Strongly Support Workforce Pell

Personally, I equate CCL to vocational-technical training. My ex-husband and I both graduated from vocational-technical school, and it enabled each of us to have a greater selection of job opportunities, as well as greatly increasing our income earnings.

I have long advocated that high school students be given options that aren’t “just go get a college degree” all while taking on enormous debt and not having clear career direction. Trade vocations are key options to give high schools students. I don’t believe CCL should always replace a college degree, thus getting credits towards a degree is key. But allowing young adults to learn a key skill, earn money in the workforce, and then use that to save for a college degree that can advance their career later in a more focused manner without so much debt should be a much more common and advocated for path in our country.

In my working career I was able to initiate and sponsor two apprenticeship programs. One in Michigan, and one in Pennsylvania for Toolmaker apprentices. I firmly believe that, trade building is both necessary for America’s continued economical growth and a vital national security issue.

As a former high school special educator who taught students with reading or math disabilities, I saw that the professional academy classes offered to all students in the fields covered in this brief had amazing results. Students still in high school were able to start earning money as electricians, HVAC etc. There are many students after high school who would benefit from these programs, but I am leery of the for-profit schools. I would like to see much more support to junior or community colleges to have tuitions low enough to offer these programs to students. I would also like to see high school counselors encouraging students not interested in college or those who might prefer to work in trades to explore these areas of employment.

The decades-long PELL and Bi-partisan emphasis on the importance of a traditional 4 year degree, has led to a critical loss of experienced, career “trades” personnel in the US, an over-reliance on foreign supplied goods and services and reduced lifetime incomes for those with only a HS Diploma or GED. For the US to obtain supply and service independence, members of Congress and the federal government must understand and accept that not all HS graduates are interested in attending traditional 4-year colleges and universities in order to pursue undergraduate and pist-graduate degrees…  We need EMTs, CNAs, LPNs, IT specialists, Biomedical Technicians, plumbers, electricians, building inspectors, construction workers, general bookkeepers, communications specialists, logistics specialists, property and supply technicians/managers, culinary arts professionals, geologic/geographic surveyors, cosmetologists, aestheticians…the list goes on and on!!

In this day and age, the route to success is not always a 4 year degree. Sometimes it is a trade school and those students should be offered a PELL grant just like college-bound students. Also adults that decide to further their educations or pivot and change careers may not want to invest in 4 years of schooling, so this would be another avenue for them to gain the knowledge to do so.

I feel that everyone should have an opportunity to get an education. Living in a poor rural area I see a lot of kids who have a lot of potential, but due to family circumstances, would not be able to afford educational programs after high school. I know several who have benefited from having access to a Pell Grant in career connected programs

I believe it’s difficult to set goals on how much a student is going to earn in a career. There are a lot of variables that can’t be manipulated (median earnings in the field, size of employers and what they can afford to pay, etc). There’s also a need for good benefits (health, dental, eye insurances and a way to build retirement savings). I see no reason not to use PELL grants for any kind of secondary education. It should be there to help people gain skills, whatever career they choose. Not everyone wants to go to college, yet they may still utilize grants and loans to get started…

As a veteran Middle School teacher, I have taught many students who were bright and hardworking, but for whom a 4 year college degree was not a good fit. Some are simply not able to do the coursework. Others have no interest in it. These students would be much better served by programs that provide high quality training leading to a skilled trade that is in high demand. Yet there is often a financial barrier to getting the training they need. Please consider expanding the PELL program to support these students in gaining the skills and certification they need to fill jobs our country needs.

I think this is very important. Secondary vocational/ technical training, paid for in part by a Pell grant, made a huge difference in my life and income. It also could have led to a college degree, paid for by my employer, had I chosen that route.

There are so many people getting degrees in areas that do not offer good pay, or even have jobs available. The only thing that is hurt by offering Pell grants a trade schools Is the loss of tuition to colleges that charge way too much in the first place. So adding competition to the education system will only help everyone in the long run. Colleges will need to be more competitive on price, as well as start to offer better programs.

I strongly support Pell grants for students who do not want to pursue a 4-year degree coming out of high school. Some of these students may later in life decide to continue their education but at the time of graduation, they want to learn a trade and be able to support themselves.

We can provide more Americans the opportunity for upward economic mobility by supporting skills education. We have one of the highest levels of income inequality as well as one of the lowest levels of investment in career development programs. Passing Workforce Pell legislation will allow more Americans a path to higher-paying jobs. Evidence shows that workers can significantly grow their earning power through CCL programs. Investing in Career Connected Learning can only help to improve workforce productivity, benefiting the overall economy as well as the individual.

I think Pell grants should be available to technical students. I think there should be some mechanism to help students not take on debt for a program that will not give them access to better jobs and saddle them with more debt that they are unable to pay back. Since there are funds allocated in other bills, I think it is good to consider all of them together for funding and not increase the national debt to fund the grants.

The cost of a 4 year college degree has skyrocketed and too many students end up in debt that takes decades to repay. Giving Pell Grants to students pursuing career connected learning opens up opportunities for education and skills training that could lead to much quicker job placement and decreased debt for young people who want to better themselves and their job opportunities.