Education Department officials reached consensus on proposed regulations for Workforce Pell, launching a compressed timetable ahead of a targeted July rollout that would extend Pell Grants to short‑term workforce training programs. The proposed rules set program length, completion and employment thresholds and leave substantial compliance, accreditation and data‑tracking tasks to campuses. Community and technical colleges—heavy anticipated beneficiaries—warn they lack staffing and analytics capacity to meet new accountability requirements quickly, raising risks that some programs may rush to qualify at the expense of quality. Department officials and campus leaders stressed the change’s potential to expand low‑income access to career pathways, while urging institutions to accelerate infrastructure upgrades.