The concept of a Workplace Pell Grant is not new, said Carrie Warick-Smith, vice president for public policy at the Association of Community College Trustees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Democrats and Republicans sought the expansion of the grant through bills during several previous congressional sessions. Americans overwhelmingly support the creation of a Workforce Pell across party lines, a survey<\/a> from the National Institute for Civil Discourse shows.<\/p>\n TCC provides short-term workforce training through its continuing education program<\/a> and offers courses in health, film, technology and other fields.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shelley Pearson, TCC vice chancellor and provost, said the new grant is a promising opportunity for students in the college\u2019s job training programs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen our programs meet specific federal quality standards \u2014 including completion rates, job placement rates, and employment earnings thresholds \u2014 students may qualify for this expanded financial aid,\u201d Pearson said. \u201cThis could significantly reduce financial barriers for students pursuing fast-track credentials that lead directly to employment, thereby enhancing both access and economic mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n For students to be eligible for the Workforce Pell, programs must:<\/p>\n Additionally, at least 70% of students must complete the program within a period of 1.5 times its usual length. At least 70% of students must also obtain jobs within 180 days of completing the program.<\/p>\n Colleges track completion rates, but it is tricky for them to follow job placement rates on their own, Warick-Smith said. Such information, if they collect it, may come from alumni surveys that could generate inaccurate data. Schools could compare lists of program graduates to unemployment or tax rolls, but they would need access to that information.<\/p>\n \u201cFiguring that out with the access to that government data is fairly straightforward, but asking an institution to keep track of job placement without access to government data would be a heavy lift,\u201d Warick-Smith said.\u00a0<\/p>\n There is also a value-added earnings requirement to ensure graduates three years removed from their program make enough money to justify the cost. The difference between the median earnings of federal aid recipients and 1.5 times the federal poverty line must not be less than the program\u2019s total tuition and fees.<\/p>\n The way the law is written means that graduates who obtain any job, not just one in their field, count toward the job placement requirement, Warick-Smith said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The value-added earnings requirement counteracts this. If students end up getting a job outside their field it will presumably be lower-paying and reflected in the institution\u2019s value-added earnings data.<\/p>\n Programs are not eligible for the grant until they have operated for at least a year. This discourages institutions from creating new programs just to collect Pell dollars, Warick-Smith said.<\/p>\n It is currently unclear whether institutions or the Department of Education will be responsible for collecting data, Warick-Smith said. She imagines this will be ironed out as the government and stakeholders determine how to execute the law.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Department of Education announced in July that rulemaking sessions will take place in December and January.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Workforce Pell section of the bill takes effect July 1, 2026, leaving institutions, the federal government and state governments just months to determine their roles and decide which programs are eligible.\u00a0<\/p>\n Can they get it done in time?<\/p>\n \u201cWhether or not everything is ready to go by July 1 is a big question mark,\u201d Warick-Smith said. \u201cOne of the things that we\u2019re doing is trying to work with colleges and encourage states to preplan as much as possible and prepare rather than waiting for negotiable rulemaking to be done before they start that process because it is a very tight timeline.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n TCC has not begun preparing to seek eligibility for any of its programs because it does not yet have detailed guidance from the federal government, Pearson said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur evaluation will be guided by federal guidelines and performance metrics once they are finalized,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, we anticipate conducting a comprehensive assessment of our workforce programs by spring 2026 to determine which offerings may meet the eligibility requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n At TCC, 49% of full-time, beginning students funded their education with Pell Grants during the 2022-23 school year, totaling $5.5 million in aid and averaging $5,372 per student.<\/p>\n In the meantime, TCC will keep an eye on developments from the federal government, Pearson said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe look forward to supporting our students through expanded financial aid opportunities as more information becomes available,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n McKinnon Rice is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n\n
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