For years, Angelica Torres believed she had made a mistake by not going to college right after high school.

“When I was in school, the only ‘correct’ option was a four-year degree,” she said. “For a long time, I felt like I had done something wrong — like I was being punished for just wanting to go right into the workforce.” 

After graduating high school, Torres worked as an after-school worker and instructional assistant in the same public school system where she had spent her K-12 years. She loved her job and never saw a reason to leave — but over time, she started thinking about becoming a full-time teacher. 

That’s when the barriers started popping up. “I couldn’t afford to go back to school full time,” she said. “I did extensive research, but I couldn’t find any options that fit my needs.” 

Then she found Reach University, which is designed to help paraprofessionals already working in schools become teachers at a fraction of the cost while earning credit for their on-the-job experience. Paraprofessionals are the school staffers who keep schools running, whether in office roles, after-school programs, as instructional assistants, or in the lunchroom. 

Unlike other options, Reach University recognized Torres’ extensive experience in education. This fully accredited, online, job-embedded university allows paraprofessionals to earn credit for their hands-on classroom work as they pursue their degrees. Upon completion, students receive “apprenticeship degrees” reflecting both their academic achievements and real-world experience. 

By making higher education accessible to those who can’t afford to pause their careers, Reach University not only expands opportunities for aspiring teachers but also provides an innovative solution to workforce shortages and high turnover rates.

For Torres, it was like Reach had flipped the script. 

“The narrative changed,” she said. “The decision I had felt bad about for so many years was being praised.” Now a graduate of Reach University, Torres tells her high school algebra students that college is just one of many viable paths they can take after high school. 

What if more universities offered apprenticeship degrees? Would it help communities address local labor shortages and create opportunities for underemployed workers?

The missing piece in the ‘college for all’ movement

For decades, American K-12 students have been taught that college after high school is the key to success. 

What does this mean for Torres and other working adults? Did they lose their opportunity by not going to college right after high school? 

Most working adults can’t afford to leave their jobs for full-time education or relocate to attend a distant campus. High tuition puts college out of reach without long-term debt. Many workers who would eagerly pursue training to advance their careers simply can’t do so without missing work, leaving their jobs, or uprooting their lives. At the same time, many of these individuals are deeply committed to their communities and want to continue serving them.

“The ‘college for all’ movement emphasized college access, based on data showing higher lifetime earnings for graduates,” explained Joe Ross, CEO and president of Reach University. “We spent all this time trying to get students into college. We made student loans more available and taught students they should aspire to college. What was missing, what we’ve not done is changed college. What is the college’s role in being available to all?” 

This was the question Ross and Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Reach University’s cofounders, asked five years ago when they set out to disrupt higher education and make it more accessible to working adults. 

Years earlier, Dwinal-Palisch’s dissertation research on rural teacher shortages revealed that local communities had plenty of untapped talent — they just needed a way to educate and train those already working in schools. Meanwhile, Ross, struggling to hire staff for after-school programs in California, discovered that offering a job-embedded pathway to teacher certification made the roles more appealing. 

By merging these insights, they created an innovative model that enables aspiring educators to earn credentials while gaining practical experience in their own communities. The model addresses the critical teacher shortage in the United States — with 55,000 teacher vacancies as of 2023 — in a whole new way.

“Ironically, in the same communities where we don’t have enough teachers, there are people who could fill those positions,” he said. “In a school that doesn’t have enough teachers, there are people who are working as aides or in the after-school program, the lunchroom, or in the back office. There are always many more people working in a school than there are vacancies that need to be filled.”

This was a big idea. Reach’s cofounders knew that in order for it to work, their solution needed to have five things: a clear and efficient path to a degree, flexibility to accommodate full-time jobs, career-relevant coursework, affordable tuition (capped at $75 a month), and the guarantee of professional capital — ensuring graduates have job opportunities within their local communities.

“Our mission is to turn jobs into degrees instead of the other way around,” said Ross.

The apprenticeship degree — why didn’t we think of this sooner? 

Reach University goes beyond making college accessible for working paraprofessionals by integrating their jobs into the learning experience through its “apprenticeship degree” program.

Torres found this approach incredibly intuitive. The discussion-based learning format allows individuals already working in schools to share real-world challenges, making the coursework more relevant and immediately applicable. Their job experience doesn’t just complement their education — it enhances it, turning daily classroom interactions into valuable learning moments.

For example, in a unit about bias, Torres and her classmates were tasked with observing and identifying bias in their classrooms, writing about it, and then coming to their online night class prepared to discuss their observations.

“There’s always something to write about because you’re in the building,” Torres said. “You’re with the students, one-on-one. Being able to reflect on your week, write about it, and then discuss it in class was invaluable. We would have some great discussions. It felt like I was building my toolkit for being in the classroom.”

Torres also appreciated that Reach treated her like a person with a life beyond her studies. She had previously gotten an associate’s degree at a local community college. She explained that the difference between the two was that the other school had a “take it or leave it” tone to all of her interactions. At Reach, she felt like her professors had a vested interest in her success.

“With Reach, they just know that you are a professional working full time and have a family of your own and life happens,” she said. “They work with that.”

Local employers and employees need more options 

Many industries have workers who want to advance but face education barriers. Reach recently introduced a second apprenticeship degree, this time for paraprofessionals in the field of behavioral health.

“It turns out that in health care, there are also paraprofessionals,” said Ross. “They include peer counselors, case managers, and outreach workers. You’ve got a whole set of occupations that are entry-level, front-line, and typically not paid very well but that are essential to the workings of a health care enterprise.”

Like K-12 education, health care is a local resource, deeply embedded in the fabric of a community. The traditional model where students leave their hometowns to attend a four-year college doesn’t work for many organizations in rural or underserved areas, where employees are often rooted in their communities and can’t afford to relocate for education. This barrier contributes to a record-breaking talent shortage.

However, the very thing that prevents people from leaving — deep local ties — can be a powerful asset. Those already working in schools and health care settings understand the unique needs, cultures, and challenges of their communities. They have built relationships with the people they serve and are invested in their well-being.

Employers in these sectors are increasingly recognizing the need to grow talent from within their organizations. The apprenticeship degree does this while allowing people to advance their careers without leaving their communities. 

“These are place-based employers,” said Ross. “They don’t have the luxury of recruiting people from other places to come in and serve someone else’s community. Both health care and the K-12 sector are already thinking about how to build their own talent. And they’re everywhere, so they have to build talent in every county.”

The urgent need to build that talent prompted Reach University to launch the National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree — to create a playbook and resources for other organizations to create more apprenticeship degrees.

Torres is doing her part with the high school students she teaches. 

“There are options for you out there,” she tells them.

Reach University is supported by Stand Together Foundation, which empowers individuals to reach their full potential through community-driven change. 

Learn more about Stand Together’s efforts to transform the future of work and explore ways you can partner with us.