LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky school district is leading a new program that could be a national model for communities wanting to address a teacher shortage.
Nelson County Schools partnered with Western Kentucky University (WKU) to create a K-12 teacher apprenticeship program through Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky.
“Our country needs to seek new, innovative solutions to solve the teacher shortage, and I’m proud to see Kentucky leading the way with the apprenticeship program in Nelson County,” Education Commissioner Jason E. Glass said in a news release. “Putting students on the fast track to becoming teachers will bolster our educator workforce and stand as an example for what other states can do to fill their needs.”
According to a news release, the model incorporates 2.5 hours daily of place-based and experiential learning students may enter as early as ninth grade. Students have the opportunity to participate in dual-credit enrollment through Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC) and WKU to attain 59 hours of college credit, which meets post-secondary general education requirements.
The paid youth apprenticeship program starts in the student's junior or senior year of high school. After graduation, the student will continue to be a paid employee of Nelson County Schools and enrolled at WKU to complete the remaining 61 hours toward a bachelor's degree.
According to a news release, students remain in the Nelson County Schools system throughout the college experience and complete a total of 6,000 hours of coursework and on-the-job training.
“This new apprenticeship program, providing a streamlined, faster pathway for high school students to become a teacher, is an excellent workforce tool that is a first for our state and a model for the nation,” said Education and Labor Cabinet Secretary Jamie Link. “It positions Kentucky as a leader in addressing the critical teacher shortage throughout our country.”
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