Gov. Josh Stein has directed one of his councils to make recommendations for the implementation of Workforce Pell Grants in North Carolina, according to a Monday press release from the North Carolina Department of Commerce (NCDOC).
“North Carolina is committed to maximizing Workforce Pell to create new opportunities for learners, employers, and, ultimately, our economy,” said Stein in the release. “These funds will open up doors of opportunity for young people seeking training for high-skill, high-wage jobs.”
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Stein requested the recommendations from his Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships, which includes representatives from the NCDOC, North Carolina Community College System, the University of North Carolina System, and North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.
Federal funding for workforce training programs at colleges is set to become available on July 1, 2026, according to the release. These grants allow students eligible for Pell grants to use them for “short-term, high-quality training programs — some as short as eight weeks depending on instructional hours and program design,” according to an August news release from the N.C. Community College System (NCCCS).
These programs will be required to count toward academic credit for a certificate or degree program, and align with “high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors,” according to the NCDOC press release.
“With a tradition of collaboration in workforce development that helped make us America’s top state for business, North Carolina is well-positioned to be a national leader in implementing Workforce Pell, strengthening our ability to educate and train talent to meet the needs of growing employers,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, a co-chair of the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships, in the release.
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary form of financial aid for college students. The grants have historically been restricted to programs lasting at least 15 weeks and totaling 600 or more clock hours. However, the federal reconciliation bill enacted in July broadened the eligibility to include students enrolled in short-term, career-oriented programs through the new Workforce Pell Grants.
These programs are a growing priority for the federal government. The U.S. Department of Education unveiled on Monday a list of seven priorities for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). Among these priorities are the creation and expansion of short-term programs which “meet the eligibility requirements of the Workforce Pell Grants program,” backed by $50 million in available awards from FIPSE.
The Department of Education is expected to go through rulemaking negotiations in December to gather feedback from stakeholders and clarify details from the reconciliation bill.
At a recent meeting hosted recently by the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research, Iris Palmer, director for community colleges at the national think tank New America, said the final regulations are unlikely to be issued by July.
In the meantime, colleges should identify programs that could be eligible for the grants according to the existing eligibility criteria, Palmer told state leaders.
“We know actually quite a bit, just based on the legislation. And while there are questions to be answered, we can start to have a sense of, ‘How do we want this run at our institutions, and who do we want to benefit from it?’” Palmer said.
Dr. Jeff Cox, NCCCS president and a co-chair of the governor’s council, said in the press release that he is proud the system is partnering with the governor to support the grants’ rollout.
“This collaborative effort will expand access to short-term, high-quality training programs that connect more North Carolinians to rewarding careers and help meet the workforce needs of employers across our state,” said Cox.
Sophia Luna contributed reporting for this story.
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