Rock Externship Program

The Rock Externship Program is a collaborative, career preparation and readiness offering supported by area employers, Blackhawk Technical College and Rock County 5.0 to provide direct industry sector and career cluster exposure for high school teachers from any of the school districts throughout Rock County. While primarily targeted at Career & Technical Education, STEM, counseling and/or guidance staff, these externships will also be open to other high school personnel that have the ability to influence a student’s Academic & Career Plan (ACP).

Through the Rock Externship Program, high school staff will have the ability to immerse themselves in business environments and shadow specific occupations and/or disciplines for one week during the summer. The information and experiences gleaned from this focused engagement will then be incorporated into staff lesson plans and related curricula delivery models during the academic year.

Externship placements will be determined through an application and business worksite match-making process. Educators participating in the program will receive a cash stipend from their district, in the amount of $500, for completing their June 15th, week-long (i.e. 20 hour) summer externships. 

Overall, the goals of the Rock Externship Program include the following:

  • Increase awareness of and exposure to local businesses, specifically as it concerns Academic & Career Planning activities (i.e. Inspire Rock County).
  • Form, build and/or strengthen relationships to generate new or enhanced career-based learning experiences.
  • Facilitate stakeholder information exchanges and curriculum development / delivery ideas, particularly as it concerns career pathway programming.
  • Cultivate and augment local talent development pipeline activities, particularly those aligned with Blackhawk Technical College.

A preliminary list of organizations serving at externship worksite locations for the summer 2020 program are highlighted below.

For additional program details, please check back periodically and/or contact the Externship Coordination Team (Blackhawk Technical College's Career Services & Leadership Development Office) at careercenter@blackhawk.edu or 608.743.4423.

Participating Employers

High School Teacher / Staff Participation & Eligibility Requirements

  • Teachers / staff must be an employee, and in good standing, from any public or private school district in Rock County, WI.
  • Teachers / staff must commit to participate in, as well as attend, all program related activities to be eligible for the program's stipend. 
  • Teachers / staff must commit to incorporate, as well as document (pre-and-post externship), how the information and experiences gleaned during the Rock Externship Program will be embedded into their lesson planning and related delivery during the Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 (and beyond) academic year. 
  • Teachers / staff must agree to collaborate, engage and share information with the Externship Coordination Team.
  • Teachers / staff must submit a completed Rock Externship Program application, by no later than 4:30 PM on February 21, 2020.
  • Supplemental participation requirements might be imposed by the teacher's / staff's school district, as well.

Employer Participation & Eligibility Requirements

  • Employers must have the organizational capacity to serve as an extern worksite, as demonstrated by past / experiential learning activities (e.g. internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, mentoring, etc.).

  • Employers must assign a primary contact as the extern worksite supervisor and also provide a secondary or back-up extern contact. The worksite supervisor must participate in the extern interview process and/or other program related activities; and agree to work collaboratively and communicate frequently with the Externship Coordination team throughout the Rock Externship Program.

  • Employers must offer a comprehensive, holistic externship experience that extends beyond a specific subject or core competency. For examples, an extern working for a metal fabrication business should be exposed to more than the company’s welding and fabrication operations

  • Employers must be in good standing; and in compliance with all applicable local, state and/or federal workplace rules and regulations.

  • Employers must have an established and documented safety plan.

  • Employers must possess a corporate culture that values professional growth and development.

  • Employers must agree to strictly adhere, as well as enforce, the program’s guidelines.

Externship Calendar

  • February 21, 2020: Extern applications are due by 4:30 PM.
  • March - April 2020: Extern selection and interview processes conducted by the Externship Coordination Team.
  • April - May 2020: Confirmation of extern worksite placements by the Externship Coordination Team.
  • June 15 - 19, 2020: Externship Week (NOTE: Specific onsite reporting times and BTC's professional development details remain TBD)
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