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It will be very difficult for noncredit programs to meet the portability, stackability, and transferability requirements baked into Workforce Pell.
To reiterate, every eligible Workforce Pell program must prepare students to pursue a related certificate or degree (from the same or a different provider) and ensure that their short-term program will be accepted for credit toward that degree or certificate.
The Community College Research Center (CCRC) defines stackable credentials as “sequential postsecondary awards that allow individuals to progress on a career path” and has found that noncredit credentials are frequently (and mistakenly) conflated with stackable credentials. Less than five percent of all credential holders have earned stackable credentials. The CCRC has also worked with five colleges to improve the data collection necessary for them to build noncredit-to-credit pathways, which suggests that the lack of noncredit data infrastructure is both a state and institutional issue.
We also can’t ignore how challenging it has always been for students taking credit-bearing courses to get those credits recognized or applied toward their degree program when they attempt to transfer from one institution to another. Many students experience credit loss when they attempt to transfer their credits to a new institution, and when they are accepted, it is usually in the form of elective credits that may not apply toward the degree or certificate program. Those issues are likely to be more acute with noncredit programs that are transferred to an individual college through a credit for prior learning arrangement.
Beware of the unintended consequences of transferring program costs from employers to the public
Employers have always played a role in financing their employees’ noncredit education and training, including in states that appropriate dollars to noncredit and short-term credential programs. Workforce Pell may transfer costs from the private sector to the public sector without an associated benefit to students. State and local leaders will also need to pay extra attention to the programs without strong labor market outcomes and the economic impact these programs will have on the individuals, communities, and regions in their state.
Lifetime Pell eligibility implications
Workforce Pell Grants count toward students’ six-year lifetime Pell Grant allotment, so students who use Pell for a short-term credential will have fewer semesters of eligibility available should they choose to pursue an associate, bachelor’s, or other degree program in the future.
The amount of time, energy, and resources that both state and college leaders would need to spend to make noncredit programs eligible for Workforce Pell may be better spent creating new, for-credit programs that meet the requirements of the new federal law. Nonetheless, to reduce the risks for students and workers who wish to take advantage of Workforce Pell funding, state and institutional leaders must improve state data collection; ensure credential alignment, transferability, and stackability across providers; consider new ways to hold employers financially accountable; and be prepared to address the long-term impacts on a student’s lifetime Pell eligibility. Our model state legislation offers a starting point that will help states improve their ability to assess the quality of Workforce Pell programs, bolster student protections, and prevent bad actors and subpar programs from accessing this significant expansion of federal aid.
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