Workforce Pell Implementation Project

Project Overview

As a part of H.R. 1, which took effect on July 1, 2026, the new Workforce Pell grant program creates an opportunity for community colleges to expand access to short-term credentials for students with financial need. Successfully implementing Workforce Pell, however, requires coordination among community colleges, state agencies, workforce systems, and other partners to translate new requirements into effective policies and processes.

Through the Workforce Pell Implementation Project, ACCT will bring community colleges and state partners together during the first year of implementation to learn about practices, processes, and systems in multiple states to identify opportunities to improve Workforce Pell implementation approaches across states and institutions. Insights from the first year will help inform recommendations for strengthening state implementation and develop practical resources that other states and colleges can use.

This project is made possible thanks to the generous support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The project will engage organizations and agencies such as the National Governors Association, State Higher Education Executive Officers, workforce boards, and governors’ offices to inform implementation strategies and identify challenges and opportunities for community colleges.

How the Project Works

ACCT will work with ten community colleges and their state partners across five states to understand how Workforce Pell implementation is taking shape across different state and institutional contexts. Beginning in fall 2026, ACCT will hold individual conversations with participating colleges to learn from their early implementation experiences. In 2027, colleges will take part in virtual learning sessions to share successes, identify challenges, and explore potential solutions, while state representatives will participate in separate conversations to provide their perspectives on implementation.

In summer 2027, state and community college representatives will come together for an in-person convening to review emerging findings and develop recommendations for strengthening Workforce Pell implementation. The project will explore issues including program eligibility and approval, labor market alignment, financial aid administration, student communication and access, monitoring, and articulation. Lessons from participating states and colleges will inform a final brief, planning framework, and readiness guide designed to help states and institutions assess capacity, identify policy and operational gaps, and strengthen their Workforce Pell implementation efforts.

Selected States & Colleges 

To be announced soon!

Have specific questions or want more information about this project? Feel free to reach out to either of the following

• Michelle Callahan, Senior Project Associate, [email protected]

• Linda Rhoads, Director, Center for Policy & Practice, [email protected] 

• Steve Jurch, Associate Vice President, Center for Policy & Practice, [email protected]