The more you know, the more you can teach. Nine Davie County Schools educators recently became students as they toured area companies to gain a deeper understanding of the skills needed by employers that will help their students find meaningful careers and help the local industry to grow.
During a three-day externship, the educators toured Ashley Furniture, Avgol, Brakebush, Gildan, Hayward Industries, Pro Refrigeration, Inc., and Sportsfield Specialties to learn about all facets of their business.
Anthony Davis asks Matt Schwirtz, Sportsfield Specialties North Carolina operations manager, a question about the company’s athletic field netting. (L to R) Andrew Wright, Joey Anderson, Anthony Davis, Chelsea Dvorak, Hannah Beck, Amy Hardister, Melanie White.
The week began with a tour of the soon-to-open Veteran’s View Intake Center where participants discovered the scope of the programs that will be offered to veterans, active service members, their families, and the greater Davie County community. The program’s primary components are wellness, vocational rehabilitation including education and workforce development, temporary residential services, and the Veteran’s Justice Center. The teachers also heard about future volunteer opportunities and possible internships for students.
The purpose of the community partnership between Davie County Schools, Davie County Economic Development Commission (DCEDC), and Davie County industry is to make local students aware of local career opportunities and technological needs by providing relevant immersion experiences for Davie County teachers. Through these summer externships with local businesses in the areas of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), teachers and faculty are connected to their related industries to renew their understanding of current industry practices and technology as well as the soft skills necessary for success in the organization.
“The summer externship is a tremendous collaborative effort between Davie County Schools, our Economic Development Commission, Davie CONNECT, and our local businesses,” said Carolyn McManamy, director of Davie CONNECT. “This externship offers the opportunity for educators to see firsthand the importance of the curriculum they teach and how it is used in real-world applications. This is extremely important because the more our teachers know, the better equipped they are to make students aware of all educational and employment opportunities. The relationships developed with our business community through these externships are invaluable. We want our businesses in our schools working with our students so that they better understand the connection of education to careers.”
This workforce development partnership, which started in 2014, was funded for the first five years by the Mebane Charitable Foundation’s $50,000 contribution to the DCEDC’s five-year economic growth plan, Together We Are Davie. Recognizing the continued value of the program, the DCEDC assumed continued sponsorship of the program.
“Each summer teachers learn from industry what jobs are available and the education required for each job. This has created tremendous awareness and relationships between local industries and our teachers, students, and families,” said DCEDC President Terry Bralley. “This program results in teachers being better equipped to further career opportunities for students while developing a potential local workforce.”
Passion Drives Davie Educators to Explore Local Career Opportunities
This year’s participants included Joey Anderson, behavior support, South Davie Middle School; Hannah Beck, behavior specialist, North and South Davie middle schools; Lisa Doss, AIG teacher, William Ellis Middle School; Chelsea Dvorak, assistant principal, South Davie; Amy Hardister 8th Grade ELA teacher, Ellis; Diane Ireland 5th grade teacher, William R. Davie Elementary School; William Miner, mechatronics/robotics teacher, Davie County High School; Melanie White, STEM science teacher, Davie High; and Alyse Wooldridge, career development coordinator, Davie High.
Other attendees included program organizers Carolyn McManamy, director of Davie CONNECT, and Anthony Davis, director of CTE and federal programs for Davie County High School.
Each attendee was motivated to participate by a passion for helping their students succeed, not only in school but in their careers and life.
“Our tours were very helpful and provided me with first-hand knowledge to give back to my students,” said Beck. “I work on goal setting with many students, some goals are to go to college, but others are to go straight into the workforce, and being able to share possible career options here in Davie County that meet all needs is great! I learned a lot personally, and I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with local businesses!”
Hardister added, “This experience gave me insights into the career and technical skills that students will need for future employment. As we were guided through local industries, it opened our eyes to the wide array of opportunities that are available in the future for our students. Understanding the various career paths enables teachers to share our knowledge and look for ways to integrate skill sets that will help students strengthen their employability. This incredible opportunity that DavieCONNECT provides allows teachers to develop community partnerships. As a language arts teacher, I began to reflect on specific classroom experiences that would echo the communication skills and processes we observed. This has reshaped the way I will focus on real-world skills in the classroom and also encouraged me to explore more ways to involve career and community in my future plans.”
