Find your own pathway
Discover your interests, unleash your talents, and soar into your future - start searching for your pathway today.
The Teaching as a Profession Academy is an portion of the Teach UCPS program, which is a partnership with UCPS, South Piedmont Community College, and Wingate University.
Like many school districts across the nation, Union County Public Schools (UCPS) is struggling to fill vacant teacher positions. A report released Feb. 1 by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction shows that there are nearly 5,500 instructional vacancies statewide.
Through an innovative partnership with Wingate University and South Piedmont Community College (SPCC), UCPS is proud to announce Next Stop: TeachUCPS, a teacher pipeline program for students and employees. This new strategy will help UCPS to grow its own teachers and provide a roadmap that removes financial barriers for pursuing a teaching license.
“The teacher shortage is increasing and we have to innovate locally to address recruitment and retention,” said Superintendent Dr. Andrew Houlihan. “We are blessed to have SPCC and Wingate University as partners. With their help, we can open doors and create new opportunities for students and staff to go to college and become certified teachers.”
Next Stop: TeachUCPS has four pathways—three for high school students and one for teacher assistants. Students can begin taking classes in ninth grade, earn an associate’s degree from SPCC and then enroll in the Road to Wingate program to earn a college degree. Teacher assistants can follow a similar path to become a certified teacher.
In addition to classes, the pathways will provide internships and field experiences for students. Currently, UCPS is offering the traditional pathway at Weddington High School. Students are receiving hands-on experience by working with teachers and students at Weddington Elementary School and Weddington Middle School. Through this pathway, students will have the opportunity to participate in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) internship and work on lesson planning with staff, attend planning meetings on teacher workdays and teach small or whole-group lessons. This same pathway will expand to Porter Ridge High School in the 2023-2024 school year.
“When I enrolled in the Teaching as a Profession class, I expected to learn the basics of how to be a teacher,” said Mia Anderson, a senior at Weddington High School. “I learned so much more in this class than I ever had in mind. I gained new insight on how different ages of children act, how to curate a classroom that is inclusive, how each student has a unique learning style, and that a classroom is made up of several different parts, not just the academic instruction.” 
Associates Pathway
- 8th grade self identifies potential interest in Teaching as a Profession
- 9th grade registration altered to allow for this possibility
- 10th grade begin CCP courses along with UCPS courses. Minimum of 7 credits potential of 10
- 11th Grade complete minimum 6 courses or 22 credits through CCP
- 12th Grade complete minimum of 6 courses or 22 credits through CCP
- Graduate high school with an Associate of Arts or Science Teacher Prep diploma
- Apply to UCPS for a Teaching Assistant position
- 2 years after high school attending Wingate through the Road to Wingate Tuition Free
- Classroom teacher 2 years after graduation from high school
Traditional Pathway: Pre-Apprentice or University
- 10th – 12th grades may begin taking the CTE Teaching as a Profession course
- Teaching as a Profession I
- Teaching as a Profession II
- Teaching as a Profession Field Experience
- Complete the 3 course pathway may articulate up to 7 credits with a SPCC, Wingate University or other partnering institution
- Maintain a 2.5 GPA
- Register as a UCPS Teacher Pre-Apprentice
- Upon graduation students may register as a UCPS Apprentice to pursue a Teacher Preparation Associates degree at SPCC then attend Wingate University to complete their Bachelor’s degree in education through the Road to Wingate Scholarship program
Or
- Enroll at Wingate University or other 4 year institution to complete a Bachelor’s degree in education
UCPS Support/Opportunities
- Students may expand apprenticeship/internship/field experiences by
- Participating in relevant UCPS Professional Development sessions
- Canvas Rockstars, Content Related Professional Development
- Participating in relevant Summer Programs experiences
- Paid as a Teacher Assistant or Tutor during Summer Programs
- Participate in relevant professional development and planning for Summer Programs
- Participating in CTE Internship Programs in UCPS schools
- Lesson planning with UCPS staff
- Attend planning meetings on teacher workdays
- Opportunity to teach small or whole group lessons
- Participating in relevant UCPS Professional Development sessions