Marshallown teachers Shea Hill, left, and Pam McDonnell are participating in weeklong externships to learn more about local careers. Hill is at Mechdyne while McDonnell is at the City of Marshalltown.
For a video on this program, click here.
Miller Middle School teacher Shea Hill and Marshalltown High School teacher Pam McDonnell are participating in weeklong externships in an effort to learn more about different career skills and bring that information back to their students.
Hill is learning from staff at Mechdyne while McDonnell is learning about the work in the City of Marshalltown Public Works Department.
Miller Middle School teacher Shea Hill talks with Stefan Peng. Stefan is a 2016 Marshalltown High School graduate and a summer intern at Mechdyne. He is studying computer engineering at Iowa State University.
Mechdyne
Hill said she has had an eye-opening experience at Mechdyne, the Marshalltown-based company focused on innovation and technology.
“It’s eye-opening how dynamic the company itself is and the different skills that all of the people bring to the table,” Hill said.
She said she hopes to bring back not only skills to teach her students but will also try to replicate the culture of the work environment that she has witnessed at Mechdyne. The company has allowed her to see teamwork and commitment in action, which helps Mechdyne thrive as a global leader in technology.
Marshalltown High School teacher Pam McDonnell is pictured with City of Marshalltown Public Works Director Justin Nickel.
City of Marshalltown
McDonnell is spending the week learning from Justin Nickel, Public Works Director with the city. She said she is learning about city functions and hopes to get a “deeper understanding of career and work skills” that she can show her students.
One thing she said that is an important skill is interpersonal communication.
“You have to be able to communicate with a wide range of people to be successful,” McDonnell said.
Iowa Valley coordinates program
Hungerford
Terri Hungerford, of the Iowa Valley Community College District, coordinates these externships through the Iowa Valley Intermediary Program. She said these experiences definitely help Marshalltown students.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our educators to learn more about area businesses by spending time with employers and employees, to bring back what they learned and share the knowledge with their students,” Hungerford said.
