CCSNJ’s South Jersey Summer Institute for Educators is a unique approach to addressing the readiness of the future workforce. The Institute gets to the heart of the issue by exposing area teachers to the South Jersey economy, the skills, traits and characteristics businesses look for when hiring employees. For more than 20 years, this three-week intensive program has graduated nearly 500 area teachers. These teachers incorporate the lessons learned at the Institute into their teachings and reach more than 50,000 students – our future workforce.

The goal of the Institute is to provide a meaningful forum between business and education by:

• Familiarizing participants with key economic, business and policy issues that impact industry and society, particularly in Southern New Jersey.
• Exposing participants to real-world challenges faced by business to provide a better understanding of the skills and characteristics their students will need to be successful in the workplace.
• Involving participants in team projects that will modify and/or develop creative activities for use in the classroom.

Tours, panel discussions, speakers, activities and in-depth discussions with experts make up this unique program that explores key economic concepts and business issues related to workplace readiness. Educators are challenged to incorporate these issues into the classroom. Each participant will earn 100 hours of professional development credits and receive a stipend of $1,500, along with all materials and transportation to and from tours.

The Institute is consistent with New Jersey’s Workplace Readiness Standards of the Core Curriculum Standards by enabling educators to better prepare all students for employment. The Program accomplishes this in three ways:

• By exposing teachers to the skills and characteristics that South Jersey businesses are looking for in their future workforce;
• By providing teachers the opportunity to see first-hand the application of what they teach in a real work environment; and
• By providing teachers invaluable exposure to more than 100 South Jersey business people and government officials.

The Institute is a registered Professional Development Provider of credits. 100 hours of professional development credits can be satisfied in this three-week course.