New Workforce Pell Grants to Help Pay for Career Training
The US government has introduced new Workforce Pell Grants to help students pay for career training programs, making it easier for them to acquire skills and enter the workforce without incurring significant debt.
The US government has introduced a major expansion of Pell Grants, which will now cover career training programs that lead to better jobs. This change breaks the longstanding restriction of Pell Grants to only pay for degree programs. According to Nicholas Kent, federal under secretary of education, this will give students a real opportunity to enter into higher education for the first time, with little to no debt, and get into the workforce faster.
Background on Pell Grants
Pell Grants are the single biggest source of federal financial aid grants for low- and moderate-income students attending college. Students receive between $740 and $7,400 a year, depending on family size and income, toward associates and bachelors degree programs. The new Workforce Pell Grants will help pay for training for career credentials taking less than four months, potentially in fields such as nursing, commercial truck driving, or cosmetology.
Eligibility and Requirements
To be eligible for the Workforce Pell Grants, programs must serve in-demand jobs, have a shorter length than traditional Pell (150 to 599 clock hours over 8 to 15 weeks), show that students are hired quickly after finishing, and lead to pay of at least $24,000 a year. States have to approve programs individually, before sending them to the U.S. Department of Education for a final decision. The rollout will be slow, as states sort through requirements and existing programs may need to be adapted to meet the new rules.
Potential Fields for Qualifying Programs
Experts offer some hints at which fields are likely to have qualifying programs. Training for fields such as welding, auto repair, cosmetology, and early childhood education could potentially qualify, along with fields colleges are already applying for. A separate analysis found that training for fields such as vehicle maintenance, medical assisting, and clinical lab science are likely to qualify, but programs for practical nursing and cosmetology may not meet income requirements.
The following table shows some potential fields and their corresponding income ranges:
| Field | Income Range |
|---|---|
| Welding | $30,000 - $60,000 |
| Auto Repair | $25,000 - $50,000 |
| Cosmetology | $20,000 - $40,000 |
| Early Childhood Education | $25,000 - $45,000 |
| Vehicle Maintenance | $30,000 - $60,000 |
| Medical Assisting | $25,000 - $45,000 |
| Clinical Lab Science | $40,000 - $70,000 |
Advocates say requiring programs and states to find real hiring and income data is forcing hard looks at the real value of all training programs, which should eventually weed out programs students may be wasting time and money on now. Jeff Strohl, director of Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce, said students should consider the pay a program leads to carefully.
