Enterprise Visits: Teachers' Training Week in an Enterprise

Purpose and process

The aim of these enterprise visits is for teachers to gain an insight into the kind of skills needed for different jobs and roles in various industries. They may be placed in any type of company such as an oil refinery or a paint manufacturer and will work there for a whole week in order to learn through first-hand experience how the enterprise operates.

Learning outcomes

Teachers can:

• Learn about working life and entrepreneurial activities first hand
• Understand how their subject is applied in the workplace
• Build a sustainable relationship with their placement provider
• Develop entrepreneurial learning activities and opportunities for their students based on what they see in the workplace
• Gather materials and resources for use in the classroom.

Curricular or thematic relevance

The  Finnish national curriculum defines a need for schools to forge relationships with enterprises and this approach can help in that process. It would be particularly useful for teachers of core subjects including STEM but has potential for teachers of any subject.

How to organise:

The training week would be run as an extra-curricular activity.

Volunteer involvement

Placement providers willing to give time to supporting the teachers working with them are essential to the success of this programme

Additional comments

In Finland there are a range of different models for the Teacher's Training Week in the enterprise. Some of the training weeks are funded by schools, but there are also local projects for testing, reporting on and funding activities like this. Depending on the budget (and the project) there are different solutions as to how the placements are handled.

Provider country

Finland