For Immediate Release
July 24, 2008

 

ELEVEN TEACHERS WORKING IN MANUFACTURING THIS SUMMER
Goal is to learn — then teach — about workplace technology

 

Eleven Connecticut high school and community college teachers are spending the summer working at manufacturing companies throughout the state. The teachers are participating in a CBIA/Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing externship program that immerses them in a high-tech workplace. Their mission is to see firsthand how math and science solve real-world problems in manufacturing and engineering and the exciting career opportunities available to their students.

The goal of the externship program is for teachers to return to the classroom with a deeper understanding of workplace technology and its connection to classroom instruction — and to pass that knowledge on to students. The 160-hour program, which runs from June through September, focuses on advanced technologies used in manufacturing.

Participating teachers were selected for their commitment to learning about technological advances in the workplace. The community college teachers will focus on lean manufacturing and supply chain management to prepare them to teach these types of courses. The teachers participating in externships are:

Teacher's Name	School & Town	Teacher's Home Town	Externship Company & Town
David Andrade	Central High School, Bridgeport	Stratford	Alinabal Holdings Corp., Milford
Bonnie Brush	Vinal Technical High School, Middletown	Ellington	Kamatics Corp., Windsor
Doug Couture	Montville High School, Oakdale	Brooklyn	Whitcraft LLC., Eastford
Rebecca Marra	Platt Technical High School, Milford	Seymour	The Pennsylvania Globe Gaslight Co., North Branford
Chris Peterson	Bacon Academy, Colchester	Colchester	Hawk Integrated Plastics LLC., Willimantic
Dave Salonia	Berlin High School	Berlin	Wiremold, West Hartford
Norman Smith	South Windsor High School	Windsor	Metal Improvement Company, Windsor
Angelo Velez	Henry Abbott Technical High School, Danbury	Danbury	Branson Ultrasonics Corp., Danbury
Neil English	Tunxis Community College, Farmington	New Hartford	Wiremold, West Hartford
Robert Drapcho	Quinebaug Valley Community College, Danielson	Greene, RI	Web Industries Inc., Dayville
John LaFrancis	Springfield Technical Community College	Enfield	Kamatics Corp., Windsor

 

“Giving teachers exposure to current manufacturing practices is a highly relevant way for them to upgrade their knowledge and provide their students with the skills they need to meet the expectations of today's manufacturing industry,” said Lauren Weisberg Kaufman, CBIA vice president and executive director of the association's Education Foundation. “What makes this externship unique is the follow-up. After the externship with the company is completed, high school teachers develop a work-based learning project for their students, providing a more realistic understanding of how classroom learning is applied on the job. And community college teachers are be better equipped to teach the practical applications of lean manufacturing and supply chain management.”

The eleven teachers receive a $4,000 stipend, which pays for their time spent learning in the workplace and implementing the curriculum project in their schools.

“Participating teachers are able to motivate and engage their students due to real-world learning, preparing them for post-secondary education and employment,” said Karen Wosczyna-Birch, director, RCNGM College of Technology.

Funded by the Advanced Technological Education Division of National Science Foundation, the program is administered by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's (CBIA) Education Foundation on behalf of the Connecticut Community Colleges' College of Technology Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing (RCNGM).

CBIA is the state's largest business organization, with 10,000 members.

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For more information contact Nancy Andrews, CBIA media relations manager, at 860-244-1957 or andrewsn@cbia.com.

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