Columbia College’s Alternative Pathways to Education Certification Program (APEC) recognizes accomplishments of 20 program participants

The Alternative Pathways to Educator Certification (APEC) Center at Columbia College was created in 2018 as an initiative to serve area school districts by providing a pathway for district employees to acquire teacher certification. Since 2018, APEC has prepared 88 teachers to lead classrooms in our partner districts. Due to the program’s success and innovative work-embedded teacher residency, APEC was recognized as a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) by the U.S. Department of Labor in June 2022. APEC is the first RAP for teachers in South Carolina.

On Thursday, September 14, 20 APEC Fellows were recognized for their completion of the APEC residency and received their Department of Labor certificates.

APEC Director Dr. Marla Sanders shared, “We love celebrating the accomplishments of our APEC Fellows. These students worked hard to complete the program requirements and are prepared to effectively lead their classrooms. APEC has been shown to prepare quality teachers who are retained in the classroom. This program ensures that participants who are passionate about the success of their students have the opportunity to give back to the communities they love.”

The APEC program is open to partner district employees and career changers who have a four-year degree. The program leads to teacher certification and a master’s degree.

For more information about APEC, please visit columbiasc.edu/apec.