By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe said Monday a new state program for teachers will make them more aware of employers’ needs in today’s work place.

Beebe touted “The Modern Workplace,” a program that will take teachers out of the classroom and into the work place to learn first-hand what skills their students will need to ensure successful future employment.

“One of the things I’ve talked about in higher education, particularly with our two-year institutions, is to try to be more responsive to the needs of business and industry … This actually is a desire to train our teachers, our public school teachers, to understand through immersing them to some extent in that business environment,” Beebe said at a news conference to announce the launch of the program.

Teachers who choose to participate will begin by attending a one-day workshop in which a work place is simulated. They will then tour a group of businesses to learn what skills those businesses prize most in employees.

M.C. Taylor, who teaches family and consumer science at Bay High School, said she participated in a pilot program last year and toured three Northeast Arkansas manufacturing plants: Farr, Denso and Medallion Foods.

Taylor said she learned that one of the skills employers value most is “being able to work at work without being prodded or pushed or shoved or told, ‘This is what you’re going to do next.’”

She said she has since adjusted her teaching style to put more emphasis on students’ self-motivation.

The program is a collaborative effort between the governor’s office, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education.

Department of Workforce Education Director Bill Walker Jr. said districts can use federal funds provided under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act to cover their costs, which he estimated at between $800 and $1,000 per participating teacher.