SAVANNAH, Ga. – Georgia Tech-Savannah is seeking corporate sponsors for its Georgia Intern Fellowship for Teachers (GIFT) program, a professional development program that provides paid summer internships in industry workplaces and university laboratories for Georgia K-12 School teachers in STEM related disciplines.  GIFT offers teachers “real world” applications of the subjects they teach, allowing them to increase content knowledge and gain practical examples of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics applications. 

“In exchange for a modest stipend for area teachers, corporate sponsors will gain an understanding of the educational system and how subjects are being taught to students who will comprise the workforce of the future,” said Trish Heichel, GIFT program coordinator. “In the long run, teachers will gain true corporate experience that can be transferred to the classroom, thereby improving the educational system.”

Other benefits of participation include the presence of an enthusiastic and motivated teacher as an employee, which brings a new perspective and unique set of skills to the work environment; the opportunity to foster relationships between teachers, businesses, and universities; and a leading role in preparing students for the workforce.

GIFT was founded in founded in 1991 as a program of the Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC). GIFT teachers spend 4 to 7 weeks experiencing first hand how industrial scientists and researchers approach problems, design experiments, interpret data, communicate findings, and develop and implement workplace solutions. Since its founding, GIFT has placed teachers in more than 2,000 positions statewide.

To learn more about GIFT, or to sign up to be a corporate sponsor, contact Trish Heichel at trish.heichel@ceismc.gatech.edu or 912-966-7933.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION:

Georgia Tech Professional Education is an academic division of the Georgia Institute of Technology, offering professional master’s degrees, short courses, and certificate programs to meet the needs of working professionals and industry partners. Programs are available at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center in Atlanta, the Georgia Tech-Savannah campus, and worldwide through a variety of formats. In addition to professional course offerings, the division manages meeting and event facilities, and administers K-12 outreach and English as a Second Language programs. Last year alone, Georgia Tech Professional Education served individuals representing more than 3,000 companies, with an enrollment of more than 26,000.