ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Rollins College and Seminole State College are among 10 different colleges slated to receive a statewide grant for a career pathway program. The money will be used to get future educators hands-on experience in classrooms.

What You Need To Know

  • The program strives to address Florida's teacher shortage

  • People who are going to school to be a teacher would be set up with an apprenticeship, gaining credit hours towards their degree while getting essential experience

  • The program is expected to help about 200 teachers earn their credentials

It’s part of the Florida Department of Education’s “Pathways to Career Opportunities Grow Your Own Teacher Grant,” which allocates $5 million across the state to college education departments.

Officials with Rollins College say they’re expecting to see a roughly $200,000 cut, which will be used for their pathways program.

Under the program, students working towards becoming a teacher are matched with a local school district for an apprenticeship. Then, their experience will be used for credit hours to help them get their degree.

Angela Griner, Pathways to Teaching Director for the education department at Rollins College, says they’ve seen great success in the past for their pathways program working with paraprofessionals, especially after seeing the confidence students gain.

“This program will give us an opportunity to expand what we’re doing, and I really think refine our curriculum in our partnership with the (Orange County) district,” said Griner. “These stories are really miracles that prove a lot of good that’s happening.”

The program is expected to help about 200 teachers a year become credentialed in the state.

Emily Gorentz with the Osceola County Education Association says her school district has roughly 425 vacancies for teachers and educational support professionals in their county alone.

Across the U.S., the Department of Education reported that 44 percent of public schools were operating without a full teaching staff last year.

Gorentz says she believes part of the problem is the culture surrounding the teaching profession, particularly the lack of respect.

“If you feel respected, and you enjoy what you do, and you have the freedom to be an actual professional, then you’re going to stay,” said Gorentz.

While the state grant won’t fix the shortage, Gorentz mentioned that it’s also good to highlight all the positive things about being a teacher.

Hopefully, through their apprenticeship, students will be able to experience those sorts of career highs firsthand.