Hawaiʻi has been awarded a $4.9 million State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF) grant by the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) to the DLIR.

The funding will be used to support Hawaiʻi’s teacher workforce by creating the first statewide registered apprenticeship program for K-12 teachers.

The program will enable approximately 142 aspiring educators to ‘earn and learn’ while obtaining their bachelor’s degrees at no cost, avoiding student loans.

In addition to classroom experience for future teachers, the apprenticeship program will train nationally certified teachers to become mentors to individuals entering the teaching profession, helping retain quality, homegrown teachers. On average, about half of new teachers leave the teaching profession within the first five years, according to the Department of Education.

This type of registered apprenticeship program was first introduced in 2022 in Tennessee and is quickly spreading across the nation.

Hawaiʻi is one of nine states to receive the competitive portion of the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grants.