Teacher Externships

The Northeast Metro businesses are increasingly calling for skilled workers. Yet most businesses are experiencing difficulty finding talent. Additionally, it’s clear that the talent development shortage looms large in Minnesota. Businesses have also identified “soft skills” - non-technical skills such as communications, attendance, and work ethic—as essential qualities needing support.

Benefits to teachers:
· Gain first-hand knowledge of how classroom content and learning strategies are applied in the workplace.
· Receive professional development support to create lesson plans linking externship learning to student academic and career planning.
· Receive a “time and travel” stipend for up to 5 days of externship and professional development.
· Enhance classroom curriculum with real-world career connections.
 
Benefits to employers:
· Create lasting partnerships with local teachers.
· Ensure that their workforce needs are understood.
· Increase exposure, through face-to-face classroom visits and business highlight videos, to the future workforce.
· Increase opportunities for additional career-based activities such as student job shadowing, plant tours, and career speakers.
· Directly contribute to sustaining a more highly-skilled workforce.