The U.S. Education Department (ED) on Tuesday announced it has approved six new Workforce Pell Grant programs in Texas, marking the fourth state in the nation to receive program approvals.
Kilgore College and Weatherford College join three other community colleges in Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska as the first states—all with Republican governors—with short-term workforce programs that qualify for Workforce Pell.
At Kilgore College, the approved programs include electrical power lineman, phlebotomy technician and pharmacy technician. At Weatherford College, the programs are HVAC, basic machining and advanced machining programs.
“Approving these programs is a major step toward opening new market‑driven alternatives to traditional two- and four-year degrees,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a release. “We are proud to partner with Texas colleges and state leaders to support in-demand, high-quality programs that will open new career pathways for thousands of students across the Lone Star State.”
Related article: Rolling out Workforce Pell
The federal government opened the Workforce Pell program on July 1. Short-term programs must serve in-demand fields, among other requirements, and must receive state approval before seeking ED’s approval.
In August, Iowa Central Community College was the first to attain ED’s stamp for its emergency medical technicians, followed by Ivy Tech Community College’s clinical medical assistant program. Nebraska’s Metropolitan Community College received approval for three programs last week.
