WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester (both D-Del.) joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) to introduce the Jumpstarting Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, bipartisan legislation to help more Americans get good-paying jobs by allowing students to use federal Pell Grants—need-based education grants for lower-income individuals—to pay for shorter-term job training programs for the first time. Currently, students can only use Pell Grants for two- and four-year colleges and universities. By expanding Pell Grant eligibility, the JOBS Act would help close the skills gap by allowing people to access job training they might otherwise be unable to afford but need for careers in high-demand fields.
“By making short-term career training programs more affordable, this bill will make Delaware’s workers and businesses stronger,” said Sen. Coons. “Addressing our national skills gap to help more Americans prepare for high-wage jobs in in-demand sectors should be a bipartisan priority this Congress.”
“When I introduced the JOBS Act in the House of Representatives, I did so to allow more Americans to grow their skills and secure good-paying jobs through Pell Grants across our nation,” said Sen. Blunt Rochester, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. “Now in the Senate, I look forward to working with this bipartisan group of my colleagues to get this bill across the finish line so we can reduce workforce shortages, strengthen our economy, and prepare the American workforce to take on the jobs of today and the jobs of tomorrow.”
Thanks to historic investments like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the job market has boomed in recent years. From January 2021–January 2025, the U.S. economy added 14.8 million jobs. But there’s also a skilled labor shortage that is expected to intensify in the coming years, in part because unemployed Americans lack access to the job training needed to fill vacant jobs.
“No one should be priced out of an education—including a technical education—but I hear from many Virginians that access to high-quality job training programs that align with their goals is out of reach because of financial barriers,” said Sen. Kaine. “Simultaneously, I hear from employers throughout the Commonwealth about their struggles to fill skilled labor positions. With these Virginians in mind, I wrote the JOBS Act to help remedy these issues and provide more workers with the skills they need to get good-paying jobs and provide for their families. This bill is good for workers, good for employers, and good for our economy as a whole.”
“Job training programs are proven, successful tools that help people gain the skills they need to prepare for rewarding careers,” said Sen. Collins. “By helping students in Maine and across the country access this career pathway, this bipartisan legislation would assist young people with obtaining good-paying jobs and make it easier for businesses to find qualified workers.”
“Some of the most in-demand jobs don’t require a four-year college degree — they require shorter-term training. People like welders, machine operators and medical technicians. We need to make it easier to get people into these career fields, and letting students use Pell Grants to make it happen just makes sense,” said Sen. Smith. “This bill will open up more career opportunities for people and will help boost our economy.”
“The JOBS Act will provide an incredible opportunity for students that increasingly don’t find the value of a four-year degree,” said Sen. Marshall. “With a changing job market, our legislation will give Americans the chance to learn critical skills for a successful career. I look forward to getting the JOBS Act across the finish line with my colleagues.”
The JOBS Act would allow Pell Grants to be used for high-quality job training programs that are at least eight weeks in length and lead to industry-recognized credentials or certificates. Under current law, Pell Grants can only be applied toward programs that are over 600 clock hours or at least 15 weeks in length, rendering students in shorter-term high-quality job training programs ineligible for crucial assistance.
Specifically, the JOBS Act would amend the Higher Education Act by:
· Expanding Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in rigorous and high-quality, short-term skills and job training programs that lead to industry-recognized credentials and certificates and ultimately employment in high-wage, high-skill industry sectors or careers.
· Ensuring students who receive Pell Grants are earning high-quality postsecondary credentials by requiring that the credentials:
o Meet the standards under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), such as meaningful career counseling and aligning programs to in-demand career pathways or registered apprenticeship programs
o Are recognized by employers, industry, or sector partnerships
o Align with the skill needs of industries in the state or local economy
o Are approved by the state workforce board in addition to the U.S. Department of Education
· Defining eligible job training programs as those providing career and technical education instruction at an institution of higher education, such as a community or technical college that provides:
o At least 150 clock hours of instruction time over a period of at least 8 weeks
o Training that meets the needs of the local or regional workforce and industry partnerships
o Streamlined ability to transfer credits so students can continue to pursue further education in their careers
o Students with licenses, certifications, or credentials that meet the hiring requirements of multiple employers in the field for which the job training is offered
In addition to Coons and Blunt Rochester, the legislation is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Dan Sullivan (D-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
The JOBS Act is supported by Advance CTE, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), Business Roundtable, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance (ECA), Higher Learning Advocates (HLA), HP Inc., the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), Jobs for the Future (JFF), the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, NAF, the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP), the National Skills Coalition (NSC), the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), Rebuilding America’s Middle Class (RAMC), and the Virginia Community College System.
Full text of the bill is available here, and a summary of the bill is available here.
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