Too Good To Be True? The Implications of Workforce Pell for High School Students

The Workforce Pell Grant program was created with broad bipartisan support to expand access to short-term training programs. Most discussion of Workforce Pell focuses on its implications for postsecondary institutions and adult learners. Far less attention is paid toward its potentially significant effects on K–12 education. This brief examines how Workforce Pell could affect high school and concludes with recommendations for state policymakers on ways to prevent Workforce Pell from steering students toward short-term credentials with limited long-term value.