Pell Grants to Cover Short-Term Workforce Training for the First Time

The new program will allow students to use federal financial aid for career programs as short as eight weeks.

Construction skills are taught at Revolution Workshop on May 8, 2026, in Chicago. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Long considered a cornerstone of financial aid for low-income college students, federal Pell Grants will be extended to short-term career training for the first time in the program’s history.

The U.S. Department of Education announced on Monday that it has finalized rules for the new Workforce Pell Grants as part of the Trump administration’s effort to quickly fill employment gaps in the U.S. economy.