Workforce Pell Final Rule Published
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) published a final rule implementing the Workforce Pell Grant program– a new initiative authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3) enacted last summer. Beginning this July, federal Pell Grants will be available to learners enrolled in certain shorter-term, high-quality education and training programs ranging between 8 and 15 weeks and between 150 and 599 clock hours of instruction. Eligible programs must be aligned with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations or sectors. Programs that will be eligible under Workforce Pell must be delivered by an accredited postsecondary institution otherwise eligible to receive student aid funding under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. To qualify for funding, eligible programs must meet new criteria, including a 70% completion and placement rate, and be able to demonstrate that program completers earn enough to justify the costs of the program under a new value-added earnings measure.
The final rule places significant responsibility on states and governors to develop related state policies and operationalize the program, meaning much of the implementation work will be focused at the state level. The final rule follows a negotiated rulemaking process that concluded in December 2025 and a public comment period held this spring. The final rule can be accessed here.
Senate Appropriations Hearing on the U.S. Department of Labor Budget Request
This week, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) held a hearing examining the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2027 (FY27) budget request for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The hearing featured Keith Sonderling, the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and focused heavily on the proposed “Make America Skilled Again” (MASA) block grant program, which proposes to consolidate a dozen workforce development programs into a single grant with a specific set-aside for registered apprenticeship programs. Significantly, the proposal would reduce overall funding for workforce programs through the MASA proposal. Senators questioned whether more training activities could be supported by states with fewer dedicated resources for workforce development.
Senators from both sides of the aisle also raised significant concerns about DOL’s proposed elimination of the Job Corps program, but also highlighted registered apprenticeship as a key area of agreement.
Democratic Senators also voiced concerns about the DOL’s capacity and expertise to administer education programs, with Ranking Member Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) citing concerns about the effective oversight of education-related grants and programs.
Access hearing materials, including an archived webcast and testimony, here.
House Lawmakers Examine ED FY27 Budget Request
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon appeared before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to discuss the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) FY27 budget request and broader priorities, including postsecondary access and workforce alignment efforts. During her appearance, Secretary McMahon continued to argue in favor of the administration’s use of interagency agreements (IAAs) to transfer ED’s day-to-day programmatic responsibilities to other federal agencies.
During the hearing, both Republicans and Democrats expressed significant reservations regarding ED’s interpretation and recent implementation of federal student loan caps included in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3), impacting professional fields such as nursing, alongside recent changes ED has made to the focus of the TRIO Talent Search program. Members of the subcommittee on both sides of the aisle also raised concerns about the proposals to consolidate federal education programs into a “Make Education Great Again” (MEGA) block grant.
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) highlighted the administration’s proposal to eliminate federal support for postsecondary Career Technical Education (CTE) programs and raised concerns about the impact IAAs have had on the implementation of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V).
Advance CTE will continue to engage with federal lawmakers as the FY27 process continues to move forward this year.
A video of the hearing, including opening statements and witness testimony, is available here.
Advance CTE & ACTE Submit Postsecondary Accountability Comments
This week, Advance CTE submitted comments in partnership with the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) in response to the Department of Education’s proposed postsecondary accountability framework authorized by last year’s OB3. The comments centered on earnings-based metrics set thresholds that may not reflect program value, regional labor market differences, or outcomes from high-quality CTE programs. Read the full comment here.
DOL Releases New Guidance on Marketing
This week, the Department of Labor rescinded TEGL 03-23 and issued TEGL 11-25, updating guidance on allowable outreach activities under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and several other federal formula and competitive grants, including Perkins V. The new guidance expands the scope of the prior guidance to explicitly cover CTE authorized under Perkins V and adult education funds, authorized under Title II of WIOA and directs grantees to coordinate outreach with TANF, SNAP, and other benefit programs to reach individuals subject to newly expanded work requirements under OB3. Notably, the updated guidance removes language from the prior version addressing affirmative outreach to underserved populations, protected classes, and individuals with limited English proficiency. Read more here.
This guidance follows last week’s announcement from ED and DOL about the expansion of states submitting Combined State Plans, aligning Perkins V and WIOA state planning processes. The announcement continues to encourage states to pursue combined planning processes as a way to signal coordinated workforce, postsecondary, and career-readiness efforts. Read the announcement here.
Career Pathways Exploration Grant Competition Launched
Recently, the Departments of Education and Labor launched the Career Pathways Exploration Grant Competition. This new $44 million competitive grant program aims to help states expand career exploration and workforce readiness opportunities for K-12 learners. The program encourages states to integrate career exploration into statewide career pathways systems and align programming with workforce priorities, including postsecondary and career advising efforts. Eligible applicants include state education agencies, workforce agencies, and related consortium partners, with applications due June 9. Read more about the competition here.
Advance CTE Endorses Workforce and Educator Legislation
This week, Advance CTE endorsed several bipartisan bills introduced in Congress that seek to strengthen workforce preparation systems and educator pipelines.
Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Todd Young (R-IN), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) reintroduced the bipartisan Gateways to Careers Act on Wednesday. The bill would strengthen partnerships between employers and workforce training providers, while supporting work-based learning and career-connected pathways for learners. Read more about the Gateway to Careers Act here.
The Early Childhood Workforce Advancement Act, introduced in both chambers of Congress by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), aims to address ongoing shortages in the early childhood workforce and strengthen educator recruitment and retention strategies. Read more about the Early Childhood Workforce Advancement Act here.
Another bicameral bill, the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act, was introduced by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), and Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) to expand federal loan forgiveness opportunities for educators and help address nationwide educator shortages. Read more about the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act here.
Advance CTE was pleased to endorse these pieces of legislation, each of which provides an opportunity to support high-quality CTE systems and programming through federal legislation.
