Teachers interned at three of Irbid’s QIZ factories.

Teacher internships were organized by the School To Career team to help link the supply side of education with the demand side of employment. By giving classroom teachers the opportunity to experience the workplace first hand, they are better able to convey the expectations and requirements of the private sector to their students. Theses internships, which lasted several days, took place during March 2005.

Teachers found these experiences to be of great value. For example, in Irbid in the North region of Jordan, 16 teachers interned at three different companies and factories within the Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ).

Most teachers explained that prior to their internship, the reputation of the QIZ was very negative. They previously used to discourage their students, especially their female students, from working there due to the misconceptions they had about the QIZ. But after their internships, where they observed a safe and productive working environment, the teachers concluded that the perception of the city should be changed and women should be encouraged to work there.

The teachers were impressed that the managers and employees were very welcoming and informative, willing to provide any type of information the teachers requested, along with documents. Teachers learned about the overall work process, human resource development, and skills needed in the workplace.

Teachers learned a number of important lessons as a result of their internships:

First and foremost, the importance of visiting the private sector directly. Virtually all teachers indicated a desire to have another internship experience.

Teachers now appreciate the benefit of encouraging their students to participate in their own workplace internships.

Based on their first hand observations of modern business and industry, teachers will encourage students to work more with technology to develop their IT skills, and to develop their language skills, especially as most companies require good English skills.

	Students will also participate in internships to experience the "real world"

For students who can not visit the workplace directly, teachers have proposed creating a simulation exercise in school in order to allow the students to better understand the working environment. A group of teachers are currently planning the development of such an exercise.

[Note: School to Career (STC) is a program that promotes and develops employability skills and professional competencies of students between grades (9 to 11) to prepare them for the challanges of the knowledge economy. STC classroom activities link the curriculum to "real world" experiences through project-based instruction and partnerships with business and community participants. STC work-based activities include job shadowing, informational interviews, internships, apprenticeships and service learning projects.]