PIERRE, S.D. – More than 50 candidates from the Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway (TAP) program will be graduating from Dakota State University (DSU) and Northern State University (NSU) on May 10.

These newly minted teachers combined their years of work experience as school paraprofessionals with an education opportunity, to put them on the path to becoming full-fledged teachers. 

“This pathway allows individuals to stay right in their home communities with their current students, plus they earn a paycheck throughout their coursework,” said state Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman. “As a former teacher, I’m so glad to see the traditional training model expand to better fit those juggling a family life, too.”

Through the program, participants earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary, secondary, or special education while they continued to work as a paraprofessional in their school. NSU and DSU offered the necessary coursework over a two-year period, culminating in a student-teaching experience and resulting in the completion of a bachelor’s degree in education. All coursework was offered virtually at convenient times, so participants were able to work while enrolled. School districts provided a local mentor to support the apprentices throughout the process, and the universities provided mentors as well.

“Dr. Kathryn Blaha, our lead on the TAP program, and Tara Bartekoske, the DLR’s lead, pursued this as a way to address the teacher shortage. And thanks to them, these graduates are going to take a huge bite out of existing shortages,” said Secretary of Education Joseph Graves. “Beyond what TAP is doing for teacher shortages, the program is changing the lives of the apprentices themselves. For the first time, these truly outstanding educators are going to have a shot at their own classroom, with their own students, and they are going to be compensated as teachers, enhancing the quality of life for themselves and their families. This program is proving to be life-changing for the participants and those they will continue to serve.”

The TAP program is a joint effort between the Department of Education (DOE), the Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR), DSU, and NSU aimed at addressing the teacher shortage.