Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Sperry Marine business unit, in partnership with the University of Virginia School of Engineering, has introduced a new mentoring program for Albemarle County teenagers.

The WORTHY (Worthwhile To Help High School Youth) Mentoring and Scholarship Program is designed to encourage and advance program participants’ pursuit of technical degrees by providing on-the-job experience and improving access to secondary education.

Udit Chavda, a Western Albemarle High junior, will join Monticello High junior Amanda Walker and sophomore Dakota Thomsen-Diggs as the first local students to benefit from the WORTHY program.

Thirteen Sperry Marine employees specializing in program management, information technology, and various engineering disciplines have volunteered to serve as mentors. Each student will be paired with multiple mentors and will visit Sperry’s Charlottesville headquarters for a full day once a month to work on a project in their area of interest and participate in training activities, college preparatory lessons and team building exercises. Participants will gain valuable exposure to various technical careers, attend an annual college campus visit and have the option to enroll in a summer enrichment program. The School of Engineering at the University of Virginia will be supporting this activity with its faculty, research labs and student projects in an effort to expand the WORTHY students experience. Upon successful completion of the program, the students are also eligible for a multi-year partial college scholarship, and/or potential intern or co-op positions with Sperry Marine while working on their degrees.

“Hands-on learning is the key to inspiring and motivating young people to higher levels of success,” said John DeMaso, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s naval and marine systems division. “At Sperry, we are teaching students how to be engaged in their communities, solve problems and create a better place to live.”

Initially launched in 1997 by Northrop Grumman in Baltimore, WORTHY is now being expanded to include additional campuses. Sperry organizers aim to recruit between five and seven new students each year. In order to be eligible for the program, sophomores, juniors or rising seniors must be a resident of and attend a public high school within the Albemarle County limits, plan to pursue a technical field of study, maintain a 3.0+ grade point average (GPA) during the course of the program and have earned a 3.0+ GPA for at least two consecutive semesters prior to applying. Participants are also required to submit a three-part essay, provide a letter of recommendation from a school counselor or community leader and be eligible to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance. Mentors must also apply and agree to a background check.

Sperry Marine, headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., and with major engineering and support offices in New Malden, United Kingdom and Hamburg, Germany, provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry with customer service and support through offices in 16 countries, sales representatives in 47 countries and authorized service depots in more than 250 locations worldwide.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.