North Carolina Approves First Short-Term Training Programs For Workforce Pell

Workforce Pell, established in 2025 by the federal budget reconciliation bill, is an expansion of Pell Grants to cover certain short-term workforce training programs that meet rigorous standards, including strong completion and job placement rates. In North Carolina, students at community colleges and other postsecondary institutions who enroll in eligible programs may soon qualify to receive federal funds for their education.

“Folks, this is a big deal,” said Tom Rabon, chair of the NCWorks Commission, which was designated by Gov. Josh Stein as the lead agency for Workforce Pell implementation. “This is recognized by people far and beyond the confines of this room.

The vote to approve the 43 programs, which represented about a third of the applications the commission considered after an initial review, was unanimous. A round of applause followed the vote.

Other programs are still being evaluated for compliance with state and federal guidelines, and the application remains open, with additional NCWorks Commission approvals scheduled on a quarterly basis. According to the commission’s website, applications must be submitted by Oct. 15 to be reviewed before the next NCWorks Commission meeting in November.

There will also be a special meeting of the NCWorks Commission on Sep. 16 where the commission is expected to approve more programs for Workforce Pell, according to Brian Merritt, senior vice president and chief academic officer of the North Carolina Community Colleges System (NCCCS).

All 43 approved programs are housed at community colleges and represent a variety of fields, with healthcare and public safety being most common. Some examples include nurse aide, truck driving, electrical lineworker, welding, and emergency medical technician (EMT) programs.

Sixteen community colleges have at least one program that was approved, with the most approved programs at Forsyth Tech (6) and Gaston College (6):

• Beaufort County Community College
• Bladen Community College
• Blue Ridge Community College
• Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute
• Central Carolina Community College
• Central Piedmont Community College
• Craven Community College
• Fayetteville Technical Community College
• Forsyth Technical Community College
• Gaston College
• Guilford Technical Community College
• Mitchell Community College
• Robeson Community College
• Roanoke‑Chowan Community College
• Tri‑County Community College
• Wake Technical Community College

See the full list of approved programs here.

North Carolina leading the charge on Workforce Pell

Only a handful of states have approved programs at the state level, and the initial number of approved programs makes North Carolina stand out, said Andrea DeSantis, assistant secretary for workforce solutions at the N.C. Department of Commerce.

“When we talk to our peer states through a couple of different channels, North Carolina is really out in front in terms of our process timeline,” DeSantis told EdNC.

She said the strong push will continue as “many, many more” programs are approved later this year and over the next few years as postsecondary institutions potentially adjust their offerings to align with Workforce Pell requirements and labor market needs.

In this online Workforce Pell tracker, you can see the status of implementation across the country. For example, the state of Pennsylvania has approved just two of 40 program submissions so far, according to the tracker.

The U.S. Department of Education has 120 days to approve the now state-approved programs once they submit federal applications. DeSantis hopes approval will happen soon, so programs can start serving students with federal financial aid as they’re enrolling.

The Department of Education approved the first Workforce Pell program nationwide, an EMT program in Iowa, on Aug. 4.