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The Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program, run through the Nebraska Department of Education, is growing to reach additional schools across the state, including those in and around Lincoln, this year thanks to a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. UNL was awarded $700,000 of the funding, according to a news release.

The statewide apprenticeship program was launched last year after the Nebraska Legislature allocated $1 million to pilot the program in three school districts with preexisting “grow your own� programs meant to help districts grow talent from within their own schools by partnering with local colleges. The three initial schools were Lincoln Public Schools, which partnered with UNL; Omaha Westside, partnering with the University of Nebraska at Omaha; and North Platte Public Schools, partnering with Chadron State College.

The apprenticeship program helps address the teacher shortage in the state by providing current employees at participating schools who already have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree an alternative path to becoming a teacher in areas the shortage has affected the most, like special education.

The newly funded partnerships were announced on Wednesday at Paddock Road Elementary School in Omaha, where Gov. Jim Pillen spoke as part of the celebration and signed a proclamation declaring National Apprenticeship Week beginning Nov. 17.

With the new grant funding, UNL will not only be expanding its current partnership with LPS through the program, but it will also now serve 16 more schools in two other educational service units in Southeast Nebraska, including ESU 5, which serves communities such as Beatrice, and ESU 6, which serves schools around Lincoln like Crete, Milford, Norris and Waverly.

UNL currently offers a special education teacher pathway for participants at LPS through the university's Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, and will now offer the same programming to the new school districts.

“We are excited to expand our apprentice training program to include ESUs 5 and 6, as well as to continue partnering with Lincoln Public Schools,� Sue Kemp, professor of practice in special education, said in a statement. “We look forward to training 24 new, highly qualified special education teachers who will be able to support students with disabilities in their districts.�

Additionally, UNL will expand its partnership with LPS to include a second pathway to prepare aspiring early childhood educators through the university's Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies.

Participants will receive on-the-job experiences at the university, spending less time in a lecture hall and more time in classrooms. Tuition at UNL is paid for by the state-allocated funding.