TDOE Announces Teaching as a Profession (TAP) Pre-Apprenticeship Pilot Program
November 17, 2023
To continue the celebration of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), the Tennessee Department of Education announced a new Teaching as a Profession (TAP) state-certified pre-apprenticeship pilot program to provide high school students with hands on teaching experience in their local communities.
Currently, over 5,200 students are enrolled in the TAP apprenticeship program and enrollment numbers are expected to increase with the implementation of the new pre-apprenticeship pilot program. TAP courses provide high school students interested in becoming educators with a high-quality, work-based learning pathway through hands-on work experience in classroom instruction, management, lesson planning, professionalism, and more.
“TAP courses are a valuable opportunity for students to get hands-on classroom experience while still in high school and this new pilot program will help to better prepare them earlier on to enter the teaching profession,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education.
The department, in partnership with the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center, selected seven Tennessee school districts to participate in the pilot program, an expansion of the TAP state certified apprenticeship program, which aims to equip aspiring educators with the tools, knowledge, and experience needed to excel in their teaching careers. Additionally, the program serves as a teacher talent pipeline through partnerships between local high schools and community colleges to produce highly qualified teaching candidates.
The seven districts selected to participate in the pilot program include:
- Lewis County Schools
- Lawrence County Schools
- Bristol City Schools
- Kingsport City Schools
- Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools
- Bradley County Schools
- Memphis-Shelby County Schools
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