Pell grants can now pay for short job-training courses at five Texas community colleges

Low-income Texans can now use federal Pell grants for short job-training courses at five of the state's community colleges, the first Texas schools the U.S. Department of Education has cleared for the new Workforce Pell program, The Texas Tribune reported Tuesday.

Pell grants, which do not have to be repaid, have traditionally been limited to degree programs. The federal budget law passed last summer extended them to workforce courses as short as eight weeks, and the change took effect in July.

Which programs qualify

The approvals cover a short list of programs at each school, according to the Tribune:

• Weatherford College, the only North Texas school in the first group: HVAC, basic machining and advanced machining
• Kilgore College: training toward electrical power lineman, phlebotomy technician and pharmacy technician jobs
• Central Texas College: pharmacy technician
• Texas Southmost College: structural welding
• San Jacinto College: phlebotomy technician

Collin College, the community college district that serves Collin County, is not among the first five. Federal officials will keep approving schools on a rolling basis, the Tribune reported.

To be eligible, a program has to train for high-demand, high-wage work, and at least 70% of its students must both finish and land a job within six months. Students apply by completing the FAFSA, the federal student aid form. The Education Department estimates qualifying students will receive about $1,700 on average.

Weatherford College President Tod Allen Farmer called the grants "a true game changer" and told the Tribune he expects more of the college's programs to become eligible soon.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board asked federal officials to review at least 12 programs after the law took effect, a deputy commissioner told a House committee in August. Texas is among the first states, with Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska, to have short-term programs approved.

Sources

The Texas Tribune

studentaid.gov