RELEASE: 9 Ways Governors Can Ensure Workforce Pell Delivers Real Results

Washington, D.C. — As the federal government expands its Pell Grant program to fund short-term, career-focused training programs, a new analysis from the Center for American Progress outlines nine concrete ways governors can maximize Workforce Pell’s impact. Starting July 1, postsecondary students can access Pell Grant funding to pay for eligible programs that last just 8–14 weeks. Because governors get to choose which programs qualify for funding and how to shape the guardrails of implementation, their decisions will determine whether the training actually leads to good, high-paying jobs or wastes taxpayer dollars. The report includes the following key recommendations: States should build integrated data infrastructures linking education and employment records to protect students and satisfy upcoming occupational reporting requirements. Since data show students in exclusively online programs face systemically poorer outcomes, governors should mandate higher-quality standards and periodic audits. Governors should establish a joint approval council to align Workforce Pell eligibility decisions and avoid fragmented, duplicative approval processes across higher education and workforce systems. Definitions for “high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand” occupations should be improved and standardized. Governors should create incentive structures focused on institutional performance and not individual head counts. To do this, states should explicitly prohibit commissions, bonuses, or payments to recruiters, third-party vendors, or online program managers. “Simply extending federal Pell funding to these shorter programs won’t be enough,” said Madison Weiss , senior policy analyst for Higher Education Policy at CAP and author of the report. “Governors will need to set high standards and safeguards to make sure Workforce Pell becomes a powerful lever for students’ economic mobility and long-term success.” Read the report: “ Making Workforce Pell Deliver: 9 State Options to Improve Outcomes for Students and Employers ” by Madison Weiss For more information or to speak with an expert , contact Mishka Espey at [email protected] .