FREEPORT, TX, July 11, 2008 – BASF’s Freeport site recently hosted an “externship” program for a group of teachers and counselors from Brazosport and Angleton Independent School Districts. The program, called an externship because it is held at the BASF site, provided teachers with hands-on experience, as well as insight into how to prepare students for careers in the chemical industry.

The group of seven teachers and counselors went through the pre-employment interview process with members of BASF’s peer interview team at the site so they could share with students the skills BASF looks for in new hires. The interview process also illustrates to teachers the importance of science and math courses and how these courses prepare students for work in industrial technology fields.

“We are challenged with how to provide students, parents and educators information about career opportunities available at BASF,” said Doug Kubala, Training Coordinator for BASF’s Freeport site. “We feel the best way is a ‘show and tell’ type format where teachers experience first hand the culture of the site and understand the skills we’re looking for when hiring.”

To further round out the experience, teachers spent a significant amount of time job-shadowing BASF technicians and touring the site’s plants to learn more about how the site operates and the products made, as well as what a typical work day is like for a technician.

“While in the BASF plant, I was impressed by several elements, including the camaraderie of the staff and spirit of support, the cleanliness of facilities and the pride of each employee,” said Beth Cassidy, Cooperative Education Teacher at Angleton High School.

Joanne Weik, Community Outreach Administrator for BASF’s Freeport site;  Belinda Edge, Senior Information Systems Analyst and steering team member of the site’s Women & Business Issues (WBI) team, and Kubala coordinated BASF’s participation in the program.

“The teachers and counselors now have a better sense of the job requirements and work environment in the chemical industry and can tailor lesson plans based on what they learned,” Weik said.  “This enables these educators to continue to emphasize the importance of science, math, and craft skills courses to students preparing for careers in industry.” 

An additional externship program at BASF is scheduled for later this summer.

BASF’s Freeport site employs 650 employees and 542 contractors. Chemicals produced at the site are used in a wide range of product applications, including adhesives, paints and coatings, superabsorbents, nylon and plastics.

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BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 15,000 employees in North America, and had sales of approximately $16.4 billion in 2007. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from oil and gas to chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals. As a reliable partner, BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF has more than 95,000 employees and posted sales of almost €58 billion in 2007. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.