Enabling students to get an up-close glimpse of various careers is a great way to get them to start thinking about the types of jobs in which they might be interested.

On this page, we’ve praised efforts by school districts to encourage students to take part in job shadowing.

Last year, the Eagle’s sister paper — Business Matters — published a story on how middle and high school students can take part in job shadowing to expose them to a day in the life of a worker in manufacturing and other industries.

And we were enthusiastic about a grant obtained by the Butler Area School District that allowed it to expand its apprenticeship programs and job shadowing opportunities.

Last week, the Eagle published a story on another great idea: allowing Seneca Valley teachers the same job shadowing opportunities as their students.

The Teacher in the Workplace grant funds job shadowing and industry education opportunities during which teachers — many of whom went from high school and college straight to teaching — can learn how workers in a number of occupations go about their day-to-day jobs.

Those professions include nurses, medical secretaries, paralegals and various trades, such as pipe fitters and brick masons. Many of the professions are identified by the state as those seeing an increase in vacancies — and, therefore, a need for more workers.

The Balance — a website focused on career planning topics — notes that job shadowing can provide a rich experience by allowing participants to witness the nuances of a worker’s everyday experience. It not only allows them to observe how a job is done, but also what is expected and how employees interact.

But the experience can be just as meaningful for teachers. While students can learn whether a particular industry interests them, a teacher engaged in job shadowing can gain insight into a job, see how workers in a particular field collaborate and relay information back to their students.

Encouraging a student to pursue a specific career path could be easier for a teacher once a greater understanding of that career is gained through observation.

Jeff Roberts, Seneca Valley’s supervisor of gifted education and student services, said teachers want to prepare students for a 21st century workplace, but “it’s hard to know what that is if you haven’t experienced it yourself.”

He makes a good point. We think job shadowing — for students and teachers — should be encouraged, and other districts should consider adopting such a program.