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Narrative: The Cleveland/Bradley County Business and Education Partnership's Teachers Academy puts K-12 as well as community college teachers in local industries for a four week work experience during the summer with the idea that the teachers will learn firsthand what skills an employee in industry needs. The participants work on projects for the industry and must keep a journal of their experiences, write lesson plans based on SCANS skills for that particular industry, and are required to be a spokesperson for the program. At least one plant visit is held during the 4-week period at the industry to discuss progress and clarify problems. They are paid a $2000 stipend which has been shared between business and Edge in declining percentages over a three-year period.
The idea came from a 1998 visit to a North Carolina county's program called School-to-Work Academy, which used a two-week period. Using a four-week period enables the teacher to become more fully acquainted with the needs of that particular industry and enables the industry to fully utilize the skills of the teacher. One algebra teacher states: "One of my lesson plans made during my academy experience allowed me to provide a 'hands-on' experience of relating 'book' statistics to the world of Maytag Corporation…The company also gets an eager, knowledgeable consultant for 4 weeks for a very modest price tag."
At the end of each school year, a round-table discussion and celebration is held where suggestions and comments are made by all parties involved. A meeting is held and the teachers share their experiences from the summer and their plans on integrating their experience into the classroom.
It Works! The pilot program ran in 1998 with one teacher and industry participating. This year seven teachers were placed in industries such as Maytag Cleveland Cooking Products, Maytag Customer Service, Olin Corporation, Duracell USA, Cleveland Tubing and Fru-Con Technical Services. It has proven to be an unqualified success with all participating industries verbally agreeing to participate in the program next year when they will provide 100% of the funding.
Contact:
Randy Morris
PO Box 2275
Cleveland, TN 37320-2275
(P)423-472-6587
(F)423-472-2019
E-mail: Rmorris@clevelandchamber.com