Partnership Opens Paid Tuition Opportunity for Work-Based Learning Program
Through a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), 20 educators with special education licenses will be able to apply for DEED to pay their tuition for Bethel’s Teacher Coordinator of Work-Based Learning License program. The program equips educators to coordinate work-based educational opportunities for regular and special education high school students, which provides these students with a vital chance to explore potential careers.
By Jason Schoonover ’09, content specialist
August 03, 2021 | 3 p.m.
A new Bethel partnership with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is a great opportunity for special education teachers to earn a work-based learning without having to pay for tuition and books.
Twenty educators with special education licenses in Minnesota will be able to complete Bethel’s Teacher Coordinator of Work-Based Learning License program for free next year, thanks to a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
Bethel University signed a contract that will see DEED cover tuition and textbooks for 20 students in the work-based learning license program. The arrangement is part of the Workforce Innovation Act, which, among other things, aims to ensure that Individualized Education Program (IEP) students have the opportunity for work-based learning experiences through high schools and transition programs. DEED is partnering with schools like Bethel to train licensed educators to lead these programs and meet demand across the state for licensed special education teachers to lead work-based learning programs.
To apply to DEED’s Work-Based Learning Licensure Endorsement for Special Educators program, educators must have a special education teaching license. Interested educators will first apply through DEED. After securing DEED approval and funding, they’ll then apply to Bethel’s Teacher Coordinator of Work-Based Learning License program, adhering to the application requirements for Bethel’s nine-credit, three-course program. Funding through DEED can be used starting in the work-based learning program’s spring 2022 cohort, and it can also be used for the summer 2022 cohort; however, Program Director Laura BeMent-Jaroscak expects Bethel’s available slots to fill quickly, and she urges interested educators to act as soon as possible.
Leaders in Bethel’s Teacher Coordinator of Work-Based Learning License program are excited to partner with DEED. For many years, Bethel has been a leader in training teachers and special education professionals through the work-based learning license and several other license and degree programs.
“We have a long reputation of a highly effective, high-quality work-based learning program. And we’ve trained many, many teachers in work-based learning over the years.”
— Program Director Laura BeMent-JaroscakFor students in high schools and transition programs, work-based learning programs provide an opportunity to develop skills for their future through gaining experience and learning outside the traditional classroom setting. An ideal work-based learning placement is based on a student’s career ambitions, and the experience can help them decide if a certain career is the right fit. “It can either change their mind or solidify a pathway for them where they can be successful,” BeMent-Jaroscak says. In many cases, many of these internships are paid, so students are earning money, gaining experience, and learning both technical and soft skills that are important in the job market today. “It is very motivating for students to get the experience, to be out on the job,” BeMent-Jaroscak says.
Along with Bethel’s strong track record, work-based learning program faculty bring extensive experience working with work-based learning programs in schools and at the state level. Since Bethel’s program trains educators to serve both special education and traditional students, license-seeking educators can specialize their Bethel experience to best serve their students. Bethel also offers opportunities for educators at any point in their career to take the next step through robust graduate-level offerings that include multiple education and special education degrees and licenses, along with traditional undergraduate programs and an adult undergraduate B.A. in Special Education.
Earn a work-based learning license at Bethel.
Bethel’s Teacher Coordinator of Work-Based Learning License program prepares licensed teachers to take the next step and coordinate work-based educational opportunities for regular and special education students. This equips educators to help schools expand or initiate programs to help students find possible career paths and gain a leg up on both the job market and college.