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Central Texas teachers head to local industries to get 'world of work' experience to pass on to students

The idea is for teachers to help their students learn how to be good employees.

TEMPLE, Texas — Next week, a group of 26 teachers will leave their classrooms behind to enter various businesses across Central Texas as employees.

The goal is to take what they learn and incorporate that into their classrooms.

Workforce Solutions of Central Texas received a grant worth about $51,000 to run their Externship Program.

"The program came about because of a real need for students to learn employability skills, and how that can be incorporated into the classroom," Charles Ayer Director of Industry and Education Partnerships said.

The teachers will shadow staff in different fields like banking, customer service and even manufacturing.

"They are kind of at the mercy of the employer. The employers have been told to treat the teachers like they are their employees so they'll find out what their hours are," Ayer said.

On Monday, the teachers like Amanda Maroney will meet and learn their assignments.

"Transition planning is really important part of the goals that we set for students to be successful in their post-secondary lives, so I thought this was a good opportunity to be able to get in first hand and see what employers are looking for," Belton ISD teacher Amanda Maroney said.

Tuesday through Thursday, they'll be put to work, and on Friday teachers will meet and create lesson plans to incorporate next school year.

"It's a pretty diverse opportunity we try to get teachers out of their comfort zone," Ayers said.

Teachers will be paid a stipend for their time.

    

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