Promising Career Pathway Approaches: Registered Apprenticeships

Research BriefEarly ChildhoodApr 15, 2025

This National ECE Workforce Center research-to-practice brief describes key considerations for system leaders and researchers interested in developing, strengthening, and/or studying registered apprenticeships for current educators and those entering the workforce. There is emerging evidence that ECE registered apprenticeships are a promising career pathway, reducing barriers to increasing qualifications for educators in the ECE field and benefiting ECE employers and the ECE industry.

Key findings:

• Registered apprenticeships are a promising approach to support educators by increasing their qualifications while they earn an income.
• ECE system leaders often leverage multiple partner agencies or organizations and creatively blend and/or braid a variety of funding sources to support and sustain registered apprenticeships.
• System leaders should focus on the existing ECE workforce and those facing barriers to participation to promote participation in registered apprenticeships.

This is a product of the National ECE Workforce Center, a collaboration between Child Trends, Early Education Leaders at UMass Boston, the Delaware Institute of Excellence in Early Childhood at the University of Delaware, and ZERO TO THREE

Download