The Arizona Department of Education has launched the Arizona Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program (AZ TRAP) in partnership with the Arizona Office of Apprenticeship. The initiative aims to address the state’s ongoing teacher shortage by providing an alternative route to certification that emphasizes practical classroom experience and allows participants to earn a wage while training.
Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne commented on the urgency of the situation, stating, “There is a crisis in Arizona, and we must take strong action. We are losing more teachers than are coming into the profession. If we don’t do something major, we could end up with zero teachers. There remains a need to focus on better teacher pay and for administrators to support teachers in student discipline, but apprenticeship programs are another tool to be used.”
Horne also said, “Apprenticeships can help address this crisis is by encouraging the development of more educators. The AZTRAP apprenticeship program will increase accessibility to earning an Arizona teacher certification. The Arizona Department of Education is a service-oriented agency, and this effort is part of my commitment to training quality educators for Arizona classrooms.”
To support apprentices working in Maricopa County during the 2025-2026 school year, the program has received $1.5 million from the Maricopa County Workforce Development Board.
