While Workforce Pell is a meaningful policy victory, we should be careful not to mistake funding access for system reform. The skilled trades gap persists because of the three critical components of workforce development—employers, education providers and funding sources—operate largely independent of one another. Employers need skilled workers now and individuals need accessible pathways into stable, high-paying careers. While funding exists to support workforce development, it is often limited in which programs are covered, as well as difficult to navigate and disconnected from the actual workforce demand. The result is a broken triangle. Students accumulate debt they do not need, employers struggle to fill essential roles, and training providers strain to bridge the gaps that should not exist in the first place. Workforce Pell can help address one side of that challenge by expanding access to training, but real progress requires redesigning how all three sides connect.
https://universitybusiness.com/workforce-pell-is-promising-but-we-still-need-to-fix-whats-broken/