JTED - Teacher Apprenticeship Pilot Program Notice of Funding Opportunity 2024

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Overview
​DCEO is pleased to announce $2 million in funding to establish a teacher apprenticeship pilot program for current paraprofessional educators facing barriers to employment. This pilot program will provide career pathway opportunities and supportive services for successful placement into the teacher workforce.

The Job Training and Economic Development (JTED) program provides funding to build the capacity of the state's workforce system and prioritize creating equitable access for historically underrepresented populations in Illinois. The JTED program model intends to address the barriers to work experienced by adults and youth after the pandemic and provides a pool of talented job seekers for businesses still struggling due to the pandemic to fill their workforce needs.

Read the press release about the second round of JTED funding.

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Program Design
​The JTED Teacher Apprenticeship program will create approximately four pilots throughout the state to upscale currently employed paraprofessional educators. Educator preparation providers will lead these pilot programs with partnerships from local education and workforce agencies. Throughout the program, curriculum, and competencies will be refined. After the program, Illinois will have a Department of Labor registered Teacher Apprenticeship.

Who can apply for funding:

Eligible entities are public or private educational institutions approved to offer educator preparation programs in Illinois, leading to professional educator licensure as a Learning Behavior Specialist I who have demonstrated expertise and effectiveness in administering workforce development programs. Applicants must partner with a regional office of education, intermediate service center, public school district, a consortium of public school districts, or a special education co-operative that demonstrates shortages in Learning Behavior Specialist I teachers and must include a letter of support from their partner at the time of application.

Who will the funding serve: 
The JTED program regulations require that services be provided to the "target population," defined as under-employed or under-represented individuals. For this NOFO, the target population will be under-employed individuals currently employed as paraprofessional educators. As a whole, program participants must be representative of the student population in terms of race, the district, or the cooperative in which they will complete their apprenticeship. (e.g., if 50% of students are African American, at least 50% of program participants must be African American.)

In addition, program participants must:

  • Hold a valid Educator License with Stipulations endorsed for Paraprofessional (ELS-PARA) or a valid paraprofessional approval.
  • Currently be employed as a paraprofessional providing service to one or more students within the Learning Behavior Specialist I scope.
  • Have worked at least two years as a paraprofessional.
  • Have completed at least 60 semester hours of coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

Applicants must implement strategies to foster a shared identity and a welcoming, inclusive environment and to increase access, enrollment, and completion for equity-eligible persons. They must implement proactive recruitment and outreach strategies to enroll equity-eligible individuals.

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Submission Details
​Application Deadline:  Applications must be received by 5:00 pm on May 1, 2024 to be considered in the first round of applications that are reviewed by the Department’s merit review team. If funding remains available, the Department will accept other applications under this NOFO on a rolling basis through July 31, 2024. Failure to meet the application deadline or failure to submit all required materials may result in the Department returning the application without review or may preclude the Department from making the award.

Application Submission Requirements:  Application materials must be submitted to the Department via the SmartSheet. The link to the SmartSheet is in the NOFO. The Department will not accept applications submitted by mail, overnight mail, diskette, or by fax machine.  Electronic submissions including links to documents stored in Google Docs or other cloud-based servers are not allowed.  The Department is under no obligation to review applications that do not comply with the above requirements.

An informational webinar will be held on 03/28/2024, 2024 at 1:00 pm. Information about how to access the webinar is available under the Informational Sessions header below.
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Funding Information
​This Notice of Funding Opportunity ("NOFO") is provided under the Illinois Job Training and Economic Development Grant Program (JTED) 20 ILCS 605/605-415 (JTED Act) and the rules adopted in support of the JTED Act, 56 Ill. Admin. Code Part 2660 (JTED Rules).

It is anticipated that the Department will provide funding of $2,000,000 to address the needs of the education system.  Please note that the Department may exceed the funding range based on the proposed project outcomes. 

Total Funds Available: $2,000.000
Anticipated Number of Grants: 4
Funding Range: $50,000 to $500,000
Anticipated Grant Term/Performance Period: The period of performance is expected to be July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025 for the planning phase and July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027 for the implementation phase.

Based on successful performance and if funds are available, the Department may determine that grant extensions and additions of funds to current grantees will be permitted.

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FAQs
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JTED Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Teacher Apprenticeship Specific Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - forthcoming

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NOFO Materials
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Resources

Useful State Resources for Successful Applications

Teacher Apprenticeship Pilot Program Resources

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Informational Sessions
​Informational Sessions will be held within the first two weeks of NOFO development to assure that all applicants will have the skills needed to submit a competitive application regardless of familiarity with Department funding opportunities.

​Content
 Date​
 Time​ Description​ Recording/Materials​
​Application Technical Assistance Conference
 March 28, 2024​ ​1:00 - 3:00pm
 ​Overview of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) including details of the award, restrictions, definitions, requirements, and target population.
 ​Recording


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NOFO Technical Assistance Office Hours
​Applicants are invited to sign up for Technical Assistance Office Hours to receive one-on-one assistance to prepare their proposals. These Office Hours provide an opportunity to ask questions related to the intent of the JTED NOFO. Office hours will be held on the following Thursdays: April 4, 11, 18, and 25 from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm. You may join with this link.
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