Nebraska Workforce Pell
Live: Three Programs Federally Approved (Sep 14). Last documented action: Sep 14, 2026.
Drawn from Nebraska’s row in the Workforce Pell State Implementation Record, which tracks all 52 jurisdictions from primary sources: state agency pages, board minutes, statutes and U.S. Department of Education releases.
Where Nebraska 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
- Three Programs Federally Approved (Sep 14)
- Lead agency
- Nebraska Department of Labor (Commissioner Thurber), with the Nebraska Workforce Development Board
- Current holdup
- NDOL / NWDB
- ED approved three Metropolitan Community College programs September 14 (Phlebotomy Technician, Pharmacy Technician, CompTIA Tech+ with Google IT Support), making Nebraska the third state with announced federal approvals, per the ED release, with eligible students able to use Pell funds now; applications continue through the NDOL portal, due at least 45 days before a quarterly board meeting; the board met September 18 (9:30 am to noon, NET Center, Lincoln), and its member packet is now posted on the Past Meetings page, carrying a "Workforce Pell Update" old-business agenda item and June 12 draft minutes in which Commissioner Thurber calls Nebraska ahead of other states, with September 18 minutes and any outcome still unposted; December 4 follows
- State portal
- dol.nebraska.gov
What the record documents
On September 14, 2026 the U.S. Department of Education approved three Workforce Pell programs at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Phlebotomy Technician, Pharmacy Technician, and CompTIA Tech+ with Google IT Support, "marking it the third state in the nation to receive program approvals" per the ED release, with eligible students able to use Pell Grant dollars in the approved programs now. ED release. On July 8, 2026 Governor Pillen's office issued the formal launch release and the Nebraska Department of Labor published the NE Workforce Pell portal with an online application, six policy documents, and the 2026-27 Initial Eligible Occupation and Program List (effective date May 20, 2026): counted from the posted list, 49 distinct occupations across 129 SOC-CIP pairings, screened through the state's H3 (high-wage, high-skill, high-demand) framework; the governor's release cites 40 occupations mapped to 97 program categories. Applications are due no later than 45 days before a quarterly NWDB meeting (the portal listed September 18 and December 4, 2026 as the next meetings, and the board met September 18, 9:30 am to noon per the NDOL board meetings page, which posted no agenda or materials, although the board's December 5, 2025 minutes record adopted 2026 dates of March 13, June 12, September 25, and December 4, and no 2026 meeting notice reconciles the September date), and programs must meet the 70 percent completion and 70 percent placement thresholds. Metropolitan Community College is the first institution, with four programs (commercial driver's license, CompTIA Tech+ with Google IT Support, pharmacy technician, and phlebotomy technician) pending federal approval. On July 16, 2026 NDOL added an institutions-and-employers FAQ to the portal detailing the dual duration tests (150 to 599 clock hours and at least 8 but fewer than 15 weeks, both required), the 12-month prior-operation requirement, and portability evidence standards (attestations from at least two unaffiliated employers, labor-market posting evidence, or hiring-pipeline agreements). Community College Daily reported August 4, 2026 that Governor Pillen's July launch visit to Metropolitan Community College highlighted four state-approved programs awaiting final ED approval: Class A CDL, phlebotomy technician, pharmacy technician, and CompTIA Tech+ with Google IT Support; the NDOL page itself posts no approved-program list. Source, governor's release
Verified against the sources on November 6, 2026.
Key dates for Nebraska
From the Record’s key-dates panel, recent milestones and upcoming deadlines.
| When | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Recent | Jul 6 | Gov. Pillen announced Nebraska's Workforce Pell launch at Metropolitan Community College |
| Recent | Jul 8 | Nebraska DOL opened its application portal with a 49-occupation list |
| Recent | Sep 14 | ED approved three Metropolitan Community College programs, making Nebraska the third state with announced federal approvals |
| Recent | Sep 18 | Nebraska's Workforce Development Board held its quarterly meeting (9:30 am to noon, NET Center, Lincoln, per the NDOL board meetings page) with no agenda, materials, or outcome posted |
Eligible occupations in Nebraska
Nebraska has 49 occupations on the state’s eligible-occupation list. 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)
- 4 state (Metropolitan CC)
- List philosophy
- Stepwise data funnel from statewide H3 list
- High-wage definition
- Entry wage at or above $18.00/hr (120% of NE minimum wage), or H3 high-wage flag
- Skill and demand logic
- H3 high-demand OR high-wage; sub-degree entry education; 120+ annual openings; 12+ NEworks postings in 3 months; CIP match required
- Lead and approver
- Governor designates NDOL; NWDB consulted; quarterly NWDB review cycle
- List refresh
- Annual award-year list implied (2026-27 "Initial"); not stated
Approved Workforce Pell programs in Nebraska
Programs where federal Workforce Pell funding is available, as of November 5, 2026: 3 announced by the U.S. Department of Education and 0 documented on a state roster. Students can see length, cost and campus in Workforce Pell for Students.
| Program | Institution | Federal approval | Program page |
|---|---|---|---|
| CompTIA Tech+ with Google IT Support | Metropolitan Community College | Sep 14, 2026 | mccneb.edu |
| Pharmacy Technician | Metropolitan Community College | Sep 14, 2026 | mccneb.edu |
| Phlebotomy Technician | Metropolitan Community College | Sep 14, 2026 | mccneb.edu |
Sources
Every primary source the record cites for Nebraska, last checked November 6, 2026.
- State Workforce Pell portal (dol.nebraska.gov)
- ED release (www.ed.gov)
- December 5, 2025 minutes (dol.nebraska.gov)
- institutions-and-employers FAQ (dol.nebraska.gov)
- governor's release (governor.nebraska.gov)
- Eligible-occupation list (dol.nebraska.gov)
- Metropolitan Community College: mccneb.edu (www.mccneb.edu)
- Metropolitan Community College: mccneb.edu (www.mccneb.edu)
- Nebraska in the State Implementation Record: the national record of all 52 jurisdictions, with this row in context.
- State Approval Comparison: how each state defines eligible programs and occupations.
- Workforce Pell for Students: approved programs, costs and how to apply.
- Workforce Pell by state: every jurisdiction’s page.
- Nearby states: South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado.