A Brief History: Pell Grants & the Short-Term Training Debate

For more than 50 years, the federal Pell Grant has helped millions of undergraduates afford associate and bachelor’s degrees. But until now, Pell could not be used for short-term training programs. With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July 2025, Congress created a new Workforce Pell Grant program that expands Pell access to short, workforce-focused programs while adding unusually strong performance guardrails.

In this update, we explain the new Workforce Pell Grant and how Shelby County can take advantage of the change to make sure local families actually gain living-wage work.