KINSTON, N.C. — Field Controls recently hosted two teachers from Greene Central High School during the week of July 24-28 as part of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education’s (NCBCE) Teachers@Work program.
Teachers@Work is a joint initiative between NCBCE; the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI); science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) East; and the North Carolina Community College System. The partnership links education and the business community in order to help teachers create relevance between their classroom curriculum and the skill sets needed by local businesses.
As part of the program, participating teachers spent one week during the summer monitoring a local company in or close to their community. Teachers were paired with employees of the company and were exposed to different aspects of the business. At the end of the on-site program, the teachers created a lesson plan that showcased both hard and soft skills needed by future employees that are specific to their partnering business or industry.
“Teachers@Work is a critical component of the state’s workforce readiness efforts,” said Caroline Sullivan, executive director, NCBCE. “We are helping to expose North Carolina’s teachers to the skills their students will need in the workplace so that they in turn can relay their experience and the information learned to our businesses’ future employees.”
Joining Field Controls for a week of hands-on training was Allison Raper, a mathematics teacher, and Rebecca Burris, a STEM Math II teacher. Both Burris and Raper teach at Greene Central High School in Snow Hill, North Carolina.
“This is a great opportunity, and I hope to be able to incorporate hands-on math concepts that my students could use in a future job,” said Raper.
“Making real-world connections for my students is important, and I hope I am able to create meaningful lessons for my students and help them see how the math they are learning applies to real-world situations,” said Burris.
They are among 50 middle and high school teachers from throughout the state who will be participating in the 2017 NCBCE Teachers@Work® program.
“By showing Allison and Rebecca how Field Controls operates, they can better prepare their students for work in the real world,” said Patrick Holleran, president, Field Controls. “Math concepts are in nearly every aspect of Field Controls’ business, from accounting, engineering, and purchasing to sales, customer service, accounts receivable, IT, and marketing. We’re extremely happy to participate in a program like Teachers@Work, and we hope we emphasize the hard skills necessary for our industry as well as soft skills, such as the ability to work in a group, to meet deadlines, etc.”
For more information, visit www.fieldcontrols.com.
Publication date: 8/18/2017
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