Education -- Innovating Tomorrow

Innovation is the fuel of the 21st century – and Arrow Electronic’s future. At Arrow, we believe innovation must not only be encouraged, but also taught. Our program begins in K-12 schools with organizations that support promising innovators and encourage competition, often involving technology. 

• Junior Achievement Business Week -- Business Week is a unique residential camp in Denver for 275 high school students. Teams must develop products, write a business plan, obtain financing, manage supply chain, determine pricing and market their products. They run their plans using gaming software that simulates economic conditions and the impact of their choices on their businesses over a three-year period. On the final day, teams present their plans and results to a panel of business executives. 
   
• The Women’s Foundation of Colorado -- Arrow is the co-chair of the Foundation’s first Girls STEM Coalition. Beginning in 2015, this three-year initiative brings educators, policymakers and major employers together to recruit girls to science, technology, engineering and math programs.
   
• FIRST Robotics -- This organization includes 71,000 high school students, in the U.S. as well as China and Mexico. FIRST treats robotics like a varsity sport, holding regional and global competitions based on a new game and technology kit every year. Arrow sponsors the Western Regional Finals competition at the University of Denver, as well as teams in Colorado and other states. 
   
• Arrow/Denver Broncos Tackle STEM Initiative -- The Tackle STEM initiative is a joint venture between Arrow and the Denver Broncos to inspire Colorado secondary and college students to complete academic studies and job training in science, technology, engineering and math. We distribute curriculum and activity kits to teachers to extend our activities in their classrooms, as well as recognize a Colorado teacher as Tackle STEM “Coach of the Month” during the football season.
   
• Denver Scholarship Foundation -- DSF provides scholarships to dozens of first-generation college students from Denver high schools. It operates “futures centers” within high schools to identify and guide promising college applicants. Then DSF extends that guidance through the scholar’s college experience. The result: 80 percent of DSF scholars graduate with fouryear degrees.
   
• Cherry Creek School District/Cardboard Engineering Challenge -- Catapults, race cars, fashion, even a bakery with decorated cakes – all were made from cardboard and other scrap materials by Arrow community schoolchildren as part of a global cardboard engineering challenge.

To continue reading about Arrow Electronics' investment in education, please see our 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Report.