As students return to classrooms across southeast Georgia this week, 20 educators spent a week prepping lesson plans with the help of a summer externship experience, primed to help their students find regional jobs.

In June, the Regional Industry Support Enterprise (RISE) hosted its second annual Educator Externship Program, embedding teachers, counselors and school support staff inside 10 manufacturing and logistics companies across the region. The participants, which came from schools across southeast Georgia, gained firsthand knowledge, across one week, of the manufacturers, logistics companies and employers shaping the region's economy connect students with careers close to home.

Participants shadowed employees, toured production facilities and learned what employers say today's students need to succeed. Now, those experiences are making their way into classrooms as students begin a new school year.

"The teachers serve as a bridge,” Anna Chafin, president and CEO of RISE, said. "Our goal is to have more students that stay here and pursue careers here after they graduate. If we can inform educators and then they can inform students, I think that makes our multiplier effect a lot stronger. It could be pretty significant going out and sharing with their classes, sharing with their peer teachers, sharing with their administrators.”

Cross section of industries

The program included 20 educators nominated by school systems and development authorities in Bulloch, Bryan, Candler, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty and Screven counties. Participants spent the week at companies including Briggs & Stratton, Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, Daniel Defense, Sewon America, JCB, JTEKT, Claxton Poultry, DAS, Brasseler and SNF Holding Company before presenting how they plan to incorporate the experience into their classrooms and career readiness programs.

Georgia Power has supported the program from its beginnings, providing grant funds that help make the program possible and sponsoring 20 educators from each county with a $1,000 stipend.

The regional initiative was inspired by an educator externship Chafin and regional leaders observed in Newton County in 2024. After launching a pilot program with 16 educators in 2025, RISE expanded the program this summer to 20 participants.

Local development authorities help identify companies to host the teachers in each county.

SHS coordinator goes to Briggs

Sierra Ward, a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support behavior coordinator at Statesboro High School, spent her externship experience at Briggs & Stratton, a Statesboro-based gasoline and power equipment manufacturer.

"This experience was invaluable," Ward said. "Now I can tell these kids, 'I've been to Briggs. This is specifically what they want. This is what they need out of there. This is how you get promoted.’”

Ward works primarily with students in the Bulloch County Schools System considered at risk of leaving school without a clear career plan – many of whom will enter the workforce directly after school, rather than attend a college or university.

Ward said her time at Briggs & Stratton introduced her to new potential career paths for students.

She said many students interested in trades gravitate toward welding, but Briggs employees told her that while welding remains valuable, the company has growing demand for workers with backgrounds in logistics, warehouse operations and supply chain management.

“I’m glad I came here … so I can give the kids a more accurate, full picture of what they’ll be walking into,” Ward said.

Ward said the program also exposed her to career opportunities that she feels many don’t even realize existed within companies located in their own communities.

“It blew my mind that that’s what we’re doing here in Statesboro, Georgia,” she said. “Another highlight was just how specialized that warehouse really is. We tend to overlook the fact that this opportunity is in Statesboro.”

What companies are looking for

Across the different companies, educators heard a similar message. Technical skills can often be taught on the job but employers place a premium on dependability, teamwork, communication and professionalism.

"They used to be referred to as soft skills," Chafin said. "We're trying to change the language to employability skills because … that's more representative of what they are and we hope better resonates with the employers"

That understanding is exactly what RISE hopes educators will share with students throughout the school year. Some teachers are bringing these lessons to students as young as middle-school-aged.

“I believe career exploration is as much about figuring out what you don't want to do, as it is what you do want to do,” Chafin said. “If our students can start that process earlier in their educational journey, then hopefully by the time they graduate high school, they really have a good idea of what they want to do once they graduate.”

For the 2026-27 school year, RISE is looking at how to measure the program's long-term impact. The organization plans to track how educators incorporate their experiences into classrooms and hopes to develop a library of lesson plans that future teachers can use.

Lucille Lannigan is a growth and development reporter for Morris Multimedia.