On July 4, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. Alongside revisions to student loans and other federal student aid programs, the bill expands Pell Grant eligibility to short-term training and workforce programs, a long-standing priority for ACTE. To be eligible for Workforce Pell, programs must meet several requirements outlined in the bill, including the following:

• Be between eight and 15 weeks, covering 150 to 599 clock hours of instruction
• Have a completion rate of at least 70% within 150% of the normal time to completion
• Have a job placement rate of at least 70% measured 180 days after completion
• Have costs that do not exceed the median value-added earnings of graduates
• Align with high-skill, high-wage or in-demand industry sectors

Implementation of Workforce Pell will begin next year on July 1, and the Department of Education (ED) has convened a negotiated rulemaking committee to determine specific eligibly requirements, processes and more. As implementation draws closer, various education and workforce organizations have released reports, guides and other resources for state and local leaders to engage with.

Data Infrastructure

Since program eligibility for Workforce Pell relies on several data metrics, states need to ensure that they have the infrastructure to collect and examine this data across programs. However, an article from the State Noncredit Data Project (SNDP) examined several states’ noncredit data systems and found that most lack the infrastructure necessary to identify programs eligible for Workforce Pell. Most states collect data on program length but lack information on other key metrics necessary to determine eligibility. Furthermore, current state data suggests that most programs fall under the 150-hour minimum threshold necessary for Workforce Pell.

State and local education and workforce leaders must work together to evaluate their current data systems and develop next steps for collecting additional data necessary to determine program eligibility. Leaders may look toward other states with more robust data systems; for example, the Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathways developed a detailed data system for identifying in-demand occupations across the state and established criteria for nondegree credentials. The Bipartisan Policy Center notes that Virginia’s FastForward Program—which collects extensive data on short-term, noncredit programs—and similar programs in other states lead to positive workforce outcomes and could help shape implementation of Workforce Pell.  The SNDP also suggests that its Noncredit Data Taxonomy 2.0 may assist states in determining data needed for Workforce Pell. New America provides several other data-related recommendations, including conducting labor market analyses to determine high-demand industries in states.

Current State Programs & Policies

As mentioned, several states already have programs that could inform Workforce Pell implementation. For example, Community College Daily notes that the Colorado Community College System has scaled a short-term training program for behavioral health analysts across the state, and the pathway has a 73% completion rate. Over a dozen Colorado high schools have also begun offering one of five behavioral health “micro-pathways” in partnership with the Education Design Lab, local community colleges and over 50 employers. A separate article from Community College Daily describes other similar programs in North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas. States such as South Carolina and Delaware also offer scholarship programs for students in short-term, industry-aligned programs.

States have also enacted various policies to better align themselves with Workforce Pell and other related initiatives. In 2025, states have passed bills that mandate an ROI analysis of industry-recognized credentials, amend the definition of nondegree credentials and provide financial assistance to students pursuing a short-term, postsecondary CTE credential. The Institute for College Access & Success has developed model legislation that state lawmakers can use to meet the requirements of Workforce Pell and set state processes and guardrails.

The Role of Schools and Employers

Postsecondary institutions, employers and other short-term training providers have a significant role to play when developing and sustaining programs that are eligible for Workforce Pell. The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association has developed a guide for postsecondary institutions to design and prepare programs to meet the requirements of Workforce Pell. Achieving the Dream describes some of the challenges ahead for community colleges and provides recommendations, and while most implementation resources focus on subbaccalaureate institutions, UPCEA wrote about how four-year universities can utilize Workforce Pell as well. For employers, the National Skills Coalition highlights strategies that state and local leaders can utilize to ensure that Workforce Pell benefits both workers and employers alike. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning also notes how institutions, employers and other stakeholders can use Workforce Pell to benefit adult learners.

ACTE will continue to monitor the implementation of Workforce Pell and provide updates as needed. If you have any questions, please reach out to ACTE’s Government Relations Manager Jimmy Koch (jkoch@acteonline.org).

New Data on Nondegree STEM Credentials: Recent data released by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) provides insight into the national STEM nondegree workforce. The data was collected in 2022 through the National Training, Education and Workforce Survey. Key findings include the following: 

• In 2022, 75 million workers held a nondegree credential, and 30% of them worked in a STEM occupation. 

• Among STEM workers with a nondegree credential, 40% completed a work experience program, 38% held a license or certification and 24% held a vocational certificate. 

• Thirty-six million individuals worked in STEM occupations. 

• Fifty-one percent reported a subbaccalaureate credential as their highest education level. 

• Seventeen percent of female workers and 29% of male workers were employed in a STEM field. 

In addition to these findings, the NCSES released a data tool and tables. 

