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# Education, Labor Departments Announce New Efforts to Advance Teacher Preparation Programs and Expand Registered Apprenticeships for Educators 

# Education, Labor Departments Announce New Efforts to Advance Teacher Preparation Programs and Expand Registered Apprenticeships for Educators 

July 27, 2023

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
The  U.S. Departments of Education and Labor today announced a series of new efforts  to expand Registered Apprenticeships for educators and invest in teacher  preparation programs. These efforts advance a key focus area of the Department  of Education’s Raise the Bar: Lead the World initiative to boldly improve learning conditions by eliminating educator  shortages and build on a joint letter sent by the Secretaries of Education and Labor last summer, which called on  state education and workforce leaders to take action to address educator  shortages. Today’s announcement includes: 
- New National  Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards (NGS) for Registered Apprenticeships  for K-12 teachers developed by  The Pathways Alliance;
- More than $27 million  from the Department of Education to support educator preparation programs;  
- More than $65 million  from the Department of Labor to develop and scale Registered Apprenticeship  programs in critical sectors across 45 states—with 35 targeting education;   
- The Department of  Labor is announcing a new industry intermediary to launch, promote and expand  Registered Apprenticeship programs for K-12 educators; and  
- A policy brief  authored by the Department of Education that highlights how states are taking  strategic steps outlined by the Biden-Harris Administration to support the  effective recruitment, preparation, and retention of teachers. 

“Teacher  apprenticeships are a key strategy in our plan to Raise the Bar in education  and improve learning conditions in our schools by ending the educator shortage  and providing all students with great teachers who are prepared to succeed in  the classroom from day one,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.  “Providing opportunities for future teachers to earn while they learn has  created an affordable and exciting pathway into the teaching profession that  can help states build a talented and diverse pipeline of educators at a moment  when doing so has never mattered more. I’m thrilled that in just one year, the  Biden-Harris Administration has helped grow the number of states with  Registered Apprenticeship programs for teachers from two to 21, and  look forward to these new guidelines helping get all 50 states get onboard.” 

“The Department of Labor’s investments will enable states to  strengthen educator pipelines and create pathways to opportunity through a  proven earn-as-you-learn model of Registered Apprenticeships,” said Acting U.S.  Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This important partnership with the U.S.  Department of Education advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s  whole-of-government approach to building a highly-skilled, diverse workforce  that is reflective of the communities that teachers serve.” 

“We  are grateful to the Departments of Labor and Education and all of our partner  organizations for their leadership and partnership in developing these  apprenticeship standards,” said Erin Mote from The Pathways Alliance. “More  than just guidelines, these standards represent our collective commitment to  nurturing a preparation pipeline that supports broad access to high-quality  preparation and champions diversity and inclusivity for educators.” 

**National  Guidelines for K-12 Teacher Registered Apprenticeships:** 

The  newly released National Guidelines for  Apprenticeship Standards (NGS) for Registered  Apprenticeships for K-12 teachers was developed by The Pathways Alliance and approved  by the Department of Labor. The NGS can guide states, school districts, and  other apprenticeship sponsors to align their programs to quality standards for  K-12 teachers. 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. 

The  Pathways Alliance NGS working group included the American Association of  Colleges for Teacher Education, National Education Association, American  Federation of Teachers, Learning Policy Institute, National Association of  Workforce Boards, National Center for Grow Your Own, National Center for  Teacher Residencies, Arizona State University, Cooperative Educational Service  Agency 6, Deans for Impact, InnovateEDU,  Inspire Texas, Prepared To Teach, Substantial,  and TeachMe  Education. 

**Department  of Education Investments:** 

The  Department of Education also 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 outlined by  the Biden-Harris Administration to support the effective recruitment,  preparation, and retention of teachers. The pandemic resulted in the loss of  730,000 jobs, or 9 percent, of all local public education jobs from February to  May of 2020. While recovery has varied by state, as of June, at the national  level there are now only 1.2 percent fewer individuals working in local public  education than before the pandemic.   

The  Department of Education also announced new awards totaling more than $27  million to support these efforts, including:  
- $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.  

Eighteen  states have participated in a learning series led by the Department of  Education that is supporting state education, educator preparation, and labor  organization leaders in planning, designing, and implementing teacher  Registered Apprenticeship Programs for K-12 teachers as a long-term strategy  for strengthening and diversifying the teacher workforce. Registered  Apprenticeships are a valuable tool in addressing the teacher shortage and the  NGS released today will help expand the number of states with high-quality  programs. These programs can be effective, high-quality “earn and learn” models  that allow candidates to earn their teaching credentials through structured,  paid on-the-job learning experiences with mentors, combined with coursework,  and can be used to bring to the table additional resources to support the  expansion of teacher residency and Grow-Your-Own programs. By reducing the cost  of earning a license and offering flexible scheduling, these programs open the  doors to the profession to those who may otherwise face barriers, including  teachers of color and individuals such as paraprofessionals who may already  have decades of experience in the classroom, but previously did not have an  affordable pathway to become a teacher.   

**Department  of Labor Investments:** 

The  Department of Labor also announced the award of over $65 million 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. 

Furthermore,  the Department of Labor is announcing a new Registered Apprenticeship industry  intermediary, RTI International, that will specifically focus on launching,  promoting, and expanding Registered Apprenticeship programs in K-12 education. 
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