Job-Embedded University Expands Apprenticeship-to-Degree Model, Tackling Systemic Talent Shortages in K-12 Schools and Other Sectors

"REACH METHOD" TURNS THE WORKPLACE INTO A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE PATHWAY
FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

OAKLAND, Calif., July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Reach University, the pioneer in apprenticeship-based, job-embedded degrees, announced today the continued national expansion of the Reach Method, its apprenticeship-to-degree model, and the launch of a new associate-to-bachelor's transfer pathway, which connects community college graduates to employers and degree-conferring jobs.

As the first U.S.-based apprenticeship-to-degree university, serving undergraduates of all backgrounds and post-secondary educational levels, Reach University has aided hundreds of students – known as "candidates" – in earning teaching credentials and degrees in urban and rural communities across California and the southeast. Reach's accredited programs are purpose-built to meet the epidemic teacher shortage in the U.S.

"A staggering five million students walk into classrooms every day without a qualified permanent teacher to take the helm, and we see urban and rural communities affected most," said Dr. Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Chancellor, Reach University. "But, in the very same building, there are capable adults – classroom aides, paraprofessionals, coaches – who, with the right training and degree, could be upskilled to fill these critical vacancies. So, we've flipped how we think of higher education and turned workplaces into learning places, where jobs lead to degrees instead of the other way around."

In partnership with state education agencies, Reach is currently equipping school districts in Alabama, Arkansas, California, and Louisiana with the possibility of eliminating their systemic teacher shortages within the decade. Reach has now turned its eye to serve a growing number of additional states, including Texas, Tennessee, Colorado, Mississippi and others.

"The state of Louisiana has now solidified its leadership in addressing longstanding teacher shortages, while getting us that much closer to our statewide goal of creating diversified pathways into a degree and career," said Dr. Cade Brumley, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education. "We no longer need to look beyond our own communities to source great talent, find strong academic and professional opportunities, and ultimately ensure every student has an exceptional educational experience."

Drawing on the German Berufsakademie dual-track system, Reach's methodology enables a new era for the partnership between community colleges and employers, to the benefit of a broad swath of associate-to-bachelor's degree seekers.

In deploying a turnkey, stackable, and curriculum-ready apprenticeship model, employers are able to hire associate degree holders, placing each on a path to earning an undergraduate degree while working in-field, enabling a unique chance to source new talent pipelines, secure greater employee retention and growth, and redefine post-community college transfer opportunities.

"Community colleges are preparing hundreds of thousands of learners for the workplace each year, but the skills of A.A. degree holders have been historically overlooked. This is a missed opportunity for employers and learners alike. Programs like Reach University's are important because they offer a needed solution for enabling employers to attract, hire, and invest in high-potential community college graduates, who too often find themselves shut out from jobs that they may otherwise be well-equipped for," said Matt Sigelman, President of The Burning Glass Institute.

Reach's curriculum is deployed at scale, removing the high cost structure and challenges traditionally seen by employers in offering U.S. apprenticeships. With ease of deployment, a growing number of employers are not only embracing education as a benefit, but also pledging to expand talent recruitment to remove historical barriers, such as an undergraduate degree.

"We are thrilled to embrace this innovative model! The Reach program affords new economic opportunities for its participants, while building a pipeline of professionals ready and able to provide the equitable, hands-on education all of our students deserve. Reach has allowed us to bring talented individuals into our organization who would have previously been overlooked because they were yet to earn a bachelor's degree," said Robin Detterman, Chief Program Officer, Seneca Family of Agencies. "We encourage highly-motivated community college graduates to join us and embark on the Reach apprenticeship-to-degree journey to result in a high-growth and highly-fulfilling career."

Although serving students with its stackable programs for nearly a decade, Reach's model was offered broadly to undergraduates beginning in 2020, with an inaugural cohort of 100 candidates. By 2022, enrollments grew to over 600, with a waitlist exceeding a thousand candidates across a growing number of states, many of which were most motivated by the opportunity to secure a degree while working in-field, full-time.

In a climate of continued college enrollment declines, Reach's fall '22 admissions cycle saw the highest number of applications and enrollments on record, creating one of the strongest and most diverse pipelines into the teaching profession in a number of states.

"When you see the number of Registered Apprenticeship Programs, or RAPs, increasing year over year, while college enrollments steadily decline, the market signal is strikingly clear: millions of adults are forced to make a choice between a job and a degree, between one's present and one's future, and a paycheck talks," said Joe Ross, President, Reach University.

"The Reach Method makes it possible for learners to literally get paid to earn a degree – to obtain the skills and credentials they need – by going to work, instead of going into debt," Ross continued. "This is a win-win for hiring managers and job applicants, including those with less than a bachelor's degree. When employers re-imagine the workplace as a learning place, the talent comes running."

In utilizing existing funding sources to cover the cost of tuition, the Reach Method is offered to candidates in stark contrast to a traditional four-year degree. Students avoid crippling student loan debt and earn full-time, paraprofessional wages while completing their degree, resulting in equity and access for a diversity of students. Across all programs, over 90% of candidates are people of color, first-generation college students, single working parents, or from low-income families.

In Alabama, Dr. Heath Grimes, the Superintendent of Russellville City School District, is fully leveraging the Reach Method to address a demographic shift that has given rise to a large Spanish-speaking population in Russellville. Last year, Dr. Grimes hired Elizabeth Alonzo, a local community college graduate, in part of the district's pioneering "grow your own" program to develop bilingual educators. Today, Ms. Alonzo is an English as a Second Language (ESL) aide in the second grade. In a year, she expects to complete her bachelor's degree and become a teacher in Russellville. Other ESL aides in Russellville have since enrolled as well.

"We have bilingual aides now," Dr. Grimes said. "That's great, but in a couple of years, we're going to be able to hire three or four bilingual teachers, who come from the local community and who will have earned their bachelor's degree by working in our schools."

Ms. Alonzo, a Reach candidate and future teacher in Russellville, said: "With Reach, I've built upon what was an entry-level ESL role at West Elementary to quickly progress in my career and answer my true calling - to earn a bachelor's degree, become a teacher, and help the youth in my community know the world is full of possibilities for each and every one of them, regardless of where they come from. Reach has made achieving my dreams accessible and attainable, and I am thrilled for what lies ahead."

Reach University is a regionally accredited, non-profit university that pioneers debt-free apprenticeship-based degrees. Reach is actively solving America's teacher shortage by creating fully-embedded pathways for high-potential individuals to earn degrees, credentials and jobs as teachers within their own communities. By focusing on low-income, urban and rural regions, offering online tutorials and classes, and rendering academic credit for on-the-job experience, Reach University is eliminating barriers to entry in high-need professions, and building grow-your-own pipelines of locally representative talent.

MEDIA INQUIRES
Lauren Bauml 
[email protected], (512) 923-6136

SOURCE Reach University