CTE in Washington State: A study conducted by Education Northwest examines the impact of CTE on student outcomes in Washington state. The researchers utilized state longitudinal data, following more than 750,000 public high school students between the 2013-14 and 2023-24 school years. 

Analysis of the data revealed that CTE participation in the state is high, with the share of students earning four or more CTE credits rising from 42% in 2017 to 56% in 2024. Although 94% of students earned at least one CTE credit in 2024, access remains a challenge as small, rural and low-income schools offer fewer programs on average. The Career Clusters with the highest participation rates are Health Science; Arts, A/V Technology & Communications; and Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources. 

Students who earn more than one CTE credit are 5.7 to 12 percentage points more likely to graduate high school than those who only earn up to one CTE credit. Most students in the state explore CTE broadly rather than focusing on a single pathway, but the researchers found that those who do focus on a single pathway generally experience stronger postsecondary and workforce outcomes. In particular, Agriculture, Finance, Manufacturing and Transportation students who focus on their pathway are more likely to earn a postsecondary credential and earn a living wage six years after high school. 

Throughout the report, the authors also noted that many of the positive impacts of CTE in the state are stronger for male students and recommend expanding CTE pathways and recruitment efforts. 

Career-connected Learning in New Hampshire: A report from Gallup and the New Hampshire Learning Initiative analyzes the impact of career-connected learning (CCL) for middle school students in New Hampshire. The researchers surveyed over 4,000 middle school students across the state in 2023 and 2024 and found the following: 

• Fifty-three percent of students want to participate in more CCL activities in their school, but only 25% said that their school offers an activity in a career that interests them. 

• Students who participate in a CCL activity in class are more likely to be engaged and say that they learned about a job they have not heard of before. 

• The most effective activities include mentorships, job panels and volunteering related to a career. 

• Hands-on CCL activities, such as internships, are the strongest influencers of students’ post-high school plans. 

Does Expanding Access to CTE Induce Participation and Improve Outcomes?: A report from the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston examines the impact of CTE program exposure on student participation and postsecondary outcomes. The researchers tracked Massachusetts high school students between the 2005-06 and 2019-20 school years. 

After analyzing state longitudinal education and workforce data, the researchers found that introducing a new CTE program in the high school results in 11.5% of non-CTE students enrolling in the program, about 1 in 8 students – 1 in 6 when the introduction of the new program occurs in 9th grade. Students exposed to new CTE programs also saw an increase in earnings, with employed students earning 9% more one year after graduating high school compared to students in schools without the program.  

When examining outcomes by student demographics, the researchers found that while educational outcomes are not different between student groups, workforce outcomes are. Black and Hispanic students, students with disabilities and male students who are exposed to a new CTE program experience stronger gains in earnings than other learner groups. Student demographics are also linked to outcomes by cluster; female students exposed to Education programs and Black and Hispanic students exposed to IT programs are more likely to enroll and complete a postsecondary credential. 

The federal government shutdown has now lasted for over three weeks, making it the second longest shutdown in U.S. history.  This week, Senate Democrats and Republicans debated bills that would pay federal workers during the shutdown, with Republicans proposing to pay only essential workers while Democrats want to pay all workers and also prevent the Trump Administration from conducting further mass layoffs as the shutdown continues. While no agreement on worker pay has been reached, negotiations will continue over the weekend. Senate Majority Leader Thune also met with several Republican lawmakers Wednesday to discuss ideas surrounding health care tax credits, which remain at the center of the shutdown. The House, which has been in recess since Sept. 19, remains out of session. Read more updates below. 

• Judges Announced for “Your AI Horizons Challenge”: On Oct. 23, the Department of Education (ED) announced the judges for the “Your AI Horizons Challenge,” the third challenge in ED’s #CTEMomentum challenge series. The judges consist of leaders from national education and workforce organizations. Read more about the challenge on the blog here. 

• ED Considering Moving Special Education Programs to HHS: On Oct. 21, officials at ED confirmed that the Trump Administration is exploring moving special education funding to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through a partnership between the two agencies. An agency spokesperson said that although no official plan has been finalized yet, the move is part of Secretary McMahon’s goal to shut down ED. This potential partnership comes after the interagency agreement signed between ED and the Department of Labor (DOL) earlier this year, moving the administration of Perkins and adult education funds from ED to the DOL.  

• White House Withdraws Kevin O’Farrell’s Nomination to Lead OCTAE: On Oct. 21, the nomination for Kevin O’Farrell to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education in ED was withdrawn by the White House. O’Farrell currently as the Senior Chancellor of Higher Education and Workforce in Florida’s Department of Education, and had been approved for the OCTAE position by the Senate HELP Committee in May but was waiting on full Senate approval, No new nominee has been announced yet.  

• Colleges Continue to Mull Over Funding Compact: Oct. 20 was the deadline for a handful of colleges to submit feedback and to decide whether they would sign a funding compact from the Trump Administration, which would align themselves with the Administration’s priorities in exchange for preferential funding status. Most schools have so far rejected the compact, but a few have not yet responded and signaled interest in potentially signing.  

• Trump Administration Agrees to Resume Student Loan Forgiveness Plans: The Trump Administration has agreed to resume student loan forgiveness for over 2.5 million borrowers enrolled in income-drive repayment (IDR) plans as well as Public Service Loan Forgiveness plans following a lawsuit by the American Federation of Teachers. You can view the text of the legal agreement here.   

On October 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing entitled, “AI’s Potential to Support Patients, Workers, Children, and Families.” 

The witnesses for the hearing included: 

• Dr. Russ Altman: Professor of Bioengineering, Genetics, Medicine, Biomedical Data Science and Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI  

• John Bailey, Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute 

• Harriet Pearson: Managing Principal, Axia Advisory 

• Dr. Juliet Schor: Professor, Boston College  

• Carlos Aramayo: President, UNITE HERE Local 26 

On education and workforce development, the hearing centered on the need for proactive planning and policy to address how AI is already changing the workforce and the potential disruptions to the labor market. For instance, Professor Altman discussed how AI is being used to augment diagnosis, improve scheduling, reduce paperwork and free up time for other work.  

Lawmakers raised that while AI can raise productivity and create new kinds of roles, it can also disrupt existing jobs if the person holding the job is not equipped with the right training. There was a recognition that new policy is needed to ensure that everyone can obtain the skills necessary to stay competitive in the changing job market. 

When the conversation shifted to policy recommendations, the need to invest in research was a key theme. It was also suggested that policymakers should prioritize education and workforce development when thinking about future legislation. AI should be integrated into K-12 education, community college programs and other workforce development initiatives. 

According to John Bailey, the Department of Education (ED) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) can also expand partnerships with postsecondary institutions, nonprofits and developers to conduct rigorous evaluations of AI platforms. This can start with modernizing reskilling and upskilling and supporting programs that are developing AI-related curriculum.  

A recording of the hearing can be found here.

The federal government is still shut down as Members of Congress remain at a stalemate on a continuing resolution for FY 2026 appropriations. While leaders from both parties continue to emphasize their specific priorities, with Democrats focused on extending health care tax credits that are set to expire and Republicans not supportive of addressing that issue in this bill, little progress has been made on negotiations. Senate Republicans announced that they will introduce and vote on legislation next week that would pay some federal workers as well as active military members, while the Administration has also taken steps to shift funding to cover troop pay and some other areas. There were also some conversations this week on moving forward on the underlying FY 2026 appropriations bills, but those efforts stalled. Read more updates below. 

• Federal Judge Halts Shutdown Firings: On Oct. 15, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from issuing mass layoffs during the government shutdown, stemming from a lawsuit brought on by several federal labor unions. This follows the Administration’s move last week to fire over 400 workers from the Education Department (ED), decimating the special education and other offices, as well as numerous other agencies 

• National Accreditation Meeting Delayed by Shutdown: On Oct. 14, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity at ED—which brings together accreditation agencies—delayed its semiannual convening for the second time in a year. The committee was originally supposed to meet on Oct. 21 after an initial delay but pushed the date back again to December as a result of the government shutdown.  

• Trump Administrations Expands Funding Compact to All Colleges: On Oct. 14, the Trump Administration invited any postsecondary institution to sign a funding compact that was initially only sent to elite universities. The compact would give preferential funding status to institutions that align with the Administration’s priorities on gender and other topics. Brown, MIT and several other universities have already rejected the compact. 

• Senate HELP Committee Releases Report on AI and Jobs: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Democrats recently released a report on job losses from AI and automation. The report suggested that many major workforce sectors could see more than half of their jobs replaced over the next decade. CTE-related occupations are implicated in the report. 

• ACTE Submits Comments on Modernizing IES: This week, ACTE and Advance CTE submitted comments to ED on recommendations for redesigning the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), calling on IES to collect additional data on CTE topics. We also signed on to broader comments organized by the Institute for Higher Education Policy  

EdResearch for Action recently released a brief that compiles and analyzes years of CTE research, data and evidence to identify six common components of effective and impactful CTE programs. 

• Pathway Structure and Access: Students who complete multiple, aligned courses in a CTE pathway have stronger positive outcomes than those who complete stand-alone courses. Although Perkins V defines secondary CTE concentrators as students who complete two or more courses in the same program, the authors note that the most successful CTE programs have students complete three or more courses. 

