Vermont Workforce Pell
In progress: Drafting Guidance. Last documented action: Oct 2026.
Drawn from Vermont’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 Vermont stands on Workforce Pell
- Status
- In progress: lead agency named or governor action on record; guidance still pending (the Record’s definition).
- Phase
- Drafting Guidance
- Lead agency
- VT Office of Workforce Strategy and Development / State Workforce Development Board
- Current holdup
- OWSD / SWDB
- SWDB taskforce developing timeline and policy toward a small pilot in mid-2027; the October 5, 2026 full-board minutes (posted October 13) record Workforce Pell only in the interim director's update, as ongoing conversations with higher education institutions about needs, gaps, and policy options, including possible waivers or adjustments for smaller states, with no vote or policy; the board moves to a quarterly schedule with the next meeting planned for late January 2027 and four vacancies to fill; the office has since published a Workforce Pell Overview and Program Requirements page restating the federal requirements and stating that Vermont is developing a state approval process, eligible program standards, and its high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand definitions, with no application, criteria, or dates; the SWDB Executive Committee next meets November 9
What the record documents
SWDB strategic goals document filed with the legislature names Workforce Pell integration as a priority and lists implementation partners across VDOL, Agency of Education, and CCV. June 1, 2026 SWDB minutes, now posted, describe a taskforce continuing to develop timeline and policy, targeting a small pilot in mid-2027; the same minutes record that OWSD's executive director retired at the end of June, with the office transition described as delaying subcommittee work. On August 26, 2026 the Department of Labor announced Rowan Hawthorne, previously its policy and legislative affairs director, as Interim Director of OWSD effective August 24, 2026. The June 1 minutes listed the next full-board meetings as September 14 and December 14, but as of September 6 the OWSD meetings page shows the next full-board meeting as October, date to be announced, with no September meeting or agenda posted. The meeting was then set for October 5, 2026 (Vermont Tech Randolph Center campus and Teams), and its posted agenda carries no Workforce Pell item: the listed items cover the health care workforce strategic plan, service-to-career pathways, apprenticeship advisory updates, the one-stop operator continuous improvement plan, and the Governor's AI Economic Taskforce. The October 5, 2026 minutes, submitted October 13, record interim director Rowan Hawthorne discussing "Workforce Pell and ongoing conversations with higher education institutions about needs, gaps, and potential policy opportunities," noting that future conversations may explore waivers or adjustments to improve accessibility for smaller states; no vote or policy followed, and the board set a quarterly schedule with its next meeting in late January. By November 2, 2026 the office's site has a Workforce Pell section with a Workforce Pell Overview and Program Requirements page that restates the federal program, institution, and student requirements and closes with a Vermont Approval Process section stating that Vermont is developing a state approval process and eligible program standards and that its definitions of high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand occupations are in development; the page gives no application, criteria, contact form, or dates. The Executive Committee's December 1, 2025 materials include an eight-slide Workforce Pell Overview deck that listed the governor's criteria and process, needed legislation or policy, and outcome tracking as open questions. Source
Verified against the sources on November 6, 2026.
Key dates for Vermont
From the Record’s key-dates panel, recent milestones and upcoming deadlines.
| When | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Recent | Aug 26 | Vermont DOL announced an interim OWSD director effective Aug 24 |
| Recent | Oct 5 | Vermont's same-day board agenda carried no Workforce Pell item |
| Recent | Nov 2 | Vermont's Workforce Pell overview page observed, stating the state process and definitions are in development |
| Upcoming | Nov 2026 | Vermont's SWDB Executive Committee meets Nov 9 |
Eligible occupations in Vermont
The State Approval Comparison, which compares every published state eligible-occupation framework (27 so far), does not include a Vermont list as of November 6, 2026.
Approved Workforce Pell programs in Vermont
No Vermont 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 Vermont, last checked November 6, 2026.
- announced (labor.vermont.gov)
- meetings page (owsd.vermont.gov)
- agenda (owsd.vermont.gov)
- October 5, 2026 minutes (owsd.vermont.gov)
- Workforce Pell Overview and Program Requirements (owsd.vermont.gov)
- Workforce Pell Overview (owsd.vermont.gov)
- Source (owsd.vermont.gov)
- Vermont 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: New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts.