Educators mean business at boot camp

MILAN TWP. — A group of about 20 local educators recently spent time learning about the skills needed in today's workforce so they can better prepare their students for future career success. The Teacher Business Boot Camp, organized by Greater Sandusky Partnership in collaboration with North Point Educational Service Center and the Erie County Business Advisory Council, invited educators from four local school districts to tour six Erie County companies. Among the schools represented: those in Sandusky, Perkins, Huron and Edison. This year's tours took place at Cedar Point, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Firelands Health, OE Meyer, Freudenberg-NOK and Humanetics. "Connecting educators directly with our local employers creates a powerful bridge between the classroom and the workplace," said Makenna Laser of Greater Sandusky Partnership. "This is the fifth Teacher Business Boot Camp I've helped organize and run, and the program still fascinates me," Laser said. "Every year, I see new connections made, fresh ideas sparked and a renewed passion from educators to prepare their students for the opportunities right here in our region." Following the tours, each educator created a culminating project to summarize their experience and outline how it will influence their teaching and student engagement in the classroom. More than 2,000 students across the region will be impacted by this year's program, which takes place annually. Educators also earned three graduate credits from Ashland University, funded through the Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation.