Administration also announces pre-apprenticeship partnership with Durfee High School and the Northern New England Laborers

Fall River - As part of Massachusetts Apprenticeship Week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the launch of the state’s first Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed to diversify and strengthen the educator workforce and pipeline across Massachusetts. 

Undersecretary for Apprenticeship, Work-Based Learning, and Policy Josh Cutler, Assistant Secretary for Career Education Bob LePage and Acting Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Russell D. Johnston made the announcement at B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River. Undersecretary Cutler also announced a pre-apprentice partnership with B.M.C. Durfee and the Northern New England Laborers, where 20 seniors from B.M.C. Durfee High School committed to apprenticeships at the event. 

In a partnership between the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s (EOLWD) Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS), the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program will offer aspiring educators a new pathway into the teaching profession at little to no cost to them. The apprenticeship model aims to diversify and strengthen the educator workforce by allowing aspiring teachers to work toward a full teaching license while employed in an instructional role in a district. This earn-and-learn approach will remove financial barriers to teaching and ensure more equitable?opportunities?to enter into?the profession.

“Massachusetts leads the nation in education in large part thanks to our talented, dedicated educators. Our administration is committed to growing and retaining the education workforce by investing in apprenticeships that provide hands-on training and guidance,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Together, our administration is making Massachusetts the best place to live, get an education and training, work and build your future.”

“Our administration is proud to work collaboratively to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing the state, and this apprenticeship is a great example of what teamwork and breaking down government silos can achieve,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. 

The Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program will provide future educators with hands-on, practical experience in full-time instructional roles while they complete their licensure requirements. The program will be rolled out in phases, beginning with selecting district and educator preparation program partnerships and developing resources and guidebooks to support the apprenticeship model.

As the intermediary for registered teacher apprenticeship programs in Massachusetts, DESE will begin accepting applications from districts in late 2024. The Department is also launching a competitive grant program this fall to support a small cohort of pilot districts that are positioned to implement registered apprenticeships for some of the state’s hardest-to-staff roles, such as special education and English as a second language teachers. The state anticipates that the first group of registered teacher apprentices will be employed in fall 2025. 

“We know that fewer students these days want to become teachers. And we also know the meaningful impact it has on students and their learning and success to have teachers who look like them. I am grateful that our administration is launching the first Massachusetts apprenticeship program for K-12 educators. This program will help us build a more diverse and robust K-12 education profession and support the economic mobility of aspiring educators to earn while they learn, leading to improved access to high-quality education for students and their families,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler.

“As we grow our workforce, we must also improve access, opportunity, and equity to build the talent needed to maintain Massachusetts’ competitiveness-and this includes a strong pipeline for Massachusetts educators,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones. “By teaming up between DESE and EOLWD, we are leveraging a proven model that will develop educators by paving a career with meaningful wages, benefits, and skills, and in turn, these educators will be ready to prepare students-our future workforce.”?

“Registered Apprenticeship offers a trusted blueprint to help remove barriers for new teachers to enter the profession while still maintaining high standards of quality. We’re excited to partner with DESE to support this innovative new teacher apprenticeship program,” said Undersecretary for Apprenticeship Josh Cutler.

“The Registered Teacher Apprenticeship is a great opportunity for prospective teachers to learn while working and is a vital new pathway to increasing the diversity and effectiveness of our educator workforce,” said Acting Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Russell D. Johnston. “This program is designed to have a positive impact on educators and students alike.”  

The Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program will be done through robust partnerships and collaboration with stakeholders, including educator preparation providers and the state’s two major teachers’ unions. This collaborative approach ensures that the program remains coherent and aligned with the teaching and learning needs of the state. More information on the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program is available online.

“The Massachusetts Teachers Association is proud to be part of the groundbreaking effort behind the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program, which addresses the educator shortage and prioritizes workforce diversity,” said MTA President, Max Page. 

“Through close collaboration with DESE and other partners, this new apprenticeship program offers aspiring teachers hands-on training and a direct path to licensure, removing barriers that have long kept talented individuals out of the classroom. Together, we are committed to building a more inclusive and effective teaching force that reflects the rich diversity of our students and the needs of our excellent public schools,” said MTA Vice President Deb McCarthy. 

“This new program will help support our efforts to recruit and retain more educators, including educators of color and in districts with vacancies,” said Jessica Tang, President of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. “We applaud Secretaries Tutwiler and Jones for their collaboration on this program and their efforts to support those working toward licensure in innovative ways, helping our next generation of teachers continue their path toward a valuable career in education.”

Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs (RTAPs) are an effective workforce development model that provide individuals with paid work experience and on-the-job training to gain nationally recognized credentials while offering progressive wage increases, supporting economic mobility, and driving greater?affordability, equity, and competitiveness. The launch of the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program is part of the Healey-Driscoll administration’s  commitment to expanding Registered Apprenticeship in more industries, including education plus health care, advanced manufacturing, the life sciences, and more through both grant funding and an expanded tax credit included in the administration’s $1 billion tax cut package.