Business & Education Partnership Opportunities
Questar III BOCES is partnering with schools in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties to develop collaborative opportunities between the business and education communities.Benefits for Business Partners:
- Educate students about potential careers in local industries
- Work with schools to address workforce development needs
- Provide businesses with the ability to offer expertise that connects school curriculum to their business needs
- Educate, inspire and get involved in preparing our students to be college and career ready
- Promote business collaboration on Questar III/district social media sites
Host Student Tours:
- Educate students about your business
- Highlight the knowledge, skills and training required
- Spark curiosity, inspire and motivate
- Stress the opportunities available in your professional world for ALL students
Collaborate with Teachers and/or Students:
- Help teachers bring relevancy to classroom learning
- Bring real world business thinking to classroom curriculum
- Help mentor students on real world projects and problem solving tasks that are relevant to your business
- Dedicate 8 hours of collaboration time with teachers
Be a Guest Speaker:
- Share the pathways and insights that lead to your profession
- Discuss the education and training required to pursue this career
- Discuss opportunities related to your field
- Share your passion for the job!
Provide Student Internships:
- Provide short term (one day) shadowing experiences for students
- Host a student(s) intern in your business and engage them in workplace activities for 55 hours over the course of the school year
- Educate students regarding future opportunities in your industry
- Mentor a student…engage, motivate, inspire
- Bring the real world to students
Teacher Professional Development:
- Host a teacher for a day or longer
- Educate the teachers about your business, highlighting the skills and training required
- Share how your business develops collaboration, leadership and management skills with their employees
Benefits for Business Partners:
- Educate students about potential careers in local industries
- Work with schools to address workforce development needs
- Provide businesses with the ability to offer expertise that connects school curriculum to their business needs
- Educate, inspire and get involved in preparing our students to be college and career ready
- Promote business collaboration on Questar III/district social media sites
Host Student Tours:
- Educate students about your business
- Highlight the knowledge, skills and training required
- Spark curiosity, inspire and motivate
- Stress the opportunities available in your professional world for ALL students
Collaborate with Teachers and/or Students:
- Help teachers bring relevancy to classroom learning
- Bring real world business thinking to classroom curriculum
- Help mentor students on real world projects and problem solving tasks that are relevant to your business
- Dedicate 8 hours of collaboration time with teachers
Be a Guest Speaker:
- Share the pathways and insights that lead to your profession
- Discuss the education and training required to pursue this career
- Discuss opportunities related to your field
- Share your passion for the job!
Provide Student Internships:
- Provide short term (one day) shadowing experiences for students
- Host a student(s) intern in your business and engage them in workplace activities for 55 hours over the course of the school year
- Educate students regarding future opportunities in your industry
- Mentor a student…engage, motivate, inspire
- Bring the real world to students
Teacher Professional Development:
- Host a teacher for a day or longer
- Educate the teachers about your business, highlighting the skills and training required
- Share how your business develops collaboration, leadership and management skills with their employees

Brunswick CSD
Brunswick CSD – based on student interest in developing an after-school robotics program, the District Superintendent sought direction on how to create a structure for this program. Questar III facilitated an introduction with an associate professor from RPI’s Electrical, Computing and Systems Engineering Department to provide guidance to support this endeavor.
Brunswick Elementary – in an effort to educate students about how a municipality/local government operates, a third grade teacher has developed “Lego City” and assigning students with managerial roles and introducing concepts on how one is developed, governed and operates. Seeking professionals to visit her class and offer insights/feedback, QIII facilitated interactions with an engineer from the Capital District Planning Commission to offer insights and feedback, a financial institution professional as well as local and county government representatives to visit with students to talk about their professions and share their expertise.

Hudson HS
Hudson HS – Questar III introduced a middle school technology teacher interested in constructing a mini-wind turbine on campus to engineers from Avangrid Technologies for insights and support to pursue this endeavor.

Germantown CSD
Germantown CSD – as the district is scheduled to introduce a new elective in set design for 2019-20, Questar III is working with district administration to engage with professionals from the Capital Region’s creative arts community to assist in developing curriculum.

