Most teachers are no stranger to the world of professional development, but this summer, one group had a less typical experience. Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus partnered with the Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative to create a professional development program that brought teachers directly to industry professionals to find out what skills were needed to employ their students.
The teacher tour on July 20 featured two local businesses – the Baldor Electric Company Ozark and the Bank of the Ozarks.
“The goal of the day was to get high school teachers more exposed to local industry,” Justin Smith, Chief Business/Community Outreach Officer – Ozark Campus, said. “Teachers had the opportunity to talk to industry leaders and tour local industries so they could get an idea of skill gaps and jobs opportunities available in the region for future graduates.”
Smith said the program also offered the chance to make industry connections the teachers could bring back to their classrooms.
“Both companies mentioned that students have opportunities in the area,” Smith said. “Students can also work their way up and travel. There is tremendous opportunity with local companies who have facilities all around the world. Should students want to stay in the region or travel, these opportunities can be found right here with these companies and ATU-Ozark already works with these companies to assist with our academic programs.”
The program included a presentation at Baldor where employees spoke about their own career paths.
“The part that resonated the most with me was the personal stories,” Cheryl Ziegler, Teacher Center Coordinator for the Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative, said. “Many of the employees took untraditional paths. They started working right out of high school and finished college later. Some of them struggled with not knowing whether or not to go to college right away.”
Ziegler said she sees that same struggle in high school students.
“Many high school students are just kind of feeling their way through the dark trying to figure out what they want to be. This kind of training enables us to be a flashlight to show them their options and then teach them how to gain the skills they need to do these jobs.”
One participant, Ozark High School Principal Jordan Price, said he found the tours to be very helpful.
“It was really encouraging for someone in my position,” Price said. “I was familiar with Baldor because my dad worked there my whole life, but I was not familiar with the specifics of the programs offered. Baldor can begin paying for college for their employees right away. There is no waiting period. ATU-Ozark offers educational programs for both of the industries we visited. Students can be competitive with their course work at ATU-Ozark and get these jobs. I don’t think many of my students are aware of the opportunities.”
Price said he hopes to see more types of professional development like this.
“Just getting information and having it repeated to you is typical in a professional development setting,” he said. “But having these people welcome us to their facilities, it just gave it a more personal aspect.
“I think it is really good, forward thinking with the Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus and the Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative. My high school and others can now start the dialogue with students earlier on and let them now these opportunities exist.”
For more information about teacher tours contact Justin Smith at jsmith30@atu.edu or Cheryl Ziegler at cheryl.ziegler@wscstarfish.com.
