Indiana University East introduces new IU Registered Apprenticeship K-12 Teacher Program

Indiana University East is introducing a new IU Registered Apprenticeship K-12 Teacher Program that aims to reduce the teacher shortage throughout the state by providing substitute teachers, teaching assistants, and paraprofessionals the opportunity to work to a degree in education to become teachers while working in their classrooms throughout the program.

According to an article on Indiana University East’s website, Jerry Wilde, who is Dean of the School of Education at Indiana University East, calls the apprenticeship program a “game changer.” He is quoted as saying of the methods of the apprenticeship program to bring more teachers into the field, “This is going to make this very tangible.”

The IU Registered Apprenticeship K-12 Teacher Program allows people already working in classrooms as paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, or substitute teachers to continue working and earning wages while they also attend classes at Indiana University East to work toward a bachelor degree in education.

Program participants may be eligible to receive financial assistance for tuition, books, transportation, and childcare, all of which will make the path toward becoming a teacher more affordable, in addition to earning pay and benefits through their employer school as a school employee. Other benefits of the program include mentorships and community support.

Leah M. Nellis, Ph.D., the Assistant Vice President for School Partnerships at Indiana University, said, “All apprentices will be able to work and complete their education, and will have an assigned mentor.”

Anyone interested in participating in the Registered Apprenticeship K-12 Teacher Program is invited to attend an information session led by Nellis at IU East on February 25 from 1pm to 2:30pm. It will take place in the Campus Community Room in Whitewater Hall.

For more information about Indiana University East, visit the school’s website.