Students in Tennessee Tech’s College of Education & Human Sciences gather in the Jeffers Learning Resource Center on Tech’s campus.
Tennessee Tech University has been awarded a $178,634 grant through the State of Tennessee’s Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP), creating nine funded apprenticeship positions designed to help address teacher shortages while expanding pathways to educator licensure. The funding will support four bachelor’s degree apprenticeship seats and five post-baccalaureate apprenticeship seats through June 2028 as part of Tech’s “RTAP SOAR: the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program for Sustaining On-the-job Apprenticeships Regionally,” led by project director Jeremy Wendt, chair of Tech’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The award, administered through the Tennessee Department of Education, will help aspiring educators complete degree and licensure requirements while working in Tennessee school districts. Grant funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment and licensure assessment costs associated with earning a teaching credential. The apprenticeship model is designed to create “earn while you learn” pathways into the teaching profession, allowing participants to gain paid classroom experience while completing educator preparation requirements. The grant supports Tech’s educator preparation efforts through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education & Human Sciences, building on the university’s long-standing role in preparing Tennessee’s teacher workforce. Tech has coordinated and awarded teaching licenses for more than 100 years. According to Tech’s grant application, more than 85% of Tennessee school districts faced unfilled teaching positions at the start of the 2024-25 school year, with staffing shortages particularly impacting rural communities. “This grant expands opportunities for individuals who want to become teachers while remaining connected to the communities they serve,” said Wendt. “By helping offset the cost of earning a degree and licensure, we can support school districts facing workforce challenges and create more pathways for talented individuals to enter the profession. These apprentices will gain valuable on-the-job experience while working toward becoming licensed educators.” Through the apprenticeship model, participants will work in paid instructional support roles within partner school districts while completing coursework and clinical experiences. The program is designed to strengthen the educator pipeline, particularly in rural communities, by recruiting paraprofessionals, school staff members and career changers who are already invested in the communities where they live and work. “Many of these future teachers are already making a difference in schools in various support roles,” Wendt added. “The apprenticeship model helps remove financial barriers and provides a pathway that allows them to continue working while preparing for a teaching career.” Tech’s grant application included letters of support from five public school systems across the Upper Cumberland region, reflecting strong partnerships between the university and local districts working to address Tennessee’s teacher shortage. Tech’s College of Education & Human Sciences is the largest producer of teachers in Tennessee and enrolled more than 1,700 students this semester. The college partners with school districts across the state and offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and job-embedded pathways leading to educator licensure. “This investment by the state reflects the importance of innovative solutions to strengthen Tennessee’s teacher workforce,” said Lisa Zagumny, dean of Tech’s College of Education & Human Sciences. “Our faculty and staff are committed to preparing highly qualified educators who are ready to serve students from their first day in the classroom. Programs like RTAP help us extend that impact while making teacher preparation more accessible and affordable.” The grant award will support apprentices who begin the program in fall 2026 or spring 2027. For more information about Tech’s College of Education & Human Sciences, visit www.tntech.edu/education.Hence then, the article about tennessee tech receives nearly 180 000 grant to strengthen state s educator workforce through apprenticeships was published today ( ) and is available on Smith County Insider ( United Arab Emirates ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Tennessee Tech receives nearly $180,000 grant to strengthen state’s educator workforce through apprenticeships )
Last updated :
Also on site :
- Two killed and four seriously hurt as car hits group of pedestrians before head-on crash on wrong side of road
- Al-Shaghadri urges deceived residents of Al-Dhale& 039; to seize general amnesty & stay out of enemy plots
- Mohammed Abdulsalam: Aggressive military escalation against Yemen will achieve no objective for Saudi regime