Last month, Fueling Talent Senior Outreach Specialist Jennifer Weot attended the Ford Next Generation Learning (NGL) Leadership Council Conference in Hampton, Virginia. It was a great opportunity for Ford NGL districts from across the United States and worldwide to come together and learn from each other about ways to build and improve partnerships with industry.
The event featured the Hampton Public School District, which showcased what they are doing with their business partners. This includes working with the city of Hampton, which involved setting up a full mock dispatch center at one of the district’s high schools. Through this innovative effort, students leave school with a 911 dispatch certification and the city of Hampton can hire graduates as well. It’s a perfect example of a great partnership.
In Macomb County, this best practice can be applied to our two Ford NGL districts, Romeo Public Schools and Center Line Public Schools.
“These two districts are literally changing the way students are prepared for their careers/lives after high school through their academy models,” Weot said. “However, in order to reach the goal of 100% student participation in “meaningful” career exploration experiences each year, they are dependent on industry partners. These partners provide real world experiences for the students so the students can figure out what careers best match their interests and abilities.”
If you are a business who would like to partner with our Ford NGL districts, opportunities are available, including:
- Industry tours
- Manufacturing Day
- Job shadows
- Work-based learning
- Career fairs
- MICareerQuest
- Guest speaking
- Hands-on training
- Mentoring
- Student internships
- Teacher externships
- Advisory boards
- Business roundtables
To learn more, please contact Jennifer Weot at jennifer.weot@macombgov.org or enroll online and Jennifer will connect with you.