photo of students in a manufacturing facility speaking with professionals

Hoosick Falls students visit Mack Molding to participate in various Manufacturing Month Activities

During the 2018-19 school year, Questar III is once again offering opportunities for schools in our area to connect with businesses and collaborate, helping students and educators gain a better understanding of what is waiting for students when they leave school.

Our Business and Education Partnership service connects school districts with business, community organizations and government representatives around the Capital Region to bring the workforce to the classroom or the classroom to the workforce. Opportunities exist for student tours of local workplaces, hosting student interns, visiting classrooms as guest speakers, professional development with a teacher or teachers at school or in the workplace, and aligning curriculum to industry needs.

The benefits of this service are two-fold. For teachers and students, it opens a world of new arenas to explore in the classroom by bringing relevancy and real-world business thinking to student learning. When educators can teach traditional topics with a level of application and relevancy, not only are students more engaged in instruction, but they are better prepared to enter the workforce after high school and/or college graduation.

For businesses, while the benefits may appear self-serving, they’re not any less worthwhile. By working directly with educators, business partners can both educate students about potential careers while addressing future workforce development needs, helping prepare the next generation of workers before they look for their first job.

students around a conference table study various scientific activities

Students learn about bacteria-killing LED lights at Vital Vio in the RPI Tech Park

What do these partnerships look like? In reality, no two partnerships are alike because they are customized to pursue the individual interests of each district and the availability of the business representative.

Examples of opportunities that this service has created include:

  • Regeneron Pharmaceuticals hosting an event for biology and chemistry teachers to learn about the biomedical industry as well as the education and skill sets required for a career in the field;
  • Vital Vio offering a tour of their facility in the RPI Tech Park to learn about the LED lighting technology they’ve developed that kills bacteria and provided hands-on activities for Hoosick Falls students;
  • In Brunswick CSD, professionals from a wide variety of fields visited Tamarac Elementary School to share insights with 3rd grade students as part of the annual Lego City project.

These are only a few of the array of options for schools and businesses to work together to better prepare students for what comes next – be it college, career, or being part of the community. For more information, or to submit a request, visit our website, or email Jim Church, Director of Strategic Initiatives at james.church@questar.org.

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