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Montana awarded federal funds to pilot registered teacher apprenticeships; RFP seeks educator‑prep partners
Summary
Montana won roughly $4.6 million in federal apprenticeship funds to pilot registered teacher apprenticeships aimed at growing place‑based teachers (target: 160 apprentices across up to 40 districts, incl. at least 12 rural/tribal placements); OPI and the state apprenticeship office opened an RFP for educator‑prep programs through March 9.
Montana's registered apprenticeship agency and the Office of Public Instruction announced a federally funded pilot to create registered teacher apprenticeships intended to expand the local teacher pipeline and improve retention.
The State Workforce Innovation Board‑led project will use a roughly $4.6 million federal apprenticeship award to subsidize related instruction, mentor support and district onboarding for an initial cohort of approximately 160 teacher apprentices across the state. Officials said they expect to partner with up to 40 school districts and require at least 12 placements in rural, tribal or frontier communities.
Under the program, apprentices earn progressive wages while completing competency‑based on‑the‑job training and related instruction provided by selected educator preparation programs. The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and OPI will coordinate credentialing, while the Department of Labor will handle registration and quality assurance. A mentor stipend (noted in the RFP materials as a cumulative $6,000 over an apprenticeship) and approved related instruction courses are part of the funded package.
Crystal Armstrong, administrator of the state's workforce services division, said the RFP for educator‑prep providers is competitive and open through March 9, with vendor scoring in March–April and awards planned for April so recruited apprentices and districts can begin in fall 2026. The state emphasized that registered apprenticeships lead to the same credentials and licensure as traditional paths and that the model is intended to be complementary to existing teacher‑preparation programs.
OPI and the apprenticeship office will host information sessions and maintain a district needs survey (growingteachers.mt.gov) to help education providers connect with districts.
If funded pilots show strong retention and outcomes, officials said they will seek sustainable funding and broader scaling. The board heard the presentation and no board action was required at the informational session.
