Teachers participate in unprecedented site visit to Ford Motor Corporation Kansas City assembly plant
It’s one of the largest vehicle assembly plant is the United States, and a local employer of over 4200 people in the advanced manufacturing industry. The Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant welcomed educators from the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) and the Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD) for a site visit in March. During the visit educators met with Ford leaders to learn about the skills and knowledge their students need to be viable candidates for careers with Ford. The visit also included a rare production floor tour.

PREP-KC, in partnership with OneKC WIRED, has hired four Industry Area Liaisons to enhance college and career connections with the KCMSD and the KCKPS. The four liaisons, as seasoned professionals with a combined 75 years of career experience in their fields, work to strengthen the business and industry connections in the small learning communities of both districts b y developing job shadowing, work-place tours, internships and externships for teachers and students. These experiences help bring leading-edge industry practices into the classroom. The liaisons have professional experience in the three of the region’s highest-need industry areas: advanced manufacturing, health care and biotechnology.

The liaison positions are funded through PREP-KC’s participation in WIRED, a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition to funding the liaison positions, PREP-KC also funds stipends for 46 high school teachers who also serve as College and Career Coordinators in the KCKPS and KCMSD. This innovative system of focused professionals creates a framework for building meaningful, connections between classroom learning and college and career exploration and preparation.

Educators attending the Ford site visit all hold leadership roles within their Small Learning Communities. Tara Michem, College and Career Coordinator for the Engineering and Technology Community at Van Horn High School in the KCMSD, said the visit opened her eyes to the level of technology in use in the advanced manufacturing field.
“After the visit I told my students, ‘the same things that make your favorite video game fun… you can do that same kind of work to build cars’,” said Michem.
In addition, Michem can already see how the visit is impacting her teaching.
“Now, in my social studies class, when we talk about ancient civilizations and how they built their structures, I talk about how cars are built in today’s society. This kind of concrete, modern connection really helps the students see the relevance of the topic.”

Ford leaders felt honored to welcome the teachers. “We have a joint interest in these students,” said Annita O’Connor, Salaried Personnel Supervisor in Human Resources with Ford. “We all want to help these students be well prepared for the career opportunities available at Ford, and more broadly through the field of advanced manufacturing.”