ED and DOL Announce Resources to Support Teacher Apprenticeship Programs

Last week, the Department of Education (ED) and Department of Labor (DOL) released a new National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards (NGS) for Registered Apprenticeships for K-12 teachers. The NGS will be a resource for states, districts and other apprenticeship sponsors to align their programs to quality standards. It also provides a framework that partners can use to develop state specific program standards and provide for expedited development and approval of new apprenticeship programs. 

This builds on the work by ED and DOL that began in November 2021,  when the “K-12 teacher” occupation was recognized as eligible for apprenticeship. Since then, 21 states have registered apprenticeships for educators. The NGS was developed by the Pathways Alliance which is made up of 16 national and regional education organizations. 

In addition to the NGS, ED released a policy brief, Raise the Bar: Eliminating Educator Shortages through Increased Compensation, High-Quality and Affordable Preparation and Teacher Leadership, that highlights how states nationwide are taking strategic steps to support the effective recruitment, preparation, and retention of teachers.

ED and DOL announced investments to support this work: 

• $14.5 million in Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants. These awards are intended to improve the quality of prospective and new teachers by improving educator preparation programs and supports for new teachers.  
• $12.7 million in Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) funds to support the implementation of evidence-based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance the skills of educators. These grants also will enable recipients to develop, expand, and evaluate practices that can serve as models to be sustained, replicated, and scaled and include career advancement opportunities for current teachers.  
• Over $65 million from DOL in formula and competitive grants to 45 states and territories to develop and scale registered apprenticeship programs in education and other critical sectors. Thirty-five of the 45 states and territories that received formula funds under this program identified the education sector as one of their targeted sectors. DOL made competitive awards to Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Washington, and New Hampshire to support the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship Programs for K-12 teachers, as well as other sectors prioritized by these grantees.