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WEBVTT WELL SHORT OF ITSPROMISES.THESE CCAC STUDENTS ARE STUDYINGTO BE NURSE ASSISTANTIT'S ONE FIELD WHERE STUDENTSCAN GET FREE TUITION AND EXPENSETHROUGH THE $13 MILLION HEALTHPROFESSIONS OPPORTUNITY GRANT.SHE WAS A SCHOOL VAN DRIVER WHENSHE WENT THROUGH THE PROGRAMLAST YEAR.THE GRANT PAID HER TUITION,BOOKS, A UNIFORM, AND A MONTHLYBUS PASS.>> THEY HAVE SAVED ME THOUSANDSOF DOLLARS AND ON TOP OF THAT IHAVE A CAREER.REPORTER: AFTER COMPLETING THEPROGRAM SHE GOT A NEW JOB,DOUBLING HER SALARY.>> I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TOCOMPLETE IT WITHOUT THE PROGRAM.REPORTER: BUT RECORDS SHOW SHEWAS ONE OF JUST A HANDFUL OFSTUDENTS TO COMPLETE THEPROGRAM.IN THEIR FIRST YEAR, CCACPROMISED TO SIGN UP 460STUDENTS, BUT ONLY 79 ENROLLED.JUST 17% OF THE GOAL.THE COLLEGE PROMISED 201 LOWINCOME STUDENTS, THERE WERE ONLY17.JUST 8% OF THE GOAL.THROUGH THE FIRST QUARTER OF THESECOND YEAR, CCAC ENROLLED JUST4H POD STUDENTS, SIX OF THEM LOWINCOME.THAT PROMPTE THE THEM TO BEACCUSED OF A PATTE OFINADEQUATE MANAGEMENT OF GRANTOPERATIONS.WE FIRST WENT TO COLLEGEPRESIDENT BULLOCK LOOKING FORANSWERS.CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS GRANT?HE REFUSED TO TALK, BUT THECOLLEGE LATER MADE THE GRANTPROGRAM DIRECTOR AVAILABLE FORQUESTIONS.>> THEY SAID YOU WERE FALLINGWAY SHORT OF GOALS, AND YOUWERE, RIGHT?>> YES.AT THAT POINT, THAT IS TRUE.REPORT YOU'RE OFFERING FREETUITION CAN ALL THESE OTHERTHINGS, YOU'D THINK YOU'D BEFLOODED WITH APPLICANTS. SOWHAT HAPPENED?>> RIGHT.THE PROCESS, THERE ARE SOMEVARIABLES THAT YOU CAN'TCONTROL.REPORTER: SHE SAID SOME STUDENTSFAILED THE BACKGROUND CHECK ANDONE-THIRD OF THE STUDENTS WHOPASSED THE BACKGROUND CHECKSSTILL DID NOT QUALIFY FOR GRANTMONEY BECAUSE OF STRICTCONDITIONS LAID DOWN BY THEFEDS.SHE SAID CCAC NEEDED MORE TIMETO HIRE STAFF.>> THESE ARE GROWING PAINS,GETTING A PROGRAM LIKE THIS UP.REPORTER: BUT THE COUNTYCONTROLLER IS TROUBLED BY THESTRONG LANGUAGE FROM THE FEDS.WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO YOU?>> THAT THEY COULD HAVE DONEMORE.REPORTER: SHE SAYS THEY NEED TOWORK TOGETHER TO REACH AS MANYSTUDENTS AS POSSIBLE.>> PEOPLE COULD USE FREEEDUCATION, BUT ALSO ONE THAT ISHELPING THEM TOWARDS A PATHWHERE THERE'S GREAT NEED, SUCHAS HEALTH CARE.REPORTER: CCAC HAS IMPROVEDENROLLMENT, REACHING 47% OF ITSGOAL FOR THIS YEAR, BUT STILLONLY 15% OF THE GOAL FOR LOWINCOME STUDENTS.>> THIS GIVES PEOPLE ANOPPORTUNITY TO SAY, YOU KNOWWHAT, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OFMONEY, BUT I CAN GET IN THISPROGRAM AND HAVE A CAREER.REPORTER: THE FEDS ARE NOWREGULARLY MONITORING CCAC TOMAKE SURE THEY SIGN UP MORESTUDENTS.THE COLLEGE DOES NOT HAVE TORETURN ANY GRANT MONEY NOW, BUTTHEY ARE KEEPING AN EYE ON TPROGRAM.IF YOU ARE SOMEBODY YOU KNOW ISINTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM, WEHAVE CONTACT INFORMATION AT

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Some students at the Community College of Allegheny County are able to get free tuition, free books, free child care, free health care and free transportation, all of it financed by a $13 million federal grant.But Action News Investigates has learned CCAC is actually struggling to find students and the feds have threatened to cancel the grant.The program, called the Health Professions Opportunity Grant (HPOG), aims to help low-income people find jobs in the medical profession. Earlier this year the federal Health and Human Services Department told CCAC the college was enrolling only a small fraction of the students promised.Since then, the college has signed up more students but it is still falling well short of its promises.Sherell Ginn was a school van driver when she went through the program last year.The grant paid for her tuition, books, a uniform and a monthly bus pass.“They have saved me thousands of dollars and on top of it I have a career,” Ginn said.After completing the program, she got a new job, doubling her salary.“I would not have been able to complete it without the HPOG program,” she said.But records show Sherell was one of just a handful of students to complete the program.In HPOG's first year CCAC promised to sign up 460 students. But only 79 enrolled - just 17 percent of the goal. The college promised 201 low-income students but there were only 17 - just 8 percent of the goal.Through the first quarter of the second year, CCAC enrolled just 44 HPOG students, six of them low-income.That prompted HHS to accuse CCAC of "a pattern of unsatisfactory performance" and "inadequate management of grant operations." The feds threatened to "suspend or terminate" the grant.Action News Investigates first went to college president Dr. Quintin Bullock looking for answers but he refused to comment.The college later made the grant program director available for questions.Asked what went wrong, HPOG program Michelle Tedder said, “There's some independent variables that you can't control.”She said some prospective students failed a mandatory criminal background check.Also, one-third of the students who passed the background checks still did not qualify for grant money because of strict conditions laid down by the feds.She said CCAC needed more time to hire staff.“These are growing pains through getting a program like this up,” Tedder said.But Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner said she is troubled by the strong language from the feds.“They could have done more,” she said.Wagner said CCAC and Allegheny County need to work together to reach as many students as possible.“People could certainly use free education, but also one that is helping them toward a path where there's a great need, such as health care,” she said.Since HHS issued its warning, CCAC has improved enrollment, reaching 47 percent of its goal for this year but still only 15 percent of the goal for low-income students -- students like Ginn.“This gives people an opportunity to say you know what, I don't have a lot of money but I can get in this program and I can have a career,” Ginn said.The feds are now regularly monitoring CCAC to make sure they sign up more students. A spokesman for HHS tells me the college does not have to return any grant money but they are keeping an eye on the program.More information about the program can be found here.