Throughout the next decade, students who are interested in careers in the education industry are expected to have many job opportunities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that positions for elementary school teachers will increase by nearly 16 percent and the special education sector will increase employment by almost 17 percent.
In order to better prepare students for these types of jobs, some institutions are their degree programs. For example, Arizona State University (ASU) recently began a partnership with three districts across Phoenix, which places elementary and special education teaching job candidates in a school for an entire academic year as opposed to a semester, according to ASU's website.
Although the project, which is known as iTeachAZ, is currently in its pilot stage, ASU hopes to implement this program for individuals who enroll in its bachelor's degree programs for early childhood, elementary and special education by next fall.
Nancy Perry, assistant dean at ASU, told the news provider that the project is important because it allows "future teachers [to] spend more time in classrooms with experienced mentors, and partner schools [to] benefit from the additional instructional support supplied by our talented, enthusiastic students."
The BLS reports that the education industry is the second largest in the U.S. and accounts for approximately 13.5 million jobs.
