Workforce Pell Grant

Background

Kentucky’s Workforce Pell Grant Program outlines the approach to identifying, evaluating, and recommending short-term workforce training programs for state approval under 787 KAR 2:050E.

Download Workforce Pell regulation here.

Program Eligibility Standards

The program must:

Be offered at a Higher Education Act Title IV eligible postsecondary institution;
Have 8 - 14 weeks of instruction;
Have a 150-599 clock hour duration;
Lead to a recognized postsecondary credential that is stackable and portable, or prepares students for employment for which there is only one recognized postsecondary credential;
Train students for a high-wage, high-skill, or in-demand occupation as defined by Kentucky;
Demonstrate alignment with the hiring needs of employers;
Demonstrate a program completion rate of 70 percent within 150 percent of the normal time for completion;
Demonstrate a job placement rate of 70 percent job placement (calculated as the percentage of students that are employed during the second quarter after exiting the program);
Provides students with academic credit for at least one related certificate or degree program at one or more eligible institutions;
Have total published tuition and fees that are less than the value-added earnings (VAE) of program completers three years prior (beginning award year 2030-2031); and
Have met these requirements for at least one year.

Section 1. Definitions

Articulation agreement: a formal contract between two education institutions which guarantees that specific courses, credits, or entire programs completed at the first school will be seamlessly transferred and applied toward a degree at the receiving institution.

Credential competencies: the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities included in a credential.

High-skill occupation: an occupation which requires technical or vocational training, related on-the-job experience, completion of an apprenticeship, or an associate’s degree or higher.

High-wage occupation: an occupation which has a median wage that meets or exceeds the overall median wages for all occupations within its relative area (either at the local workforce area or state level).

An in-demand occupation:

One whose projected annualized employment growth rate is at least as large as the annualized projected growth rate for all occupations within its relative area (either at the local workforce areas or state level); or
One that is projected to account for at least 0.4% of the total demand for all occupations within the relative area (either at the local workforce areas or state level), where demand is defined as the projected job openings expected to be produced by economic growth and exits of workers from the labor force; or
One that the Governor has identified to be emerging or critical to the state’s economic growth because of investment in the Commonwealth

Portable credential: is a credential that is widely recognized by educational institutions and employers that allow the credential holder to seamlessly transfer that credential and apply it toward a degree at the receiving institution.

Related technical instruction (RTI): the formal classroom or online education component of a registered apprenticeship program.

Stackable credential: a combination of courses into diplomas or certificates that students may complete on the way toward a related degree.

Section 2. Methods

In determining whether the expected competencies for which the recognized postsecondary credential intends align with the competencies needed in such high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand sectors and occupations, the Governor shall receive direct input from employers and stakeholders through the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board structure, which encompasses business and industry, registered apprenticeship providers, and joint labor-management training providers, during the application review process.
The occupations and industry sectors, including the competencies needed in such industries and occupations, which are high-skill, high-wage or in-demand shall be reviewed and updated, at least every two years, concurrent with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state plan submission.
Whether the credential is stackable, shall be determined based on the evidence provided by the institutions in the application. Institutions are required to provide evidence of program specific articulation agreements either with their own academic programs or other institutions that demonstrate noncredit to credit transfers.
Whether the credential is portable shall be determined by reviewing, the valid industry certification list available here. If a program is not on the valid industry certification list, then the credential will be evaluated for portability by reviewing the application to determine if more than one employer recognizes the credential in the hiring process.

Section 3. Information Required in the Application

An institution requesting a determination by the Governor shall apply to the Office of the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board (KWIB) through this application.

Section 4. Review Process of an Application

Within 30 days of the receipt of a complete application, the application shall be reviewed by the Office of the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board for compliance with state and federal law.
The Office of the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board shall also review all written agreements, including established articulation agreements, transfer-of-credit agreements, consortium or partnership agreements, or similar arrangements to determine that such credit will be accepted at one or more eligible institutions.
Once the Office of the KWIB’s review is complete, the application shall be forwarded to the Governor for review.
If the application is not approved by the Governor, the applicant may appeal as set forth in Section 6.
Six months prior to the expiration of an institution’s program participation agreement, the institution shall reapply for a determination using the process set forth in this Section. If the institution and the program meet the requirements, the Governor may, in his discretion, provide a certification of continued approval.
If the program is determined not to be eligible, the institution shall have an appeal right as outlined in Section 6.

Section 5. Reporting

For each award year after the date that the eligible workforce program is approved, the institution shall report to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) within nine months after the end of the award year.
Individual level data shall not be provided to other agencies as set forth in KRS 151B134 (3)(a).
For state eligibility requirements, KYSTATS shall produce reports annually for in-demand and high-wage occupations that will be provided to the Office of the KWIB and posted publicly

For federal eligibility requirements, specifically for initial programmatic requirement of 70% completion and 70% job placement, KYSTATS shall produce custom reports using the most current administrative data for the use by the Office of the KWIB to evaluate aggregate program completion and job placement.
To calculate value-added earnings, KYSTATS shall produce custom reports using the most current administrative data to aggregate information for existing and approved Workforce Pell programs.
In all instances, the KYSTATS reports shall strictly be used for evaluation by the Office of the KWIB for final approval by the Governor in consultation with the KWIB.
KYSTATS shall provide to the Governor upon request aggregate data on the Workforce Pell program in compliance with KRS 151B.134(3)(a).

Section 6. Appeal

If the Governor denies a request for determination or withdraws approval, he or she shall issue a notice of denial or withdrawal which informs the institution of the specific reason for the action.
A written request for an appeal shall be filed with Governor within twenty (20) calendar days of the date of the notice of determination or withdrawal of approval. This request shall be sent to the Office of the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board, at the following address: 500 Mero Street, 4th Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601.
If the request for an appeal is not timely filed, the notice of determination or withdrawal of approval shall be effective upon the expiration of the time for the applicant to request an appeal.
The Governor shall issue a decision within sixty (60) days of receiving the appeal from the. Office of the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board.

Section 7. Reference

For more questions or more information, contact kwib.projects@ky.gov