In an August 31 fact sheet, the White House announced its strategy to help K-12 schools address staffing shortages in teaching and other critical school professionals. The Administration plans to work with the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and state and local education and workforce leaders to better highlight open positions and expand teacher apprenticeship opportunities. These efforts will be overseen jointly by the Department of Education and Department of Labor.
The White House has worked with several hiring technology companies to ensure that schools are better able to identify talent and advertise open positions. These efforts will include:
- ZipRecruiter, which provides an employment marketplace for millions of job seekers and hiring tools for employers, has launched a new online portal specifically for jobs at K-12 public schools. Posting jobs on this platform is free for schools, school districts and states.
- Handshake, a leading platform connecting postsecondary learners and recent graduates to careers, will hold a free national virtual event this October focused on career exploration in education. Further, they will publish a list of all schools and districts that are hiring this school year.
- Indeed, a job site serving millions of employers and job seekers, will facilitate hiring fairs for educators across the country. Participating institutions will gain free access to Indeed’s suite of hiring tools.
Secretary Miguel Cardona of the Department of Education and Secretary Marty Walsh of the Department of Labor also issued a joint letter to state and local education and workforce leaders encouraging actions to improve educator recruitment and retention. Specifically, they recommended that states and localities utilize remaining American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, such as ESSER and SLFR, to increase teacher pay. Further, they promoted the expansion of high-quality programs to prepare and support teachers, particularly registered apprenticeships. The Department of Labor is committed to supporting these programs in its next round of apprenticeship expansion grants. Once registered with the Department of Labor, apprenticeship programs are eligible to be supported by WIOA Title I funds. They highlighted Tennessee’s Grow Your Own program, which prepares teaching assistants, career-changers, and high school students to enter the teaching profession.
The Administration is also working with state and national nonprofits, including teachers’ unions, to promote and expand pathways for teachers. These organizations have partnered together to support their members in pursuing registered apprenticeships and other available high-quality pathways into education professions. The Pathways Alliance, which is comprised of public and private organizations concerned with developing a robust and diverse teacher pipeline, will also create national guidelines for high-quality registered teacher apprenticeship programs.
ACTE will continue to monitor these developments and work with government officials to lift up the needs of CTE programs. Should you have questions about these efforts or need assistance in taking advantage of one of these programs, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis ([email protected]).
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