With teaching shortages plaguing school districts across the country, the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) approved the inclusion of Tutor on the list of occupations allowed to participate in the federal Registered Apprentice Pathway (RAP) and named the New Jersey Tutoring Corps, Inc. (NJTC) as the first tutoring provider in the country to receive this new designation.   Approved and validated by the U.S. DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship (OA), RAPs are designed to create larger talent pools to meet nationwide professional demands and provide individuals working specifically in these designated fields to extend their work beyond just a paycheck and ultimately build a career. More information on RAPs can be found at www.apprenticeship.gov. 

Since inception, NJTC has scaled to serve 12,000 scholars in 247 locations creating 740 jobs for residents of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. For the past few years, USDOL OA expanded apprenticeship programming to include K-12 teachers. Last spring, discussions between USDOL OA and NJTC began, to expand access to apprenticeship programming and address the staffing crisis in education by adding Tutor to the list of careers approved for apprenticeships. These discussions were led by Ashley Bencan, Chief of Staff of NJTC.

“New Jersey Tutoring Corps, Inc. (NJTC) could not be more proud to be the first tutoring organization to become a registered apprenticeship pathway program for tutors through the USDOL OA,” stated Katherine Bassett, Chief Executive Officer of New Jersey Tutoring Corps.  “We deeply appreciate Ashley Bencan, our Chief of Staff, and Nicole Field, Apprenticeship Training Representative with the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship, for their tireless work to make tutoring an approved apprenticeship pathway.”

“We have carved a path for a new workforce. Over the past 18 months, NJTC created over 300 new jobs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania with plans to keep adding more,” stated Ashley Bencan, Chief of Staff of NJTC.  “Our program bolsters the k-12 education workforce by providing right-on-time support to children that are two or more grade levels behind while developing core foundational skills for teaching. It is no surprise to us that our tutors continue to be hired by our district partners as they expand their careers in the field of education.”

Advocating at the federal level for the recognition of this occupation and opportunity to expand this workforce initiative took strong partnerships.  Without the support and leadership of Nicole Field, U.S. DOL, OA, the tutor occupation wouldn’t be approved today. “I am immensely proud to witness the expansion of registered apprenticeship programs within the education sector. Tutors play a crucial role in education today. It is imperative that we continue to establish a consistent standard of high-quality training and support for these professionals, and the New Jersey Tutoring Corps, Inc. program is poised to achieve this objective,” states Field.

Another key partner who advocated and completed the DOL’s process is Deans for Impact. “DFI was thrilled to support NJTC’s efforts to have the U.S. Department of Labor recognize tutoring as an apprenticeable occupation. This recognition highlights the critical role high-impact tutoring can play in supporting students and building pipelines of diverse, caring, and knowledgeable adults prepared to support student success. This recognition also represents a powerful tool communities can use to make pathways into teaching more accessible, practice-based, and focused on building the instructional skills of new teachers. In sum, this is an important milestone in the national movement to ensure every student is taught by a well-prepared teacher,” stated Patrick Steck, VP of External Affairs, Deans for Impact

Initially established by First Lady Tammy Murphy, Laura Overdeck, and anchor institutions such as the Overdeck Family Foundation, the Community Foundation of New Jersey, the New Jersey Children’s Foundation, the Prudential Foundation, and the Debra and Kenneth Caplan Foundation, NJTC serves as a needed corrective response to the state’s dramatic learning gaps exacerbated by the pandemic.  NJTC’s model is co-designed with schools, districts, and community partners, ensuring its research-based, evidence-rich program meets individual partners’ needs. NJTC staff members provide responsive, personalized, hands-on instruction aligned to New Jersey state standards. Partners co-design each implementation. Tutors are often embedded in classrooms during the school day and receive support from instructional coaches and site coordinators. Tutors serve scholars in 30 to 60-minute embedded sessions during the school day, after school, or in summer programs two to three times per week. The program provides a 1:1 up to 1:3 tutor-to-scholar ratio for each tutoring session, with sessions held two to three times weekly for 30 to 60 minutes with the same tutor working with the same scholars throughout a program cycle, following the recommendations of the Annenberg Institute.