教育部批准全美首个 Workforce Pell 项目：爱荷华中央社区学院14周急救技师课程可使用佩尔助学金
美国教育部（ED）批准了全美首个「Workforce Pell」助学金项目：位于爱荷华州 Fort Dodge 的爱荷华中央社区学院（Iowa Central Community College）开设的 14 周急救医疗技师（EMT）课程，即日起可接受联邦佩尔助学金（Pell Grant）支付。教育部长 Linda McMahon 与代理劳工部长 Keith Sonderling、爱荷华州州长 Kim Reynolds 一同到访该校 Fort Dodge 校区并宣布这一批准。
Workforce Pell 由《工薪家庭减税法案》（Working Families Tax Cuts Act）设立，允许符合条件的学生把佩尔助学金用于为期 8 至 15 周的短期认证培训项目。教育部表示，这是把高等教育资助从传统的两年制、四年制学位路径，扩展到以就业为导向的短期技能证书。实施该项目的最终规则已于 2026 年 5 月 18 日公布、7 月 1 日生效。
McMahon 说：「经过几十年的讨论和大量努力，Workforce Pell 终于落地，让学生能把佩尔助学金用在帮他们快速开启职业生涯的项目上。今天的宣布表明，我们致力于为学生提供无需背负大额债务、通向有回报职业的平价路径。」Reynolds 说，爱荷华州长期重视工作本位学习、职业与技术教育及注册学徒制，Workforce Pell 将让学校在 8 至 15 周内把学生快速送入有回报的职业。
按教育部规定，一个项目要获得 Workforce Pell 资格，必须达到严格的毕业生收入、就业安置与完成率指标，开办至少一年，并获得州长与教育部长双方批准。爱荷华中央社区学院的 EMT 项目满足上述全部标准，该项目培养的是公共安全岗位所需的急救人员。目前，各州州长正与州劳动力委员会协作，遴选更多符合高技能、高薪或紧缺岗位标准的教育培训项目申请这一资格。
Education Department Approves the Nation's First Workforce Pell Program: Iowa Central's 14-Week EMT Course Becomes Pell-Eligible
The U.S. Department of Education has approved the nation's first Workforce Pell Grant program: eligible students at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa, can now use federal Pell Grant dollars to enroll in the college's 14-week Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program, which prepares students for public safety jobs. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced the approval during a campus visit alongside Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Workforce Pell was established under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and allows eligible students to use Pell Grants for short-term, accredited programs lasting 8 to 15 weeks. The Education Department said the program expands postsecondary access beyond the traditional two- and four-year degree pathway to workforce-focused credentials that can be earned more quickly, at lower cost and with less student debt. The final rule implementing Workforce Pell was published on May 18, 2026, and took effect on July 1, 2026.
"After decades of debate and a lot of hard work, Workforce Pell is finally here, opening up new opportunities for students to use their Pell Grants on programs that will help them jumpstart their careers," McMahon said. Reynolds said Iowa has emphasized work-based learning, career and technical education and registered apprenticeships, and that the program will let schools fast-track students into rewarding careers within 8 to 15 weeks with little to no debt.
To qualify, a program must meet earnings, job placement and completion benchmarks, have been in operation for at least one year, and receive approval from both the governor and the Secretary of Education. The department said Iowa Central's EMT program meets those criteria. Governors across the country are currently working with state workforce boards to identify additional education and training programs that meet the high-skill, high-wage or in-demand criteria for Workforce Pell eligibility.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：急救人员在街头救治患者（资料图）。照片：David Shankbone 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经维基共享资源。 / File photo: emergency medical personnel treating a patient at street level. Photo by David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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