By Nadine Philips, Senior Policy & Strategy Associate, Center For Employment Opportunities
Access to quality education and training that aligns with in-demand industries benefits the individual, entire communities, and the economy at large. However, too many people eager to learn new skills and build lucrative careers, cannot enroll in the necessary courses due to economic barriers. This scenario is especially acute for people returning from incarceration. For many justice-impacted people, they cannot afford the tuition or the loss of a paycheck for the duration of a training course. Federal investments often drive access to these opportunities through programs like SNAP Employment & Training (SNAP E&T), the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA), and the newly introduced Workforce Pell grants.
Last month, The Department of Education issued the final rule for Workforce Pell giving education and workforce stakeholders more insight into the specifics and qualifications programs must meet to receive funding. As we discussed in our previous think piece, Workforce Pell offers financial assistance to support students engaged in short-term, high-quality workforce training programs—opening the door to faster, more direct pathways into employment for people who need them most.
Workforce Pell is a strong endorsement for short-term credential programs and acknowledges the financial barrier to accessing in-demand carriers, but its effectiveness all comes down to implementation.
Unfortunately, the final rule previews limited access to the grants and a significantly longer timeline to eligibility. Workforce Pell will remain focused on programs within Title IV accredited higher education institutions (e.g., colleges, universities, or vocational schools certified by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in federal student aid programs). Additionally, States must develop policies and practices for determining what constitutes high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand programs that are eligible for Workforce Pell. Programs cannot be considered for eligibility until these policies are finalized, which will cause delays in full implementation of Workforce Pell. People eager to enroll in training courses will have to wait to access funds in order to jumpstart their careers. .
What does this mean for learners and providers hoping to access these grants? Unfortunately, the road to Workforce Pell will be a long one due to three takeaways specified in the final rule:
- States must develop Workforce Pell policy and procedures
Governors and state workforce boards carry the responsibility for determining Workforce Pell eligibility. States decide the criteria to ensure programs offer high quality training and equip learners with credentials needed for in-demand employment specific to their region. This important work will take time - many states were waiting on the final rule before beginning to develop this process.
- Reliance on higher education institutions
In addition to waiting for states to develop policies, the vast majority of Workforce Pell programs must be offered through Title IV accredited institutions which will have limited capacity to navigate the application process. Preliminary reports indicate that few programs will immediately qualify for Workforce Pell under current eligibility criteria, meaning that many institutions will have to put additional work into developing programs that do.
- 25% unaccredited provider partnership caps remain in place
As discussed in our April piece, Workforce Pell offers a golden opportunity to expand access to quality career training for justice-impacted people. Unfortunately, the final rule does not mobilize Workforce Pell to its full potential because it does not offer support for unaccredited providers to access these federal dollars. Furthermore the final rule does not increase the 25% partnership allowance–a policy that limits how much of an eligible short-term job training program an accredited institution can "outsource" to an unaccredited or non-Title IV-eligible organization.
Only Registered Apprenticeships received an increase in a partnership allowance. While this nods to the importance of apprenticeships and paid training, we don’t anticipate this added flexibility will result in an increase in these partnerships given the incongruencies between apprenticeship and Workforce Pell program eligibility.
So what can we do from here to make the most out of Workforce Pell? It starts with supporting states and institutions that are well-positioned to utilize Workforce Pell:
- Engage state leadership over Workforce Pell implementation. Urge Governors and your state workforce board to make development of Workforce Pell eligibility policies a priority and make sure they create opportunities for quality programs that are accessible to justice-impacted learners.
- Support community and technical colleges in applying for and investing in programs that are eligible for Workforce Pell. Work with Title IV institutions in your community to identify pre-existing programs that could be eligible for Workforce Pell and help them navigate the application process. Create opportunities for institutions to hear directly from justice-impacted learners as to why increasing access to short-term credential programs is so important.
- Advocate for stronger data collection on credential program quality and success. Data on short-term credential programs are lacking making it hard to determine which programs deliver for their learners and which do not. Better data on these programs help key stakeholders feel more confident in investing in these opportunities and could be the key to opening up more opportunities for accessing Workforce Pell. Data collection is also key in showing lawmakers the successes and challenges of Workforce Pell implementation so they have the necessary information to continue to refine the program.
As with many new opportunities, Workforce Pell will grow stronger as stakeholders see what is working and what should be improved. It will require us to roll up our sleeves and work with other education and workforce providers in our communities to make the most of this moment and design high-quality training pathways accessible to justice-impacted learners.
