It’s Time to Expand Pell Grants to Include Short Term Workforce Programs
Tobin Stone
December 16, 2024
Over the past few decades, most kids have grown up being told by their parents that getting a four-year college degree is the best way to get ahead in life. Today, however, as the cost of college has skyrocketed and employers have faced a shortage of skilled workers, people have started to look beyond traditional two and four-year colleges for their pathway to career success.
With so many employers in need of workers with qualifications in anything from IT services to healthcare to the culinary arts, short-term educational programs have been one of the fastest emerging career training opportunities for people looking to enter the workforce or change careers. These programs are typically highly accredited, providing workers with a quality education and the specific skills they need to thrive.
However, Washington lawmakers have created an unbalanced system that makes it harder for students to access these programs. Short-term training programs are popular, enjoy higher competition rates than two-year degrees, and tend to be dramatically cheaper than traditional colleges — but the cost can still be prohibitive, and very little financial aid in the form of grants or scholarships is available for them at the state, local, and federal levels. While some short-term programs are eligible for federal student loans, under current law, programs must span at least 600 hours over 15 weeks to qualify for Pell Grants.
