MCNC supports Teacher@Work and Students@Work
In 2017, MCNC offered continued support on two education initiatives by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) that connects students and educators to businesses throughout the state.
The Teachers@Work initiative connects educators to businesses for an experiential learning opportunity about employable workforce skills that can be transferred to the classroom environment. It is a joint initiative between the NCBCE and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, linking education and the business community to help teachers create relevance between their classroom curriculum and the skill sets needed by local businesses.
In July, Jessica Brooke Woodard from Johnston County Schools participated in Teachers@Work with MCNC.
The first three days of the week, she worked with MCNC executives and staff to learn more about the world of networking technologies and related careers in broadband connectivity services and infrastructure. She then closed the final two days of the week at CenturyLink in Wake Forest. Read the full story.
In 2014, NCBCE launched Teachers@Work with a goal of connecting educators and businesses in a way that will give an in-depth learning experience about employable workforce skills. The initiative strengthens classroom and business connections while empowering teachers to cultivate knowledgeable, qualified future employees. According to Darleene Heath, director of communications and member engagement at MCNC, MCNC has proudly supported Teachers@Work since it began.
"Bringing in motivated and exceptional educators into our workplace is a terrific way to ensure students in North Carolina are taught the practical skills they need as future employees," said Heath. "This program brings workforce relevancy directly into the classroom by providing educators with a real-life business experience that puts learning in context with careers."
The program is made possible by grants from Biogen and State Farm.
MCNC also supports NCBCE’s annual job shadowing and mentoring initiative, Students@Work. In March, MCNC welcomed students from Brogden Middle School in Durham as part of the program. Read the full story.
This year’s program impacted about 24,000 students and involve more than 150 businesses statewide. It is a 10-day blitz aimed at exposing middle school students from across the state to real-world, business environments in their communities. This job-shadowing initiative, held by Gubernatorial Proclamation, originated with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education in 2011. MCNC has participated almost every year.
Students@Work is made possible by a grant from GlaxoSmithKline. It ran March 22 through March 31.
MCNC is looking forward to participating once again in both programs next year. Students@Work week is scheduled March 19 through March 28, 2018. On Thursday, March 22, MCNC is expecting students from Brogden Middle School in Durham Public Schools. Teachers@Work typically is offered in the summer.
