New Partnership with Essex County One-Stop Career Center and Teacher Apprenticeship Network to Expand Pathways into Teaching

Kwame Floyd
3 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Teacher Apprenticeship Network (TAN) is proud to announce a new partnership with the Essex County One-Stop Career Center, strengthening the bridge between workforce development and education across New Jersey.

This partnership formally recognizes teacher apprenticeships as a workforce strategy and creates new, accessible entry points into the teaching profession for Essex County residents, especially those who have long been underrepresented in education careers.

Aligning Workforce Services with the Teaching Profession

New Jersey’s One-Stop Career Centers are designed to provide comprehensive support for job seekers, offering guidance, training, and resources that remove barriers to employment and accelerate entry into high-demand, living-wage careers. Through this partnership, TAN and Essex County One-Stop will work together to ensure that teaching is visible, supported, and attainable within the workforce system.

As a statewide education-sector intermediary, TAN supports school districts and educator preparation partners by:

Filling urgent classroom vacancies with prepared local candidates
Reducing reliance on emergency certifications
Building sustainable, long-term teacher pipelines aligned to student and community needs

The Essex County One-Stop Career Center complements this work by connecting residents to the tools and services needed to successfully enter and persist in a career pathway, now including teacher apprenticeships.

Resources Available Through Essex County One-Stop

Jobseekers interested in becoming educators can access a wide range of services through Essex County One-Stop Career Center locations in East Orange and Newark, including:

Career Navigation & Job Readiness

Career navigation assistance and counseling
Job search and placement support
Resume and interviewing assistance
Re-employment orientations and workshops

Training & Education Support

Job training services
Tuition waivers
High School Equivalency (HSE) preparation
ESL classes
Jersey Job Club workshops

On-Site Resources

Career resource rooms
Public computers and internet access
Telephones, fax machines, and copy machines
Employer interview spaces

Specialized Support Services

Individuals with disabilities
Mature workers (55+)
Veterans
Justice-impacted individuals
Displaced homemakers
Youth services (ages 16–24)

These services play a critical role in supporting aspiring educators as they navigate the pathway into teaching, particularly through paid, earn-and-learn apprenticeship models.

What This Partnership Means for Aspiring Educators and Districts

For aspiring educators, this partnership means clearer guidance, stronger support, and fewer barriers on the journey to the classroom.

For school districts, it means access to a broader, more diverse pool of local candidates supported by both education and workforce systems, resulting in stronger retention and long-term impact.

Together, TAN and Essex County One-Stop are aligning education and workforce efforts where it matters most: preparing and sustaining the next generation of educators for New Jersey’s classrooms.