RISE and district expand career-alignment efforts: educator externships, 8th‑grade experience and job palooza
September 25, 2026 | Savannah-Chatham County, School Districts, Georgia
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Anna Chaffen, president and CEO of RISE (Regional Industry Support Enterprise), presented the organization’s two‑and‑a‑half year program of work and how it aligns to the district’s strategic plan. RISE said it was founded after a regional workforce study tied to the Hyundai announcement and now serves an eight-county region inside a one‑hour commute area.
Chaffen described 2025 program highlights that directly involve SECPSS: an 8th-grade experience event introducing hands-on learning to hundreds of students; a regional educator externship (teachers spend a week embedded with employers); a higher-education alignment summit; a job palooza that drew more than 120 employers and roughly 2,000 jobseekers; and targeted industry-insider visits to schools. She said employers repeatedly emphasize employability skills — attendance, dependability and teamwork — as well as technical skills.
Board members asked how state academic standards align with employer needs; Chaffen said RISE helped update the manufacturing pathway by convening employers who provided direct input to the state Department of Education during a pathway revision. Board members also asked about integrating employability skills in earlier grades; RISE said programs like an industry-insiders speakers bureau and educator externships are designed to do that.
RISE and district leaders discussed near-term opportunities: expanding K–12 messaging campaigns, scaling the educator externship program, and using the RISE job board to list district positions. Chaffen said RISE will continue to coordinate employer forums, host the eighth-grade experience (Savannah-Chatham date Nov. 18), and develop stronger pipelines between schools and local jobs.
Quote: "For a good manufacturing job, people will travel up to about an hour," Chaffen said, explaining RISE’s eight-county coverage area and its employer-centered planning approach.
Provenance: RISE presentation and Q&A at board retreat.
Chaffen described 2025 program highlights that directly involve SECPSS: an 8th-grade experience event introducing hands-on learning to hundreds of students; a regional educator externship (teachers spend a week embedded with employers); a higher-education alignment summit; a job palooza that drew more than 120 employers and roughly 2,000 jobseekers; and targeted industry-insider visits to schools. She said employers repeatedly emphasize employability skills — attendance, dependability and teamwork — as well as technical skills.
Board members asked how state academic standards align with employer needs; Chaffen said RISE helped update the manufacturing pathway by convening employers who provided direct input to the state Department of Education during a pathway revision. Board members also asked about integrating employability skills in earlier grades; RISE said programs like an industry-insiders speakers bureau and educator externships are designed to do that.
RISE and district leaders discussed near-term opportunities: expanding K–12 messaging campaigns, scaling the educator externship program, and using the RISE job board to list district positions. Chaffen said RISE will continue to coordinate employer forums, host the eighth-grade experience (Savannah-Chatham date Nov. 18), and develop stronger pipelines between schools and local jobs.
Quote: "For a good manufacturing job, people will travel up to about an hour," Chaffen said, explaining RISE’s eight-county coverage area and its employer-centered planning approach.
Provenance: RISE presentation and Q&A at board retreat.
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