By making this investment, the Shapiro Administration continues its critical investments in programs focused on addressing Pennsylvania’s teacher shortage and supporting workforce development across the Commonwealth.
Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration, in line with its focus on investing in workforce development and addressing pressing issues facing the Commonwealth, today announced the availability of a $4.2 million grant opportunity to expand the Certified Teacher Registered Apprenticeship (CTRA) program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to address Pennsylvania’s critical teacher shortage. The program offers a transformative pathway for aspiring educators, paraprofessionals, and emergency-certified teachers to gain full certification, creating an education workforce that better reflects the diverse communities it serves by addressing staffing shortages in Pennsylvania schools and offering earn-as-you-learn opportunities for individuals pursuing careers as certified elementary and secondary teachers.
The Department of Labor & Industry (L&I), in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), is seeking applications from organizations to support CTRA programs. Individual grants of up to $400,000 will support single school district initiatives, while grants of up to $600,000 will fund efforts serving multiple districts or regions.
“This program is an innovative Pennsylvania solution to the teacher shortages affecting schools and students nationwide. By combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction, we’re creating pathways to family-sustaining careers while helping our schools and students thrive,” said L&I Secretary Nancy A. Walker. “Fewer people have pursued teacher certification in Pennsylvania in recent years, and that’s created staffing challenges in schools throughout the Commonwealth. The Shapiro Administration is committed to reversing this trend through targeted investments in our workforce. The Certified Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program moves us closer to big-picture solutions while providing real career opportunities for individuals dedicated to the education of our children.”
The Shapiro Administration announced the plan for this first-of-its-kind teacher apprenticeship program partnership between L&I and PDE to fill critical teacher shortages in Pennsylvania schools in April 2023. The projects awarded funding through this $4.2 million grant opportunity must build and register their own programs which will be customized to local needs and will utilize the framework(s) designed under the “Building and Supporting a Certified Teacher Apprenticeship Program” grant initiative awarded to Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit in 2024.
Pennsylvania’s educator workforce faces significant challenges, including a 67% decrease in certified teachers over the past decade and a reliance on emergency permits to fill critical roles. These shortages disproportionately affect schools serving high-poverty areas and students of color.
“Pennsylvania needs more high-quality teachers in our classrooms, and this program creates a new pathway for aspiring educators to achieve their dreams and career goals. Apprenticeships are an especially accessible option for paraprofessionals and emergency-certified teachers to earn the credentials they need to become a certified teacher. These individuals are already committed to the education of Pennsylvania’s next generation of learners, and this program offers an opportunity to take their leadership to the next level,” said PDE Interim Acting Secretary Angela Fitterer.
This new program builds on the Shapiro Administration’s efforts to recruit and retain teachers in Pennsylvania, working collaboratively with leaders in the education field to ensure there is a robust pipeline of educators in place to provide a high-quality education to students of all ages across the Commonwealth. Other efforts include: reducing teacher certification processing times by more than ten weeks, making intern certificates free to aspiring educators, creating a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) program in Education for high school students, awarding $1.5 million in grant funding to colleges and universities to bolster the Commonwealth’s next generation of special educators, eliminating the Basic Skills Assessment to become an educator, and creating and expanding the Student Teacher Support Program to provide a stipend to student teachers.
Key objectives of the CTRA program include:
Recruitment of underrepresented populations: Prioritizing candidates from low- and moderate-income communities to ensure equitable access.
High-need subject focus: Addressing shortages in areas such as special education, STEM, and English Language Learner instruction.
Sustainability and scalability: Creating frameworks that can be replicated statewide, ensuring long-term impact.
This grant opportunity is one of the many ways Governor Josh Shapiro is getting stuff done in when it comes to workforce development and education. Since taking office, the Shapiro Administration has increased annual funding for workforce development initiatives statewide – including apprenticeships, career and technical education (CTE), and vocational-technical programs – by nearly $65 million over its first two budgets, a more than 50 percent increase in funding over the 2022-23 budget.
Established in 2016, L&I’s Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) is responsible for guiding and promoting the expansion and compliance of all registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs across the Commonwealth. The ATO currently supports 886 unduplicated program sponsors and 1,556 occupation-specific registered apprenticeship programs across the Commonwealth, with 16,003 registered apprentices currently active.
Applications are due February 14, 2025, with funding available to support programs starting July 1, 2025. More information about the Certified Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Programs in Pennsylvania grant availability is available on L&I’s website. This opportunity is 100 percent federally funded using the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Statewide Activity funding.
