Educator Externships
In July, 2024, 18 businesses and 21 educators participated in our Educator Externship program. Externs spent three days on-site at a business, in addition to a pre-placement orientation conducted by the Chamber. We also hosted a post-externship working session so educators could share their experiences and plan classroom integration.
You may recall that earlier this year, we were awarded a grant—serving as an intermediary—through the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to fund Educator Externships. To prepare students for the workforce, Educator Externships effectively serve as a conduit through which teachers and counselors acquire valuable experience within an industry. Educators work alongside employers in various industries to gain industry perspective on the skills training their students will need to be successful in the real world and identify ways to creatively integrate relevant applications into student learning. Educators create lesson plans from their experience and share these plans with their peers. Each participating educator impacts up to 400 students through the knowledge gained from their experience—that’s more than 16,000 students!
For employers, externships are a fantastic opportunity to infuse the world of work into the educational environment. Businesses take this time to teach educators about the expectations of various positions/training and education required and provide insight into how middle and high school academic content ties to future careers. Participating businesses use the opportunity to also impart knowledge of hiring trends and required skills for current and future work in that industry.
PBS Michiana-WNIT Education Counts Segment
To capture the Educator Externship experience, PBS Michiana talked with several of our participating externs and businesses for their Education Counts segment. Listen to what they had to say!
2024 Educator Externship Participants
Employer Hosts
1st Source Bank
Abonmarche
ADEC
aunalytics
B&B Molders
D.A. Dodd
Embassy Suites
ITAMCO
Lake City Bank
Milestone Contractors
Notre Dame Facilities & Construction
Notre Dame Turbomachinery Lab
Oaklawn
South Bend International Airport
Senior1Care/Legacy Medical Academy
Shive-Hattery
Unity Gardens
WNIT PBS Michiana
Educator Externs Representing Schools
Adams High School
Elkhart High School
LaPorte High School
Mishawaka High School
Penn High School
Purdue Polytechnic High School
Riley High School
South Bend Adult Education
Urey Middle School
Washington High School