UNLV says Nevada Forward apprenticeship has enrolled 1,200 and reports high graduation, retention rates

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas told the Nevada Assembly Committee on Education that its Nevada Forward educator apprenticeship has reached apprentices in every Assembly and Senate district and has served 1,200 participants to date.

UNLV College of Education representatives presented the program to the committee on the scheduled meeting day, saying the apprenticeship combines on-the-job learning with university instruction to allow employees to remain employed while completing licensure pathways. "The program has served 1,200 apprentices," UNLV presenter Jeff Sheehy said, adding the program posts a "97.6 percent graduation rate" and a "95% retention rate." Sheehy also said 65% of apprentices are from underrepresented groups and that the program has produced about 750 licensed teachers so far.

Committee members were given a description of how the registered apprenticeship works in Nevada and how it differs from traditional student teaching or residency models. Kenny Varner, presenting for UNLV, said Nevada is registered through the state apprenticeship agency and that UNLV’s apprenticeship has grown to be one of the largest in the country. Varner told the committee that the program is designed to cover tuition and fees so apprentices incur no out-of-pocket instructional costs. "We pay the full price to UNLV, for their work," Varner said.

UNLV described operational features they credited for the program’s results: statewide reach with online instruction to serve rural counties, a braided funding approach that applies Pell and other entitlements first before covering remaining tuition (described as a "last dollar" model), concierge services to help apprentices navigate higher-education bureaucracy, and three years of post-program support aimed at improving early-career retention.

On funding, Varner told Assemblymember Daniel Mosca that about 75% of the non-federal portion of funding labeled in the presentation comes from the Legislature (applied as last dollar after Pell and other entitlements) and that the remaining program staffing and concierge services are paid through a mix of federal and other non-legislative sources. Mosca praised the braided funding approach during questioning.

Committee members also asked about program pathways and participants. Varner outlined three apprenticeship pathways: a youth apprenticeship aligned with AB 428; an undergraduate apprenticeship (with a pre-apprenticeship option for those with fewer than 60 credits); and a graduate apprenticeship track intended for participants who already hold bachelor’s degrees and need roughly 36 credits for licensure. Varner and Sheehy said apprentices’ GPAs were similar to or slightly higher than traditional students and that student satisfaction was higher.

Assemblymember Da Silva asked how the program works with paraprofessionals and other school support staff. Varner replied the apprenticeship embeds on-the-job learning within the employee’s existing duties and that districts and principals work with UNLV to progressively increase responsibilities toward a full-day teacher role while keeping the employee employed.

UNLV representatives urged sustained, braided funding and better capital investment to expand early-childhood pathways. They asked legislators to consider licensure and administrative changes that would keep costs and duplicative licensing burdens down, and to prioritize programs that reduce barriers to licensure.

The presentation closed before the committee moved to a separate bill hearing. Committee members thanked the presenters and several members expressed support for the apprenticeship approach as a strategy to address teacher shortages across urban and rural Nevada.

Ending: The committee did not take formal action on the presentation itself; the item served as a briefing and background for the committee’s policy work during the session.