Apprenticeship Wall

Frequently asked questions will be shared with interested parties during the online technical assistance webinar on October 10, 2025, from 10-11 a.m. Join via Apprenticeship Wall FAQ Zoom. 

1. Who are the main players?

• Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Career and Technical Education (MDE-OCTE) has designated Eaton Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) as the fiscal agent for the apprenticeship wall project to support implementation in local districts and public school academies. This grant was made possible through reserve funds from the 2024-25 Carl D. Perkins (Perkins V) funds.
• Eaton RESA was designated to administer the apprenticeship wall project. Eaton RESA will manage the details of each award including serving as the liaison to communicate with the vendor contracted to design, print, and coordinate the wall delivery to the schools.
• Local education agencies/districts can apply for a stipend to help pay for an apprenticeship wall to be installed in their school that visibly outlines career apprenticeship options for students. Stipends will be dispersed to awardees upon successful completion of project participation. Districts are not subrecipients.  

2. Are local schools that are approved for an apprenticeship wall considered a subrecipient?  

No. Eaton RESA is the only subrecipient of this project.

3. What are the district responsibilities/assurances?

Districts that are approved to receive an apprenticeship wall will be required to:

• Designate a main contact for the apprenticeship wall project, who works in the physical building where the wall is located.
• The main contact must attend the apprenticeship wall “train the trainer” workshop.
• Coordinate the delivery and installation of the apprenticeship wall in a highly trafficked, visible area at the district's high school. 
• Train local district staff in apprenticeship opportunities. 
• Coordinate and host an apprenticeship wall community event. 
• Share data regarding the impact of the apprenticeship wall and complete the designated survey. 
• Awardees will receive a stipend once the required work is complete.  

4. What is a stipend?

A stipend is a fixed amount of money paid to support an expense.  It is not a reimbursement. 

5. Who qualifies for the stipend?

The intended recipients for the apprenticeship walls are high schools located within a Perkins Fiscal Region, not career centers, per language in the grant criteria established for this designated grant (3/7/25) and in the Michigan Department of Education Memo dated May 13, 2025.  This program aligns with Michigan’s Perkins 5S1 – Program Quality Indicator (Section 113. ACCOUNTABILITY (b)(2)(A)(iv)(I)(aa)), Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, and the Governor’s Sixty by 30 initiatives.

6. Can a school district apply for multiple local schools?

 No. Each individual school must apply separately. 

7. Do local education agencies (LEAs) need to complete a budget summary with codes?  

No. LEAs will not need to complete the Budget Summary, as they will receive a stipend.  The evidence that will be collected is proof of attendance at the training, the record of the training event at the building, the record of the community event, and the administration of the survey, which MDE-OCTE will provide.

8. What financial codes should districts use for the Wall and Stipends? 

• Revenue (for the stipends only, not the apprenticeship walls): 
  • Major Class Code 417, Suffix Code 0160
• Expenditure:
  • No expenditure needs to be recorded for the apprenticeship walls by the local education agencies/districts because Eaton RESA will incur and record expenditures.
• Stipend: 
  • An apprenticeship wall stipend needs to be recorded across the Function(s) and Object(s) for which the stipend is used, AND Grant Code 400 (very important). 

9. What are the appropriate uses of the $3,500 stipend awarded to districts? 

Appropriate uses include covering the cost of a “train the trainer” session, lodging and associated conference fees when attending the session, an employee stipend, and/or extra duty pay for coordinating local staff training, wall installation, one counselor board, and hosting a required community apprenticeship event, and marketing costs associated with the event.

10. What are NOT appropriate uses of the $3,500 stipend awarded to districts?

• Additional counselor boards in neighboring high schools.  
• Food and beverage for the community event.

11. Can you confirm what the performance period is for this grant (beginning and ending dates)?   Also, are expenses that are completed prior to the performance period allowable?

Eaton RESA will notify awardees of all important deadlines, including a final completion and evidence submission date.  

The stipend will be issued once the work is complete. 

12. If I have three apprenticeship walls in my district, at three different schools, do I need a person from each school to attend the “train the trainer” sessions?

Yes. For the districts that submitted for more than one wall, they will need to have a representative at the training for each building.

13. What if the staff member from the district allotted to attend the training is unable to attend the training?

Another staff member from the school where the apprenticeship wall will be placed must attend the training to be eligible for the stipend.

14. What if a district cannot have a representative at the “train the trainer” session for the apprenticeship wall project?

Then, the applications will be moved to the top of the list for the next round.  Apprenticeship walls must not be placed until the “train the trainer” session is complete.

15. Why can’t career centers have an apprenticeship wall?

High school students who are not enrolled in CTE are less likely to be aware of alternative career pathways such as apprenticeship programs. Career centers already offer excellent exposure to multiple career choices and options for students; however, they only reach a small portion of high school students.  Alternatively, placing apprenticeship walls in high schools will inform all high school students of local apprenticeship opportunities.

Career centers may be eligible to receive a wall in future rounds.