APEC Named by the Department of Labor as First Registered Apprenticeship Program for Teachers in SC

自2018年以来, 哥伦比亚大学’s Alternative Pathways to Educator Certification (APEC) program has served the local community to help employees of partnering school districts acquire their teaching certification. Through coursework and mentor-led experience in the classroom, APEC participants graduate from 哥伦比亚大学 with a teaching certificate as well as a Master’s in Education. Because of the efficiency, 创新, and dynamic results observed through four years of grant-writing, 筹款, 游说, 和教育, 哥伦比亚大学’s APEC program has been named by the Department of Labor as the first registered apprenticeship program for teachers in the state of South Carolina, and it has been awarded grant funds to support the constantly growing program.

Cleveland Williams, Representative from the Department of Labor, 共享, “APEC being recognized as a registered apprenticeship program indicates that the program meets or exceeds (and in this case, greatly exceeds) current national K-12 Teacher apprenticeship guideline standards. This program is an opportunity for South Carolinians to educate South Carolinians, and the Department of Labor was honored to be a part of this historic step in APEC’s and 哥伦比亚大学’s history.”

Unfortunately, society is keenly aware of the national teaching shortage crisis. 每年, our nation loses more and more of the key figures in our community charged with educating the future. According to APEC Director Dr. Marla 桑德斯, APEC was 哥伦比亚大学’s local solution to this nationwide problem. Alternative Certification is not a new idea, but Marla 共享 that 哥伦比亚大学 wanted to do it differently, placing an emphasis on the valuable teacher preparation that comes through the experiential leadership the APEC program provides.

“We are constantly searching for new initiatives that meet the needs of our district partners. The partnership buy-in is key to the success of the program. 哥伦比亚大学 provides the teaching instruction, but the districts provide the on-the-job training, which is what apprenticeship is all about,”医生说。. 桑德斯.

In the four years since the program’s inception, 68 teachers have entered the workforce. APEC is actively working against a national crisis within the local community, bettering the lives and careers of graduates along the way. Some graduates have 共享 with staff that because of the APEC program, they are able to purchase homes for the very first time. Their certification provides them unlimited potential in their field, and they can chase their dreams while holding full-time jobs that keep their families afloat. 哥伦比亚大学’s APEC program has enriched the lives of so many in such a short time. The impact of this program can already be felt deeply within the Midlands community, and with continued community support the possibilities are limitless.