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Home News New Pathway Lets Registered Apprentices Earn a Bachelor’s Degree Alongside Their Trade

Partnerships · June 18, 2026

New Pathway Lets Registered Apprentices Earn a Bachelor’s Degree Alongside Their Trade

Manufacturing and construction apprentices can now bank credit for on-the-job hours and finish a degree part-time in the evenings and online.

UW–Porter Falls has launched a degree pathway designed for people already in a registered apprenticeship in manufacturing or construction. The program awards a block of academic credit for the structured on-the-job training and related instruction an apprenticeship already requires, then lets the apprentice complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology or construction management part-time, in evening and online courses, over about four years.

The pathway was built with two regional trade councils and a group of employers who want a route for their skilled workers to move into supervision and project management without leaving the workforce. Tuition is often covered in part by employer education benefits.

“These are people who can already run a job. What they are missing is the credential and a few specific skills — estimating, scheduling software, engineering economics. We can teach that around a work schedule.”

— director of workforce and continuing education

The first cohort of about 25 apprentices starts in the fall.

Contact: Office of University Communications, news@uwporterfalls.edu

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