Teachers get field experience through business program
By Staff Reports
Published in News on August 14, 2016 10:34 AM
Two Mount Olive School teachers recently joined Duke Energy for a week, taking education beyond the classroom, as part of the N.C. Business Committee for Education's Teachers@Work program.
The program links education and the business community, helping teachers create relevance between classroom curriculum and the skill sets needed by local businesses.
Shaconda Ford is a science teacher and Chantel Moore teaches technology education. They were among 51 middle and high school teachers chosen from around the state for the 2016 NCBCE initiative.
The educators were exposed to many aspects of business through talking with company leaders and seeing Duke Energy operations firsthand -- from power generation to distribution and customer service.
They received a tour of the H.F. Lee plant in Goldsboro and the Harris Nuclear Plant in New Hill, working with representatives in the Customer Service Center in Raleigh, observing linemen at work from Duke Energy's operation center in Goldsboro, visiting a solar facility in Warsaw and seeing an electrofishing demonstration on Harris Lake.
"When most people think of Duke Energy, electricity is usually what comes to mind," Ms. Ford said. "After visiting different employees from the company, some of the other things I now think about are customer service, marine biology, community relations, the generation of electricity from the different plants, renewables and the list goes on.
"Being able to understand how the Duke Energy company works, now allows me to go back and teach my students some of the skills needed to work for such a company, with the intent to spark interest in various career opportunities."
Ms. Moore was equally enthusiastic about the program.
"I look forward to sharing what I've learned from this experience with my students," she said. "I can't wait for all the questions that they may have, because it is important to foster career readiness in students at a young age.
"This program did a great job portraying that the sky is the limit when it comes to exploring potential careers and that is the exact message that I want to send to my students."