Among the businesses included

on the tour were Fayette Community Hospital, Hoshizaki America, Wilden

Plastics and the Avenue Shopping Center.

"Most teachers go from

student to teacher and are not aware of how the world of business and

industry works or all of the job opportunities that are available. This

tour was designed to shed some light on that," said Patrick Sennett,

Fayette Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator.

Participant Brandon Whitaker,

a social studies teacher at Starrís Mill High, says his visit to

Hoshizaki revealed a wealth of information that he can share with his

students.

"This was an awesome experience,"

he said. "The production line and trolley at Hoshizaki were impressive.

The exposure to these industries opened a whole new avenue of experience

for discussion with my students."

Teachers from varied disciplines

such as technology, business and health occupations say they all took

information away from the tour that they can incorporate into their lesson

plans for next year. Most importantly, they can show their students how

what they are learning in the classroom relates to the business environment.

"This class was a real

eye-opener," commented Tere Goodwin, counselor at Sandy Creek High

School. "Like myself, most students have little or no idea what takes

place in the industrial setting. Students and parents must realize that

marketable skills offer the best opportunity for success in the future."

In addition to the Fayette

businesses, the teachers visited NACOM and the University of Georgia Experiment

Station in Griffin. While there Hammond Services hosted the teachers for

lunch and a tour of their operations.

The final day of the busy schedule

had the educators in Thomaston where they toured Yamaha Music Manufacturing,

Quad Graphics and Duni Corporation.

A second week of instruction

with 27 new educators took place on June 9. Suzy Herbert, a retired vocational

administrator and educational consultant, guided both tours.