[ Business-Education Partnership ]
Putting Education to Work

“The Business-Education Partnership provides students and teachers opportunities to work collaboratively with business and community leaders to develop and enhance programs for young people.”
- Dr. Lloyd Jaeger, School Superintendent

We are facing a time of real change in our economy. Business, education and government need to join forces as a shared imperative in creating a 21st century workforce that will successfully adapt and compete in our local and global economy. In sharing this responsibility, business and education must take a stand in educating our students about the future needs of our region.

The Business-Education Partnership (BEP) is a dynamic group of school administrators and educators in partnership with area business professionals. They have formed an alliance to assist our region in addressing these current challenges of supporting innovation and workforce preparation.

Locally, the BEP is researching and embracing strategies and developing programs that will offer every student specific and successful career development experiences that will help them to prepare to enter into the workforce. Additionally, the partnership promotes the means for educators and business professionals to design and deliver programs and curricular experiences that are mutually beneficial in enabling students to achieve this vision.

The benefits of such programs are enormous. Educators can better prepare students for the workforce; students develop skills expected in the workforce; and business professionals actively contribute in the education process of our community.

Access to a quality workforce is vital to the success of your business.
The BEP has a vested interest in helping you grow your business by
retaining qualified, motivated employees. Please join us!

Business-Education Partnership
A Program of The Chamber Foundation, Inc.
Program Descriptions



The Culinary Institute of America’s Exploratory Program Scholarship

Attention High School Students:
Are you an aspiring gourmet?
Here’s your chance to test your skills at the CIA!

The Chamber Foundation, Inc. invites interested juniors and seniors in local school districts to apply for The Culinary Institute of America’s Career Discovery Scholarship and prepare for future success in the foodservice industry!

This innovative hands-on program was designed to introduce students to the field of the
culinary arts, while giving insight on future career decisions.

This unique exploratory program is presented in the kitchens and bakeshops of the world
famed Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. The recipient of this scholarship will
spend a few days of their summer vacation rooming on campus with students from all across the nation learning how to organize a professional kitchen, operate the tools of the trade, proper cooking techniques, terminology, industry trends and much, much more while working alongside world acclaimed chef instructors.

Walk in My Shoes Program
What would it be like to walk a day in your shoes?

The Chamber Foundation, Inc. is currently seeking dynamic business professionals in our
region who have a vested interest in the future of education as it relates to one of the most
critical components of successful economic development – a qualified workforce.

The Walk in My Shoes teacher exchange program is a new and innovative program that
offers business a rare opportunity to influence our education system. Teachers from area
school districts are carefully paired with an area business professional for a reciprocal one day “shadow” experience and school visitation in a career field that specifically relates to the teacher’s classroom curriculum.

Key objectives of this experience are to:
• Help teachers become more aware of the relationship between what they are teaching in
the classroom and the careers in which they shadow.
• Engage business in education, giving them the opportunity to lend a voice reflecting on
their future needs to foster growth in the Dutchess County workforce.
Key outcomes from sharing this experience:
• What steps can students take now to better prepare themselves to become successful in
a particular career.
• Make recommendations to the teachers on how to transfer the skills and requirements
into the teacher’s lesson plans.
• Make teachers more aware of the projected growth in a particular industry.


Math Science Technology (MST) Lecture Series

In a society driven by fierce competition, it’s become all the more apparent that math,
science and technology skills are imperative as students prepare themselves for the workforce. Recognizing this, the Business-Education Partnership developed The MST Lecture Series.

The purpose of the Lecture Series is not only to make available to students within Dutchess County practical information relevant to their academic studies in the subject areas of math, science and technology, but also to provide a forum that will be conducive to heightening their awareness of and encouraging their interest in related career fields.