Lakeland University Part of State’s First Teacher Apprenticeship Program
Lakeland University is among the partners in Wisconsin’s first teacher apprenticeship program, which will help state school districts address ongoing concerns with hiring, training, and retaining teachers.
The pilot program will train teachers for instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms using the Wisconsin Apprenticeship earn-while-you-learn structure. Participants complete education requirements, certifications, and licensure while learning to be a teacher in the classroom.
Apprentices will earn an associate degree from the Wisconsin Technical College System and a Bachelor of Arts in elementary and middle school education (grades K-9) from Lakeland.
The teacher apprenticeship pilot program is a partnership between employer school districts, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Technical College System, and Lakeland.
Several school districts contacted the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development to determine if apprenticeships could help solve the issue of attracting, training, and retaining teaching staff.
To meet employer demand and industry need, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards collaborated with partners to launch the teacher apprenticeship pilot program.
“As a longtime leader in innovative educational offerings, we are proud to be involved in another first-of-its kind offering in Wisconsin,” said Lakeland President Beth Borgen. “This partnership leverages our strong relationships with the state’s technical colleges and our commitment to learning that happens on the job through our Cooperative Education program.
“We’re celebrating forty-five years of delivering bachelor’s degrees to working adults. The teacher apprentice program is the latest way we can partner with our peers to provide solutions to regional and statewide educational challenges.”
Under the teacher apprenticeship pilot program, participants earn while they learn, putting a required degree—and a teaching career—within reach.