On December 10, 2025, Workforce Matters was joined by Katie Spiker and Melissa Johnson of the National Skills Coalition for our final policy briefing of the year, which was open to funders and field partners alike.
In the session, Katie and Melissa focused primarily on Workforce Pell and provided brief updates on forthcoming work requirements as well as Congressional appropriations and funding for workforce development.
Workforce Pell Updates
Following the passage of legislation last July, the U.S. Department of Education is now implementing a change for how states and institutions can access Pell grants, expanding access to programs from 150-600 clock hours and 8-15 weeks long. The changes signify a major shift in making workforce training and education more accessible to workers and learners, even as it is not the only answer to how we connect people to jobs.
The U.S. Department of Education hosted a negotiated rulemaking process in December that will inform and shape the implementation of Workforce Pell, which is slated to be available to students this summer. This process determines how states and institutions can access Workforce Pell grants, which programs qualify, and how students and employers will benefit, as well as what data will be collected, and how they will be used to demonstrate completion, employment, and earnings outcomes. In the coming weeks, the Department of Education will release a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with the final proposed regulations for Workforce Pell, kicking off a 30-day public comment period.
Complementary policies (such as those that protect and sustain investments in human services/basic needs, sector partnerships, and outcomes data) will be necessary to ensure Workforce Pell operates successfully under the new rules. National Skills Coalition has put together a helpful fact sheet that outlines the implementation timeline and the places where advocates might help shape decisions.
Other topics covered on the call
- Work Requirements: NSC is closely following the federal government's rollout of SNAP work requirements, which now apply to more states because the reconciliation bill rolled back the availability of waivers. Medicaid work requirements are also scheduled to go into effect in 2026; NSC will be watching for this guidance to come out.
- Congressional Appropriations and Funding: The President's budget proposes combining 11 workforce programs into a single funding stream, essentially a block grant, that has the likelihood to decrease overall funding to workforce programs. Congress is currently considering funding for various WIOA programs/titles.
Stay Connected with Workforce Policy Conversations:
The National Skills Coalition's Skills Summit will be February 5-6, 2026 in Washington, DC. This is open to all interested parties (funders and field partners). Workforce Matters is building out our programming for 2026 now, including quarterly conversations focused on workforce policy. If you aren’t already on our workforce policy interest list, please sign up here.
Resources to Learn More:
Workforce Pell
- Workforce Pell Negotiated Rulemaking Materials (US Dept of Education)
- Making Workforce Pell Deliver for Workers, Local Businesses, and Shared Prosperity (NSC)
- Workforce Pell can be a catalyst, unless we try to make it a cure all (NSC)
- Workforce Pell is moving Forward: Advocates must help shape what comes next (NSC)
- Eight Steps States Should Take to Get Workforce Pell Right for Students and Workers (The Century Foundation)
Work Requirements
Appropriations and Funding
