Delaware Workforce Pell

Where Delaware stands on Workforce Pell

Status

Live: an operational approval process underway, an open application window, a pilot cohort accepting programs, or an eligible-program list being finalized and submitted to ED (the Record’s definition).

Phase

Applications Open (OWD)

Lead agency

DE Department of Labor, Office of Workforce Development (designated by Governor Meyer), with the Workforce Pell Review Committee

Current holdup

DDOL / OWD

Online institution application open; the Workforce Pell Review Committee reviews applications and OWD certifies on the Governor's behalf before ED submission; the final policy states applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and no approved-program list is posted

State portal

labor.delaware.gov

What the record documents

On August 11, 2026 the Delaware Department of Labor released the state's Workforce Pell Program Policy and opened the institution application, moving Delaware from no located public action to an operational process in a single announcement. Governor Meyer has designated the Office of Workforce Development within DDOL to administer the program, coordinate cross-agency review, and certify eligible programs on the Governor's behalf; institutions apply through an online application, the Workforce Pell Review Committee reviews submissions, and OWD certification precedes submission to the U.S. Department of Education. The approval model is occupation-first, anchored to the state's existing High Demand Occupation List, with institutions required to demonstrate employer demand, credential portability and stackability, and student outcomes; the portal restates the federal 150-599 clock hour and 8-to-under-15-week program tests and the value-added earnings test. No application deadline, window schedule, or approved-program list is posted. Source, Portal

Verified against the sources on November 6, 2026.

Eligible occupations in Delaware

Delaware has a published list without a fixed occupation count (framework anchors to the DWDB 2026 High Demand Occupation List (113 occupations, effective July 1); the policy commits to posting a Workforce Pell Eligible Occupation List, not yet published). Open the state’s list. Its list design, side by side with the other published frameworks, is in the State Approval Comparison.

Approved programs (state / federal)

None yet

List philosophy

Occupation-first, anchored to the state's existing high-demand list

High-wage definition

SOC-based wage bands from the DE DOL Occupation & Industry Projections (middle and high wage: upper limit of "Below Average" and/or lower limit of "Average")

Skill and demand logic

High-skill OR high-wage OR in-demand (one or more), then exclusions: occupations typically requiring a bachelor's or more, or accessible with only a high school diploma, are excluded from priority designation

Lead and approver

DDOL Office of Workforce Development administers (Governor Meyer's designee); Workforce Pell Review Committee reviews; DWDB advises; OWD certifies for the Governor, then ED

List refresh

Occupation list updated every two years on the DWDB HDOL cycle; program recertification at least every two years

Approved Workforce Pell programs in Delaware

No Delaware program appears in the Record’s approved-programs table (U.S. Department of Education announcements and state rosters of federally approved programs) as of November 5, 2026.

Sources

Every primary source the record cites for Delaware, last checked November 6, 2026.

• State Workforce Pell portal (labor.delaware.gov)
• Workforce Pell Program Policy (laborfiles.delaware.gov)
• online application (www.cognitoforms.com)
• Source (news.delaware.gov)
• Eligible-occupation list (laborfiles.delaware.gov)