Program: Building Stronger Apprenticeship Partnerships: Clarifying Roles, Responsibilities, and Shared Goals

Description: Successful apprenticeship programs don’t happen by accident, they are built through strong partnerships grounded in clear roles, shared responsibilities, and aligned goals. In this dynamic panel discussion, panelists will share their unique perspectives on what makes apprenticeship partnerships work. Panelists will explore key ingredients for effective collaboration, common challenges they’ve faced, and how they’ve addressed those challenges. Whether you’re launching a new apprenticeship program or refining an existing one, you’ll gain insights into how to define responsibilities, strengthen coordination, and set your partnership up for long-term success.

Building Stronger Apprenticeship Partnerships Panelists:

Heather Bryant, Dean of Early Childhood Education at Dallas College. Heather has served in the field of early childhood education for over 30 years. She has been a PreK and Kindergarten teacher, a school administrator, and is the inaugural Dean of Early Childhood Education at Dallas College. Heather oversaw the development of the first early childhood apprenticeship program in the state of Texas that included a pathway from Level 1 Certification to a Bachelor’s degree. She has developed streamlined pathways for early childhood educators to obtain certification and degrees and works with a wide range of stakeholders in the local and state early childhood landscape.

Randi Wolfe, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of Early Care & Education Pathways to Success (ECEPTS). Randi Wolfe, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of Early Care & Education Pathways to Success (ECEPTS), is nationally recognized as a trailblazer in creating and replicating Registered Apprenticeships to meet the unique needs of the Early Care and Education industry. Dr. Wolfe has worked in ECE for more than 40 years, including 10 years as a professor at Northern Illinois University. From 2021-2025 she has served as an appointed member to the U.S. Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship. She has an Ed.M. in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University.