STEM Teachers Gain Valuable Summer Workplace Experience

West Branch High School Science Teacher Kristen Westpheling is completing a summer STEM Teacher Externship at Vectronic Aerospac
West Branch High School Science Teacher Kristen Westpheling is completing a summer STEM Teacher Externship at Vectronic Aerospace in Coralville, maker of GPS collars and other wildlife telemetry equipment for tracking.
Following a year of shutdowns and remote work scenarios, the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program has rebounded with 70 teacher externs partnering with local workplaces across Iowa to gain authentic work experiences that will translate into classroom instruction and career preparation.  
 
The STEM Teacher Externships Program kicked off this month with orientation for teachers and mentors to set goals and expectations. Teachers will gain applicable professional development experience during their six-week summer externship by working alongside skilled industry professionals. Many teachers conclude that the STEM Teacher Externships Program changes their approach to teaching based on their experiences and the hard and soft skills they observed as necessary for careers in Iowa.
 
These partnerships are mutually valuable for workplaces as they have the opportunity to work with some of Iowa’s many talented STEM educators. Workplace hosts gain further awareness of their business in the community, as well as relevance and strengthened partnerships with local schools. 
 
“After a year full of uncertainties, we are thrilled to have so many teachers and workplace hosts placed in the STEM Teacher Externships Program this summer. It demonstrates the value and quality of the placement for businesses as they seek quality employees and educators as they translate classroom instruction into skills needed for future employment,” said Jason Lang, Program Coordinator for the STEM Teacher Externships Program.
 
Since the program launched in 2009, nearly 700 STEM teacher externs have worked at more than 200 workplaces across Iowa, covering a variety of industries.
 
To learn more about the STEM Teacher Externships Program, visit iowastem.org/externships.
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