New Opportunities and Challenges for Workforce Training Programs as Pell Grants Expand
In Minnesota’s St. Paul College, a group of students is diligently honing their nursing skills to prepare for the state’s certification exam. These students are part of a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program that equips them for high-demand roles in long-term care facilities and hospitals.
The program costs over $1,000, and while many students receive financial support from their employers, some, like Datrina Hurt, a 37-year-old unemployed mother of two, pay the tuition themselves. “I got my income tax return this year and I figured, I can do a small investment in my life. Why not?” she said, hopeful about securing a $20-an-hour job at a local nursing home.
To support students like Hurt, Congress has expanded federal Pell Grants to include short-term workforce training programs. This change, part of the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill,” aims to assist over 100,000 students by 2027, according to the U.S. Department of Education and the Congressional Budget Office. Eligible programs must be between eight and 14 weeks long, provide 150 to 599 instructional hours, and prepare students for in-demand fields with proven job placements and earnings.
However, many existing workforce training programs, including the CNA course at St. Paul, fall short of these criteria, being only 112 hours long. None of the college’s workforce programs currently meet the requirements. Jennifer Huston, St. Paul College’s executive director of workforce training, noted, “Slowly, as we got closer and closer to July 1, you realize, nope, it’s going to take us a while to get there.”
Adapting to New Requirements
Community colleges nationwide are discovering that many of their programs do not align with the new Pell Grant requirements. Carrie Warick-Smith of the Association of Community College Trustees explains, “I think the reality that’s setting in is that July 1 is not a floodgate. It is a start point of the marathon.” She advises colleges to treat this year as a pilot year.
St. Paul College plans to modify its CNA course by integrating it with a Trained Medication Aide certificate program, thereby meeting the Workforce Pell criteria. The college also aims to introduce new programs that emphasize access and economic mobility, aligned with industry needs.
As Sarah Carrico, who manages academic affairs at St. Paul College, states, “It really helps open the door for access to higher education, at that bite-size level.”
Challenges and Optimism
States must first identify in-demand, high-wage, and high-skill fields to determine program eligibility. Yet, only 12 states have published these frameworks, and the lists vary significantly. For instance, Florida highlights 31 career certificate programs, while Michigan identifies 267 eligible occupations.
Colleges face the challenge of tracking data for non-degree programs, which is often difficult due to a lack of established systems. After identifying eligible programs, colleges must seek state and federal approvals.
Programs Ready to Qualify
Despite the challenges, some colleges are prepared to proceed. North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene plans to submit applications for five programs, including a CNA course, welding, and HVAC, all of which qualify under the new guidelines.
Lloyd Duman, the interim provost at North Idaho College, sees the expansion as an opportunity for students to gain initial skills and potentially pursue further education, stating, “This is kind of the beginning of that.”
Many community college officials express optimism that workforce training could lead students to pursue associate or bachelor’s degrees eventually. Warick-Smith humorously speculated that the process might gain momentum by January, suggesting that most students might access Workforce Pell funds by next spring.
Datrina Hurt believes the wait will be worth it, as the grants could significantly benefit students like her.
