Tom Horne Introduces Apprenticeship Initiative to Address Teacher Shortage

Arizona's education chief, Tom Horne, has initiated a new program aimed at addressing the state's teacher shortage. The program operates as an apprenticeship, where individuals earn a salary while gaining practical experience to become teachers.

Superintendent Tom Horne announced on Monday the Arizona Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program (AZ TRAP), created through a partnership with the Arizona Office of Apprenticeship. The initiative provides an affordable route to teaching certification while offering extensive real-world classroom training and salary compensation.

The superintendent acknowledged that the apprenticeship program works alongside other necessary reforms. "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 stated.

Teacher Shortages

According to the Learning Policy Institute, the latest 2025 data indicate that approximately 411,500 teaching positions nationwide are either empty or filled by unqualified teachers, which amounts to 1 in 8 teaching jobs.

Teacher shortages have grown every year, with a slight increase of 4,600 positions from 2024 to 2025.

State Results:

• 36 out of 47 states have more unqualified teachers than before
• 12 out of 18 states have more empty positions

While some national surveys show slight improvement, most states are still struggling with teacher shortages.

Financial Support

The Maricopa County Workforce Development Board has committed $1.5 million to fund apprentices who will work within Maricopa County schools during the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year.

Horne described how the program addresses accessibility barriers in teacher preparation. 

"Apprenticeships can help address this crisis by encouraging the development of more educators. The AZTRAP apprenticeship program will increase accessibility to earning an Arizona teacher certification," he explained. "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."

Program Structure

The initiative involves collaboration with four key educational organizations: Mesa Public Schools, Phoenix Union High School District, The Arizona Teacher Residency Program, and PLC Charter Schools. 

They will continue to collaborate with the state education department and serve as the hiring authorities for teacher apprentices, allowing for a more organized operation.

The program provides future teachers with extensive hands-on learning opportunities under the guidance of experienced mentors. This extended training period allows apprentices to build crucial teaching competencies over an extended timeframe.

A key component of the initiative is the "Grow Your Own" approach that lets schools find and train their own future teachers from their local community. These trainees become part of the school's team early on, so they already know the school well before they start teaching.

Education officials anticipate that this early integration strategy will boost teacher retention rates by ensuring quality educators remain within Arizona's school systems for extended periods.

"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," he concluded.