Aspire Johnson County Announces Teacher Externship Program for Local Educators

By Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance | | 9.3.24

Aspire Johnson County is excited to announce the launch of a Teacher Externship Program aimed at connecting local educators to bring real-world experiences back to their classrooms.

The program is open to teachers in grades 7-12, school counselors, and administrators and will take place on two dates: October 7-9 and October 16-18.

Aspire is also calling on Johnson County businesses to participate by hosting one or more educators during the externship. Employers who host a teacher will play a crucial role in shaping the future workforce by providing educators with the tools they need to inspire the next generation of professionals.

Businesses interested in hosting a teacher can register their company at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MSQWS6G.

Participants in the externship will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in local businesses, gaining firsthand experience that will help them better guide students toward diverse career paths. Participants will earn a stipend and receive professional development credit.

“We see the teacher externship program as a next step beyond our teacher field trips. While the field trips get educators into several employers from one industry for a half-day event, the externship will be a deeper experience where they can spend two days embedded with an employer,” said Jennifer Hollingshead, School to Work Specialist at Aspire.

“For the third day, teachers will complete two slides and present to one another about what they learned about the companies and how they’ll create a lesson plan to share with students,” Hollingshead added.

Teachers, counselors, and administrators interested in applying must submit their completed application by Friday, September 6, at 11:59 p.m. to Jennifer Hollingshead at jhollingshead@aspirejohnsoncounty.com.

A letter of recommendation from a school administrator is also encouraged and should be sent by the same deadline. Selected participants will be announced by mid-September. For more information about the Teacher Externship Program, visit Aspire’s talent and workforce website page or contact Jennifer Hollingshead.