TEAMSHIP PROGRAM
Preparing the next generation Be the Spark: Teamship program unites local businesses and students
E
very business encounters its fair share of problems. Naturally, business leaders turn to their entrusted employees in these situations. But sometimes it takes a fresh, outside perspective to help cultivate meaningful solutions. Sometimes it takes a group of students.
Reagan High School is an International Baccalaureate World School within Milwaukee Public Schools, on the city’s south side. It was one of the first schools in the Milwaukee area to adopt the program thanks to Ashley Fahey, Reagan’s Career Related Program Coordinator and “Personal and Professional Skills” course instructor. Fahey saw Teamship as a chance for junior-level students to obtain their required internship hours in a classroom setting.
Be the Spark: Teamship program is a reimagined internship experience, providing Milwaukee students with the opportunity to solve real problems for real businesses. Powered by District C, a nonprofit organization cofounded by two educators, the Teamship program helps prepare students for professional roles that will require working in diverse teams to solve complex problems. In an age of AI and automation, Teamship stresses the intrinsically human skillsets that will remain vital in the workforce for generations to come.
“We all have that common goal of creating that highquality local workforce, but this is just a way to actively engage with students and actually make that happen,” said Fahey.
Allie Shane
Communications Specialist MMAC
“We are instilling experiences and skills that go beyond what AI can do for us,” said District C’s chief strategy officer Ashley Mannka.
“We are instilling experiences and skills that go beyond what AI can do for us.” Ashley Mannka, District C District C’s Teamship program began in North Carolina in 2017 and has since spread to seven states and counting, including Wisconsin. MMAC is serving as the liaison between Milwaukee schools and the local business community, creating a pool of local business partners.
6 | Milwaukee Commerce, Fall 2024
“We all have that common goal of creating that high-quality local workforce, but this is just a way to actively engage with students and actually make that happen.” Ashley Fahey, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Before implementing the program in her classroom, Fahey completed her required coach certification through District C. She experienced Teamship from the student perspective to better understand the program’s framework. Working with two individuals she had never met before, Fahey created a prototype for a business and pitched the idea. “To this day, I think it was the best professional development I’ve ever had,” she said. “It’s made me more confident as a teacher, as a facilitator. It makes me feel like I’m doing something not just realistic, but really valuable in my classroom.”