One thing Educator in the Workforce (EIW) never fails to do is bring the interests of employers, classroom teachers, and school counselors to an intersection—the crossroads at which students think about careers.
A site visit to Pittsburgh International Airport, the first of three EIW experiences scheduled for Cornell School District this year, was a case in point. For teachers, it offered an opportunity to see firsthand what a broad spectrum of career paths converges at the airport.
And for officials hosting the visit, it was a chance to showcase the jobs Pittsburgh International offers that outsiders might not even imagine as well as discuss how the airport serves other employers throughout the region.
As a K-8 Physical Education & Health teacher, Josh Brunner said EIW visits give him information to share with students which helps him build relationships. By talking to them about what they want to be when they grow up, “I can kind of plant the seed early to let them know they have options.”
At Pittsburgh International, he said a panel of airport professionals discussed their various roles and “told us about some programs that students and young people can get into if they would be interested in working in these different areas.”
In addition to an overview of permanent airport jobs, educators also got a tour that included the construction site for the new terminal and the jobs it’s generating.
“I was kind of astonished there were so many different crews doing so many different things at the same time and how coordinated and efficient it was,” Brunner added. “One thing that stuck out to me was just how many jobs go into building it, and others that are needed just for planning and making sure everything is safe.”
EIW experiences bring benefits for employers as well. “It’s important that educators understand what’s going on here at the airport,” said Pittsburgh International’s Manager of Workforce Development, Adam Bowser. “They can be advocates and champions for what we’re doing here and potentially use what they learn here in their curriculums.”
Bowser said he engaged with EIW because “the missions of the Consortium and our Workforce Development team align very well.”
The Consortium organizes EIW site visits for districts as part of its menu of Contract Services, which can be organized as stand-alone or a series of opportunities for educators.
At Cornell, EIW is among the “Personalized Professional Development” pathway options educators can choose.
Still on the EIW agenda for Cornell’s educators are explorations of the regional training center for Bricklayers & Allied Crafts and Community College of Allegheny County, where they’ll learn about state-of-the-art career training programs and the employer pipeline for graduates.
Like others who have shared their experiences, Brunner is a big fan of his district’s personalized approach to Professional Development. “We talk about student voice-and-choice and giving kids agency. It’s the same kind of thing for educators…giving them some options.”