The second round of the Virtual Educator Externship is now complete! From October 19-29, 2020, ElevateEdAZ, the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA), and the Arizona Business and Education Coalition (ABEC) partnered to host the Fall Virtual Educator Externships. For this session, 21 employers connected with over 70 educators to provide information and resources for educators to enhance their classroom instruction for students.
Virtual Educator Externship Participants
Educators had the opportunity to learn directly from employers representing thirteen high demand industries throughout Arizona, including education technology, supply chain, cybersecurity, skilled crafts, nonprofit, IT, energy, health care, higher education, software development, financial services, manufacturing, and marketing. The companies representing these industries were:
- APS
- APS Yuma
- Banner Health
- Bechtel
- Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
- Carlisle Companies
- Dircks Moving and Logistics
- DP Electric
- HonorHealth
- IBM Tucson
- Mayo Clinic
- Pilkington Construction Co.
- PulteGroup
- Simpleview
- SRP
- The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits
- The Hartford
- University of Arizona Yuma
- Zovio
- 1st Bank Yuma
Participating educators represented many schools across Arizona, including:
- Crane Elementary School District
- Maricopa County Community College District
- Mesa School District
- Nogales Unified School District
- Pima Community College
- Phoenix Union High School District
- Santa Cruz County Unified District
- Sunnnyside Unified School District
- Yuma Union High School District
- Yuma Elementary School District
The Value of Virtual Educator Externships
These Virtual Educator Externships allow teachers to connect with businesses to develop their curriculum and align with the needs of employers. Educators gain information on different career opportunities for students, and learn how they can support students who are interested in pursuing these careers. Educators also gain information on the career development skills students need, such as interview skills, resume tips, and much more.
“Through classroom instruction, workshops, counseling, and presentations, the educators who participated in the program will directly reach 10,012 students from middle grades through college!” –Virtual Educator Externship Report, October 2020
By providing educators with the opportunity to gain this information and apply it to their curriculum, students ultimately benefit from receiving instruction that is aligned to what employers need; just one employer providing a session for ten educators can reach thousands of students! ElevateEdAZ is committed to ensuring students will graduate high school prepared to pursue college, and launch their careers.
Participant Feedback
“The experience was well-rounded with opportunities to explore for students that may or may not be suited for college. It was diverse with culture, ethnicity, gender, and skill! All presenters seemed satisfied and passionate about what they do, which helps me give glimmers of hope to special education students.” – Teacher participant of the Fall Virtual Educator Externship
“I was delighted to participate in the externship experience, as I believe so strongly in the power the teachers have to motivate the students and provide them guidance with career development possibilities. By speaking with the teachers, I hope that I gave them a bit of a boost with this.” – Richard Dircks, Dircks Moving and Logistics
If your business would like to participate in a future Virtual Educator Externship, contact us at education@phoenixchamber.com.