Iowa Workforce Development Communications
For Immediate Release
Date: January 7, 2025
Contact: Jesse Dougherty
Telephone: 515-725-5487
Email: communications@iwd.iowa.gov
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Gov. Reynolds Announces $3.4 Million in New Registered Apprenticeship Grants to Drive Careers in Education
New Teacher & Paraeducator Apprenticeship Grants to Reach More Areas of the State.
DES MOINES, IOWA – Governor Kim Reynolds today announced $3.4 million in new Registered Apprenticeship grants to help Iowa school districts create new education careers throughout the state. As the second round of grants for the innovative Teacher & Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship (TPRA) Program, today’s awards build on the previous grants' success to help develop a greater pipeline of teachers in communities across Iowa.
The TPRA grant awards announced today involve 11 Iowa K-12 school districts that collectively will support the development of 68 new teacher apprentices and 26 new paraeducator apprentices. Awarded districts demonstrated a high need for additional certified teachers based on the openings within their district.
View the TPRA 2.0 awards summary here. The following districts were awarded grant funds:
- Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom Community School District
- Davis County Community School District
- Dubuque Community School District
- Hamburg Community School District
- Mason City Community School District
- Mediapolis Community School District
- New Hampton Community School District
- Panorama Community School District
- South Central Calhoun Community School District
- Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District
- Waterloo Community School District
“Registered Apprenticeships are a perfect method to train the teachers of tomorrow with extensive, in-the-classroom experience--leading to graduates who are better prepared to succeed in their career from day one,” Governor Reynolds said. “We’ve received such a positive response to the first round of awards, I couldn’t be more excited to expand the Teacher & Paraeducator program to more school districts.”
When first unveiled in 2022, the TPRA program was one of the first-of-its-kind programs in the country, helping students and adults advance in their education and careers all while learning and working in the classroom. The original TPRA program has supported more than 1,000 apprentices at 124 school districts across the state. The 2.0 version of the grant is a more streamlined version that aims to make it easier for school districts to find the support they need to develop new teachers.
“Governor Reynolds’ commitment to expanding the teacher & paraeducator pipeline in Iowa through Registered Apprenticeships is not only innovative but ensures schools can contribute to the development of their teachers throughout their entire education,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Today’s awards are a direct response to schools who wanted to utilize this successful training model in growing a skilled and experienced teacher workforce for their community.”
For more information on TPRA and today’s awards, visit: Teacher and Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship Program (TPRA).
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