East Greenbush, Averill Park CSD, and Tech Valley High School
East Greenbush, Averill Park CSDs and Tech Valley High School – introduced statistics teachers to IBM data engineers to collaborate on developing classroom projects based on real-world data solutions developed by IBM.

Greenville Elementary
Greenville Elementary – a seventh grade science teacher expressed an interest in hosting a scientist to visit his students to talk about their work; in response Questar III worked with the New York State Museum to connect a Freshwater Ecologist involved in research focusing on the impact of the invasive zebra mussel on native freshwater mussel. Working together with this scientist and a museum educator, they introduced three hands-on activities to four separate classes, collecting data and discussed findings regarding the impact of the zebra mussel on the region’s water ecosystems.

Cairo Durham CSD
Cairo Durham CSD – members of IBM’s Research and Development staff on the Albany SUNY Poly campus worked with science faculty to introduce a variety of STEM activities in the elementary and middle schools and later engaged in a high school forum sharing information with students about their careers, their education background and skill sets as well as the R&D they’re involved on campus.

Hoosick Falls CSD
Hoosick Falls CSD – Questar III is working with the Bennington, VT Chamber of Commerce to explore collaboration opportunities with members interested in working with the district during the 2018-19 school year; Questar III also connected faculty with staff from the Bennington Banner newspaper to develop a class project focusing on the important role that journalism plays in our democracy.

Chatham CSD
Chatham CSD – working with faculty to pursue businesses to collaborate in developing and/or supporting student projects for their maker space.

Coxsackie Athens CSD
Coxsackie Athens CSD – a high school faculty member expressed an interest in utilizing a long-dormant vacant greenhouse on the school’s campus and wanted to create a student garden club. Questar III contacted staff from Cornell Cooperative Extension, who offered insights on how to engage students in not only developing a club but also is working with faculty to create a business model to market their produce they grow to the community.

Rensselaer CSD
Rensselaer CSD – students interested in pursuing careers in healthcare toured Albany Medical Center’s interactive Patient Safety & Clinical Competency Center, learning about the field of medicine, how the cutting-edge technology that Albany Medical College’s certain illnesses are diagnosed and engaging in mock medical procedures working with computerized mannequins.

Averill Park CSD
Averill Park Elementary – in response to a request from an 8th grade technology teacher interested in updating curriculum/integrating new engineering concepts, Questar III introduced him to three professionals with backgrounds in electrical, civil and architectural engineering to integrate into his curriculum.
Averill Park HS – Questar III worked with a Women’s Literature educator to schedule a variety of successful female guest speakers to speak to her class, sharing their experiences, the challenges they faced/overcame as well as offering anecdotes that were both educational and inspiring; Questar III also oversaw the planning of a day at the State Capitol for students to visit with female advocacy leaders who are actively engaged in impacting public policy on the state level.
2017-18 Engagement
Gramercy Communications
National Grid
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
SEFCU
Siemens Corporation
BBL
St. Peter’s Health Network
Ducommun Aerostructures
Spectrum News
The Hudson Register Star
The Gallery @Rhinebeck
NY Independent Operator Systems
CDM Smith
The Columbia Paper
IBM
Albany County Sheriffs Dept
Brian Holbritter Surveying
Clean Healthy NY
Avangrid Technologies
Proctor’s Theater/Capital Rep
Linium Recruiting
Albany Medical Center
Columbia Physical Therapy
Tri City Valley Cats
East Greenbush Animal Hospital
Synthesis Architects
New York State Police
Plug Power
The Bennington Banner
Creighton Manning Engineer
Bennington, VT Chamber of Commerce
Upstate Alliance for a Creative Economy
NYS Museum
Saratoga Shakespeare Company
Girl’s Inc
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Greene County Arts Center
Northeast Association for the Blind at Albany
NY Mesonet
Rensselaer Co One Stop Employment Ctr
Rensselaer Co Chamber of Commerce
Columbia Co Chamber of Commerce
Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers
Greene County Economic Development Dept
Zone 5 Training Academy
Olana State Historic Site
MiSci Museum
New York State Business Council
Troy Rehabilitation Improvement Program (TRIP)
Arts Center for the Capital Region
Albany Institute for History & Art
The Sage Colleges
Siena College
Schenectady Co Community College
UAlbany
RPI
Hudson Valley Community College