Teachers in Industry

The GW Teachers in Industry Project (GW TIP) is an initiative to provide middle and high school core content teachers the opportunity to experience first-hand the work environment for which they are preparing their students. Externship experiences at top regional businesses allow teachers in the English, math, science, social studies and CTE content areas to become aware of the core knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the STEM-focused 21st century workforce.

Program Goals

• Bridge the gap between ‘academic’ preparation (what is taught) and ‘professional’ development (what is needed) for participation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics/STEM workforce of the future.
• Provide insights into the demands and challenges of the 21st century work environment.
• Highlight the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for our the future STEM workforce.
• Foster education and business partnerships to enrich the classroom content.

Externships at STEM Businesses

To achieve these goals, teachers spend three weeks participating in several externships in which they shadow employees at local STEM businesses to discover the 21st Century knowledge and skills their students will ultimately employ when they enter the workforce. The capstone of the externship is the development of educational transfer plans. Working with content area peers, the teachers identify the key knowledge, skills, and competencies they experienced in their externships and determine how to incorporate this into their classrooms.