The U.S. Department of Education (ED) approved three Workforce Pell Grant programs in Nebraska. This means that eligible students at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) can now use federal Pell Grant dollars to enroll in its phlebotomy technician, pharmacy technician and CompTia Tech+ with Google IT Support programs. These programs aim to prepare students for key healthcare and information technology professions.
Nebraska is the third state in the nation – and MCC is the third community college – to receive program approvals. ED approved on Aug. 4 the nation’s first Workforce Pell grant program at Iowa Central Community College to prepare EMTs. On Aug. 19, ED approved a Workforce Pell program at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana to train clinical medical assistants.
Creating faster routes to the workforce
The new Workforce Pell program enables eligible students to apply and access grant funds for short-term, accredited, workforce-aligned programs that can be completed in as little as eight weeks.
To qualify for Workforce Pell, a program must meet rigorous earnings, job placement and completion benchmarks; have been in operation for at least one year; and receive approval from both the governor and the U.S. Secretary of Education. These three programs meet these standards, opening the door for students who are seeking to enter the healthcare and information technology professions without taking on extreme student debt burdens, according to a press release from ED.
“Workforce Pell opens the door to faster, more affordable pathways into good careers, and Metropolitan Community College was ready to walk through that door,” MCC President Randy Schmailzl said. “We’ve built our short-term workforce programs around what students and employers need, and now eligible students have another way to access those opportunities through Workforce Pell and the short-term education model we’ve been building for our community.”
Learn more about how MCC accomplished this.
“This is tremendous news and it represents tremendous opportunity for getting people the technical training they need to take advantage of high-demand, high-paying, and highly rewarding careers right here in Nebraska,” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said. “The funding that will allow students to participate in these short-term programs represents an investment, one that will pay off in dividends. I’m appreciative of the state-federal collaboration that has made this happen so quickly.”
