills in a new industry and execute dynamic career changes. These men and women develop commercial skills and build professional networks inside the business area, allowing them to interview for full-time roles before they complete their fellowship.
Entry-level and Experienced Jobseekers
Along with all of these programs, Lockheed Martin Space is also focused on more traditional hiring practices. The company is always looking to hire top talent graduating from four-year colleges and experienced professionals looking for new opportunities. No matter your experience or education level, Lockheed Martin has an opportunity for you.
Next Steps
Discover a world of innovative thinking and complex problem solving here at Lockheed Martin Space. Through the diverse set of mission focused pathways, you can land a career in our high-skilled, diverse workforce. If you or someone you know may be interested in pursuing one of these pathways to working at Lockheed Martin, you can find all the necessary resources at LockheedMartinJobs.com/Space.