Teacher Externship Program

The Workforce Development Board is excited about this program’s impact on our local workforce. Teachers will be better able to inform, educate, guide and connect students to industries that match their skill sets. Connecting classroom content to the real world and workplace will help students understand and develop the academic and technical skills they need to enter the workforce and compete for jobs that are in demand in our local community.

• Employers: Strengthen YOUR future workforce.
• Teachers: Apply industry specific strategies in the classroom; and inform, educate, guide and connect students to industries that match their skill sets.
• Students: Develop the academic and technical skills they need to compete for jobs that are in demand in the local community.

The Deep East Texas Externship experience will match host companies with teachers/counselors: half day of orientation, five days at the worksite, and half day debriefing. Based on this experience, each teacher will write a lesson plan to incorporate into the classroom instruction during the subsequent school year.

How are Participating Employers Involved?

1. Ensure teacher receives meaningful learning work experience in a fully supervised and safe working environment during the 5-day onsite segment of the externship.
2. Designate a member of management to plan, host and supervise the teacher extern, attend the orientation and debrief sessions, approve timesheets, and review and approve teacher extern’s lesson plan outline.
3. Specify any dress or safety equipment requirements for the participating teacher (ie. safety glasses, gloves, hard hats, steel toe boots, or other).
4. Provide feedback to Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas regarding the program’s effectiveness.
5. Collaborate with the independent school district to provide a tour of the worksite or offer a classroom presentation during the school year to extend the school to work pipeline.

Register to Host Teachers in 2025