Broadening the Use of Pell Grants

Pell Grants — federal scholarships for the lowest-income college students — have been reserved for studying toward a bachelor’s degree. But with businesses clamoring for more “medium skill” workers and students eager to pursue technical and vocational certifications, there is a new push to let Pell Grants be used for shorter educational programs.

A bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate in March, called the Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, would permit Pell Grants to be used for programs of 150 to 600 instructional hours over eight to 15 weeks, well below the current minimum requirements. Many of these shorter-term programs train students for industries such as manufacturing and auto body repair.

Some worry that short-term programs are not worth the money, but the bill’s supporters say it will support only reputable ones. It requires accrediting agencies to ensure that programs are equipping students with the appropriate credentials, and that the programs provide training only for in-demand occupations, as designated by each state.

“We’re trying to bring some direction and some guidance to students and institutions about which credentials have value and which don’t,” said Kermit Kaleba o f the National Skills Coalition, which supports the bill.

Policy experts believe the bill will move forward only as part of a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which provides federal aid for postsecondary education. The act was last reauthorized in 2008, although Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican and chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, has said he wants to get that done this year. DELECE SMITH-BARROW