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Before You Begin Your Externship
The following guidelines were designed for educators
participating in CBIA-administered externship programs. They will
show you ways to share your experience with colleagues and students
so that the experience can be sustained throughout the school year and
beyond.
CBIA believes that the cornerstone to
a strong, competitive workforce in Connecticut is giving both educators
and students opportunities to explore firsthand what is expected in
the workplace. With this knowledge, you can help your students more
realistically prepare for their roles in a demanding, highly technical
economy.
I’m already working. So what’s the
big deal about teacher externships?
You’ve probably already asked yourself this question. Why should
I spend summer vacation working in a company learning about applications
that I teach?
The answer isn’t simple - it’s
as complex as the variety of ways to do business. Not one single company’s
operations works the same way; not one engineer designs programs the
same as the next; nor does one biochemist approach his or her experiments
with the same ideologies. By simply stepping outside of the realm of
academia, you are already learning.
TIP:
Business people gain from connecting with your schools as
they have an opportunity to talk about what skills they need
and where there are job shortages.
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Business people do take hour-long lunches
- sometimes. They do work 40 hours and then some. Mostly, the dress
is casual. Generally, many workers have to be able to perform several
tasks at once, be good communicators, have people skills, be flexible
enough to cross over into other areas of expertise, be capable of working
on a team, be good problem-solvers and customer oriented.
These are all concepts that many of you have read about, but seeing
them and living the experience is a better way to be informed than reading
about them in the Hartford Courant’s business section.
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What can you gain from an externship?
For starters, you can:
- view the latest technologies being used and learn how they relate
to the subject you are teaching;
- learn about career opportunities for your students that you may
not be aware of;
- help students relate what they are learning in the classroom with
a career;
- more readily identify skills, competencies and behaviors needed
to be successful in the workplace;
- gain valuable connections to the business world, giving you greater
opportunities for students through internships, job, shadowing and
guest speakers visiting your classrooms; and
TIP:
Many employers express concern that new hires lack important
soft “people” skills critical to the success
of any organization.
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- experience the environment within a particular industry, including
the soft “people” skills necessary to work effectively
within various industries.
Sponsors win too!
The ideal externship is a two-way street - with both the educator and
the sponsor company gaining from the experience. Here’s how sponsor
organizations can benefit:
- For some, it’s the first time they have access to educators
- giving them opportunities to gain both educator and student perspectives
and to share their knowledge with educators.
- It’s an opportunity for them to help teachers develop curriculums
with real-world applications based on their business needs.
- They are helping to prepare tomorrow’s workforce (increases
pool of qualified applicants).
- Sharing ideas generates ideas resulting in more creativity for both
educators/students and sponsor hosts.
- Sponsors are often forced to look at their role within their organization,
giving them (individually) a better appreciation for their contribution.
This self-assessment can potentially lead to greater productivity.
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The Keys to a Successful Externship
- Connect with a department within a sponsor organization that is
most closely aligned with what you teach.
- Be clear about what you want to learn.
- Think about what you can do to sustain your externship once you
return to the classroom.
- Schedule a meeting with your sponsor prior to the externship to
discuss mutual goals, objectives and expectations.
- Confirm arrangements with your sponsor a few days before you arrive.
- Realize that the learning process isn’t mutually exclusive.
Your sponsor can learn from you as well.
- Share feedback from your externship experience with your business/education
partners and colleagues. Feedback can include both positive outcomes
and suggestions for improving the program.
TIP:
Many companies would like to get involved with their
local schools but don’t know how to make the connection.
You can be a valuable link!
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- Try partnering with colleagues from other schools to create collaborative
work-based projects for your students.
- Follow up with a thank you note to your sponsor(s).
- Have fun!
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