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VDOE wins $6 million federal grant to expand 'grow your own' teacher apprenticeships
Summary
VDOE’s apprenticeship office said it received a $6,000,000 US Department of Labor SAFE award to scale registered teacher apprenticeships, with $2.55M earmarked for expanding teacher apprenticeship placements (goal: 170 apprentices) and $1.6M for dual‑enrollment/pre‑apprenticeship expansion in high schools.
Shawn LeBlanc, director of the Office of Apprenticeship at the Virginia Department of Education, briefed the advisory board on the registered teacher apprenticeship (Grow Your Own) program and a competitive federal award to expand it.
LeBlanc described the GYO model as an earn‑while‑you‑learn registered apprenticeship that pairs school divisions with educator preparation programs (EPPs). Apprentices are employed in non‑teacher‑of‑record roles (paraprofessional/teacher assistant), complete 2,000–3,000 hours of on‑the‑job training under mentor teachers, and take related technical instruction through EPP partners to earn licensure‑eligible credentials.
LeBlanc announced VDOE’s competitive SAFE grant award from the US Department of Labor totaling $6,000,000. She said the agency allocated $2,550,000 to expand registered teacher apprenticeship placements (the grant seeks to support roughly 170 teacher apprentices over the three‑year award period) and $1,600,000 to increase dual‑enrollment and pre‑apprenticeship (Teachers for Tomorrow) opportunities in public high schools. Other funds will support community college partnerships, pre‑apprenticeship pilots for teacher aides and exploratory work on a principal apprenticeship pathway.
LeBlanc described program priorities: no‑cost tuition for apprentices (grant funds and EPP discounts), wraparound supports (mentoring, tutoring and assessment practice), and a federal requirement that grant dollars pay program costs but not apprentice wages (wages are the employer’s responsibility). She said EPPs rather than school divisions will serve as fiscal agents under the SAFE grant to reduce administrative burden on smaller districts.
Advisory members asked how DOE will ensure geographic equity and compliance with federal EEO requirements; LeBlanc said quarterly and annual federal reporting, competitive award scoring weighted toward low cost per candidate and technical assistance to applicants will address those concerns. Several members requested a follow‑up presentation with programmatic data on iTeach alignment, science‑of‑reading coverage and partner lists at the January meeting.
Next steps: VDOE opened a request for proposals for the SAFE funding; application deadline is November 1 with awards expected by early December for a grant period starting 01/01/2025 and ending 06/30/2027.
