For many educators, it can prove difficult to offer career insights to students seeking direction after high school, as many of these individuals have only experience in the education profession. To increase their knowledge base, 11 teachers and counselors enrolled in the externship program to learn about available jobs and necessary skills in a variety of industries.
Lenawee Now / Align Lenawee Talent Consortium, hosted four of these professionals to give teachers insight on new and in-progress projects. From marketing to data collection to curriculum alignment, these teachers and counselors provided a unique viewpoint that will prove extremely valuable in our relationships with schools and teachers in the area. By making the mission of Align known to these teachers, we hope that we can make vital connections with area schools. This will help many students discover if a third option (outside of college or the military) is right for them after graduating.
For two weeks, educators have learned about different Lenawee County companies by observing on-site and assisting with the myriad of current projects, allowing them to adjust their curriculum based on in-demand skills, and better assist students in finding their ideal careers. For many educators teaching students and exposing them to what options they have after high school, they often have seen only their own career path, thus offering little insight into other areas that would be of interest to students. One of the ways this externship program benefitted local students is that these teachers and counselors now have at least one other work experience they can share with students.
According to a teacher who completed the externship program in 2021: “This was one of the most incredible opportunities I have been given to date. It has allowed more detailed insight to provide links between the high-demand industry skills and knowledge taught in the classroom so that I can better prepare future industry professionals!”
Not only has this arrangement been informative to the teachers, but it has benefitted employers as well. From hosting 4 externs, Lenawee Now has been able to gain specialized assistance with current projects and obtain fresh input on various initiatives. Sheila Blair, Manager of Align Talent Consortium noted: “Having the externs here brought a totally new perspective to the workday. We included them in meetings and discussions, which only enriched the conversation. They each were given a project and they delivered an excellent work product, while also learning more about what we do,”