Program to give educators hands-on experience in skilled craft
BATON ROUGE, La. (April 11, 2018) — The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) today announced that applications for its fourth annual Teacher Externship program are now open at brac.org/externship through Wednesday, May 9.
The Teacher Externship program is intended to engage Capital Region teachers, counselors, and administrators in exploring career opportunities in STEM fields, including: construction crafts, manufacturing, healthcare, and the tech sector. Participants will spend several days onsite at BRAC’s partner companies to shadow workers in the field, conduct skills assessments, and engage in day-to-day operations.
Past participants include teachers from high schools in Zachary, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, and West Feliciana. Past partner companies include Acadian Ambulance, BASF, ExxonMobil, EA, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, Gulf South Technology Solutions, IT Inspired, Lane Memorial Hospital, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Performance Contractors, Sparkhound, St. Elizabeth Hospital, and others.
“Participating in the externship program gives teachers a first-hand account of what skills and knowledge particular jobs require, and allows them to incorporate it into their curriculum,” said Ronda Matthews, supervisor of career and technical education for Ascension Parish Public Schools. “This opportunity better equips teachers to answer the often-asked student question, ‘why do I need to know this?'”
Participants will leave the program with a clear understanding of the skills and knowledge necessary for successful careers in the target industries. They will be trained to serve as ambassadors of those industries to their students and as connectors between the classroom and workplace concepts and skills.
Externships will take place during the first two weeks of June, beginning with an orientation session and concluding with a day-long workshop.
Applications for the fourth annual program will be accepted until Wednesday, May 9. Eligible applicants are individuals that work in any public middle or high school in the nine-parish Capital Region (Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, St. Helena, and West Feliciana). For more information or to apply, visit brac.org/externship.
This program supports BRAC’s strategic plan initiative to cultivate the region’s talent through expansion of STEM learning and partnerships in PK-12 public education, and to align regional workforce development systems to meet business needs. Read more about BRAC’s strategic plan at www.brac.org.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area, working to grow jobs and wealth and to improve the business climate and competitiveness in the region. Today, BRAC investors include more than 1,500 small businesses, midsize firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as individuals and organizations that support business and economic development. In this capacity, BRAC serves as the voice of the business community, providing knowledge, access, services and advocacy. More information is available at brac.org.
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Morgan is the Marketing Manager for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. In her role, she manages writing organizational publications and materials, oversees BRAC’s social media and blog, and coordinates timelines for all internal marketing projects.