Vermont Launches Elementary Education Apprenticeship

A new pathway lets students earn a bachelor's degree while working as apprentices in Vermont schools to address teacher shortages.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Primary Education

Empty elementary classroom with small wooden desks, large window looking out on green Vermont hills and forest under soft daylight. — Vermont's new Elementary Education Apprenticeship Pathway lets students earn a bachelor's degree while working in local schools to ease the state's teacher shortage. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Vermont has launched the Elementary Education Apprenticeship Pathway, a joint effort of the Vermont Department of Labor, Agency of Education, and Vermont State College System. Enrollment is open for the spring semester at the Community College of Vermont in Winooski.

Why it matters

Vermont classrooms face a teacher shortage in elementary education and special education, and the pathway is designed to build a local pipeline of educators. It gives residents a way to train for teaching roles while earning income in the schools where they will work.

Students can earn an associate degree in liberal studies with a focus in education and a paraeducator certificate at the Community College of Vermont before transferring to Vermont State University online. Enrollment for the pathway is open for the spring semester, but the extraction does not specify program capacity or cost.

The players

Vermont Department of Labor

The state agency that co-leads the Elementary Education Apprenticeship Pathway alongside education and college system partners.

Vermont State College System

The public college system whose Vermont State University will award the bachelor's degrees in education and special education under the pathway.

Community College of Vermont

The Winooski-based community college where the pathway's associate degree and paraeducator certificate programs begin.

The details

Students complete an associate degree and paraeducator certificate at CCV in Winooski, then move on to Vermont State University to earn a bachelor's degree in education and special education while working as apprentices in Vermont schools. Jamie Savage, who has worked in the Slate Valley School District for more than 20 years and most recently as a student support coach, is taking courses online and will start her apprenticeship in the spring.

Spring semester: Enrollment opens at the Community College of Vermont and Jamie Savage begins her apprenticeship.

Season Trajectory

The pathway extends Vermont's joint workforce partnership between its Department of Labor and Agency of Education into a targeted pipeline for elementary and special education teachers. It sets up a model of earning a degree while working in schools that the state can apply to other staffing shortages.

Prospective students who want to start in the spring can enroll at the Community College of Vermont now, beginning with the associate degree and paraeducator certificate. Those who already work in Vermont schools may find the apprenticeship structure a practical way to finish a bachelor's degree without leaving their jobs.

The takeaway

Vermont's pathway shows one way to grow a teaching workforce from within, by letting people earn credentials while working in the classrooms they plan to staff. Residents interested in education careers should check enrollment details with the Community College of Vermont before the spring semester.