Partner Benefits

The Benefits of Sponsoring a FIRST Team

Engineers are needed in the US – You Can Help!

• There is a dramatic need for engineers to lead Michigan, the country and the world into new technologies and innovations
• Over the past 3 years alone both China and India have doubled their production of 3– and 4-year degrees in these fields, while the U.S. production of 3– and 4-year engineers is stagnant*
• The number of high school seniors planning on entering careers in engineering has dropped more than 35 percent in the past 10 years*
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates the number of jobs to be filled in engineering and science will grow at more than 3 times the rate of other professions
• FIRST plays a large role in increasing the number of students entering a career in engineering or technology by exposing them to the excitement of their real-world applications
• Over 99% of the teachers that have participated in FIRST indicate that this program has influenced students to pursue a scientific or technical career*
• 86% of FRC alumni reported an increased interest in science and technology*
• Compared to a group of students with similar backgrounds and achievement in high-school math and science, FRC alumni are:
• More than twice as likely to expect to have a science or technology-related career after college (45% vs. 20%)*
• Four times as likely to pursue a career in engineering (31% vs. 8%)*

Prepare future work force – Inspiring young minds

• Companies can contribute to the community while they prepare and create their future workforce
• Many companies say that FIRST has enhanced their community image far more than they had imagined by exposing their company to national and global audiences
• FIRST helps develop problem solving, technical, and “soft” skills which will improve the quality of future employees
• In a very hands-on way, the students learn skills such as designing, manufacturing, critical thinking, teamwork, communication, leadership, computer programming, animation, time and resource management, community service, documentation, and much more

Publicity and visibility – Local to international

• Company Recognition – We strive to recognize those who support our program and without whom we couldn’t make our impact – please see the Partnership Program information for details on how we recognize our supporters through team communications and recognition on our robot and uniforms
• Worldwide Company Exposure – Exposure to over 45,000 high school students on teams from Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom, and almost every U.S. state
  • Television Coverage - ESPN, NBC, ABC, CBS, and many other national and local stations have shown the competition in whole and in part
• Newspapers and Magazines – Thousands of stories (both newspaper and magazines) have been written regarding FIRST; Team RUSH alone has been exposed to over 2 million people through its written publications
• Local Outreach – Team RUSH requires members to participate in 15 hours of community service, including presentations to local organizations and schools; Team RUSH averages about 60 community events a year

Company Morale Enhancer

• Involved engineers experience again many of the reasons they chose engineering as a profession
• Involved mentors are seen as “HEROES” to many young people
• Involved mentors have been quoted as stating, “it feels good to make a difference … to do something for our future – for America”

*Based on a recent study