“This has reshaped the way I will focus on real-world skills in the classroom and also encouraged me to explore more ways to involve career and community in my future plans.”
Amy Hardister, 8th Grade ELA teacher, Ellis Middle School
“I appreciated the opportunity to learn about our local industries and see them in action,” Hardister continued. “Not only were the businesses hospitable but also open to working with Davie County educators to help us make real-world connections for our students. These types of partnerships help our students recognize the ins and outs of industry and the wealth of career choices they have for their future. I was so grateful for the opportunity, and the insights I gained will be reflected in my instructional techniques and curriculum.”
Companies Getting the Word Out about Local Career Opportunities
The opportunity to educate teachers about the skills needed in employees and to let students know that there are a wide variety of jobs available locally were primary reasons why the businesses chose to participate in the externship program.
“We see it as both an opportunity, and an obligation, to share with our educators the scope of skills that our team members are building and the skills that will be required,” explained Jim VanderGiessen, CEO of Pro Refrigeration. “It’s exciting to have the engagement and connection at this level.”
“We see it as both an opportunity, and an obligation, to share with our educators the scope of skills that our team members are building and the skills that will be required. It’s exciting to have the engagement and connection at this level.”
Jim VanderGiessen, CEO of Pro Refrigeration
“Having the teachers tour through our manufacturing and distribution facilities was a great opportunity to showcase what our company does in the community,” said Eric Sparr, manager of Hayward Industries’ Mocksville site. “We enjoyed discussing the different jobs that our company offers to the local workforce. It was also nice to speak with the teachers and learn about their students.”
The tours were also an excellent way for companies new to the area to introduce themselves. “We participated because we are new to the area and wanted the community to know what we were all about,” said Joelle Flatt, human resources generalist at Sportsfield Specialties, Inc.
Teachers Learning About Local Career Options and Necessary Skills
Teachers new to the area found the tours equally beneficial. “Since I am not originally from Davie County I felt that this would be a good opportunity to learn more about the local businesses,” said Doss. “I am hoping to continue to work with the business reps to build a partnership with them and my students that would include opportunities for my students to take part in service projects and for them to become more familiar with their community businesses.”
Dvorack agreed, saying, “I participated because I want to know about all the local opportunities for my students, both college and trade bound. I am not from Davie County, so I’m always looking for ways to get more exposure to what Davie County has to offer. I thought this was a wonderful experience and was very impressed with the businesses in the area and their eagerness to partner with Davie County Schools to help prepare our students in the best ways possible. I am thankful for these businesses and the Economic Development Commission for providing us with this opportunity.”
All agreed that what they learned and experienced will be invaluable for their students.
“I like to create collaborative groups in my class and look forward to sharing with students how this method is used by Hayward Pool to improve processes within their facilities,” said White.
Ireland added, “Participating in the Davie County Externships this summer enabled me as an educator and as a citizen of Davie County to connect more with our community. The externship provided valuable insight into what is happening in Davie County from businesses to an up-and-coming Veterans facility. Knowing what opportunities and advancements we have locally is important to educators. If educators know more about our industries, they can make relevant connections for students in lessons and activities. During our tours, we learned about what these industries need to run successfully, and the skill sets needed. This will allow for the connections our students will need in future jobs, careers, and/or further education in our community. This was a great experience!”
Davis is grateful to the organizations that allowed the externs entry into their facilities and hopes that additional businesses will want to participate next summer.
“We are truly trying to create a partnership,” he said. “We want to include as many businesses as possible. Communication is key. For the businesses to get their word out, they need us, and for us to get the word out, we need them. Businesses are telling us they can’t fill slots. We want them to know that we are a direct pipeline to community workforce development. Through communication and collaboration, we can be utilized as an important avenue for these workforce vacancies,” he added. “We need to make sure the students know all of their options. We don’t want to steer any child toward a direction they do not want to go, but we need to make sure that they and their parents know all of the opportunities that are in Davie County.”
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