The AFT and CareerWise’s new Education and Apprenticeship Accelerator, backed by six states and industry leaders, reflects a national movement toward earn‑and‑learn pathways that directly address classroom workforce challenges. These high‑school apprenticeship models bridge career and technical education (CTE) with tangible pathways into fields like cybersecurity, welding, and microchip manufacturing, and are designed to retain talent both in‑school and beyond.
In Texas, Gov. Abbott made “expanding career training” one of his emergency items this session, and the Legislature responded. Lawmakers have expanded equipment grants and the CTE program. However, unlike the Accelerator’s work in states like Colorado and Pennsylvania, Texas failed to build the coordinated, student-centered apprenticeship infrastructure that prepares young people for success. There’s no statewide vision here; it’s just disconnected grants and a talking point.
This apprenticeship framework also offers a proven pathway to relieve Texas’s teacher retention crisis. The opportunity is clear: Texas can unify Abbott’s career-training emergency item and CTE investments with these apprenticeship frameworks. Doing so would scale industry-aligned pathways for youth, as AFT/CareerWise envisions, and develop a pipeline of well-prepared teachers ready to stay and grow in classrooms.
This is about investing in our students and their future. AFT and CareerWise remind us that a modern workforce starts with a modern education system: one that empowers students and supports educators. Texas leaders should lean into this dual opportunity, making apprenticeship a foundational strategy for both CTE success and teacher retention.