• Work-based Learning: Evidence is emerging that work-based learning (WBL) is a common feature of effective CTE programs. The most impactful WBL models align with students’ interests and career goals and equip them with industry-relevant skills and experience.  

• Partnerships with Employers and Colleges: Partnerships among CTE programs, employers and postsecondary institutions, such as early postsecondary credit experiences, connect students with various college and career opportunities and strengthen the alignment between education and the workforce.  

• Teacher Expertise and Recruitment: Given data on CTE teacher shortages and research that indicates differences in outcomes based on CTE teacher subject matter expertise, the authors recommend expanding alternative pathways for industry professionals to enter teaching, such as encouraging them to take part-time roles. 

• Student Exploration and Advising: In the program models for which we have the most evidence about positive CTE impacts, students have the opportunity to explore various college and career pathways that interest them, reducing misplacement and boosting student engagement, retention and achievement. 

• Equity and Access: Schools should work to ensure that effective CTE programs are accessible to historically underrepresented students, such as multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Disaggregating CTE enrollment and completion data by student demographics enables school leaders to identify gaps in access and implement policies to address them. 

In addition to the brief, a self-assessment tool allows district and school leaders to evaluate whether their CTE programs align with the evidence-based practices above and reflect on next steps. The data and practices outlined in the brief also align with the elements and criteria within the ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework® and self-evaluation. 

The federal government shut down on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. While there have been several votes on different versions of a continuing resolution (CR) that would reopen the government in the Senate since that date, none have been able to get the votes necessary to pass as Democrats and Republicans clash over the inclusion of health care and other funding provisions. The House remains in recess as focus has largely been on Senate activity. Read below for more updates. 

• Agencies Release Shutdown Contingency Plans: The Department of Education (ED) released its contingency plan for the shutdown, which would result in the furlough of approximately 1,485 of its 1,700 employees. A limited staff of 215 individuals would be responsible for continuing essential functions like distributing student aid and managing existing grant funds. Read more about the plan here. The Department of Labor also has a Q and A on the shutdown here.   

• Trump Administration Begins New Wave of Layoffs at ED: On Oct. 10, the Trump Administration fired more than 460 employees from ED as part of a broader move to pressure Congress to end the government shutdown. The firings include nearly all employees who administer special education funding as well as those in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

• Senate Confirms New Leaders at ED: On Oct. 7, the Senate voted to confirm Kimberly Richey as the next Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at ED. In addition to Richey, the Senate confirmed other Education and Labor Department nominees as part of a resolution that approved over 100 federal nominees at once, including Kristen Baesler from North Dakota as assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education, overseeing federal K-12 functions, and David Barker from Iowa as assistant secondary of postsecondary education. You can read the full list of nominations here.  

• Federal Judge Dismisses Case Against Gainful Employment: On Oct. 2, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from a group of cosmetology schools against President Biden’s gainful employment rule. The schools argued that the rule would unfairly penalize cosmetology programs because ED does not accurately capture the salaries of cosmetology graduates. This has implications for data collection, reporting and accountability for CTE certificate programs at public area CTE centers and community and technical colleges as well.  

• Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign Compact: On Oct. 1, the Trump Administration asked several elite universities to sign an agreement to ensure access to federal research funds. The agreement would require the universities to align themselves with several Administration priorities, including capping enrollment of international students and adopting stricter definitions of gender.  

• Trump Administration Withdraws Nominee to Lead the BLS: On Sept. 30, the Trump Administration withdrew the nomination of E.J. Antoni—Chief Economist at the Heritage Foundation—to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This follows the firing of the previous BLS commissioner in August. A new nominee is expected to be announced soon. 

• DOL Awards Over $86 Million to Support Skills Training Programs: On Sept. 30, the Labor Department awarded over $86 million to 14 states to support skills training programs in high-demand industries. The funding will be primarily used to address skilled trades needs such as AI, advanced manufacturing, shipbuilding and welding. 

• FCC Ends E-rate Support for Wi-Fi Hotspots in School Buses, Libraries: On Sept. 30, the Federal Communications Commission voted to reverse Biden-era expansions of the E-rate Program that allowed schools and libraries to utilize E-rate funds to pay for Wi-Fi hotspots in school buses and libraries. Several education organizations have released statements opposing the move. 

• Appeals Court Rules that ED Can Fire Civil Rights Staff: On Sept. 29, a federal appeals court ruled that ED may proceed with a reduction-in-force at the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), overturning a previous court ruling that mandated the Department to rehire OCR staffers fired earlier this year. The ruling comes at a time when OCR is facing scrutiny over its growing backlog of cases.