WSIN25-23 — Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants
Round 6 was built around short-term training and Workforce Pell readiness. The May application deadline has passed, but the program remains a useful blueprint for the kind of statewide workforce-college integration federal funders are asking for.
Feb. 24, 2026
$65 million
6–10
May 20, 2026 · closed
Source + trust record
Source checked as of September 18, 2026. Primary authority: USDOL Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants and EDD WSIN25-23.
Check result: The SCC Round 6 application deadline was May 20, 2026. DOL’s current SCC program page still lists the Round 6 funding announcement as closed and does not yet list a public Round 6 award announcement. The brief is retained as a closed-opportunity and Workforce Pell/readiness reference, not an award notice. This AI-assisted brief does not receive human legal or compliance review. Official sources control.
The bottom line
The grant deadline is over. The design signal is still highly relevant.
DOL’s sixth SCC round focused on building statewide capacity for short-term programs seeking Workforce Pell eligibility. Public and state-controlled higher education institutions were eligible, with priority for statewide systems or multi-college consortia. Local WDBs were partners, not the lead applicant class.
DOL’s SCC program page still presents Round 6 as the current funding opportunity and the public 2026 awards page does not yet list an SCC6 award announcement. Do not assume award selections until DOL posts them.
What the grant was buying
Not just new classes — statewide delivery capacity.
Build and scale programs that can meet Workforce Pell requirements.
Connect program design to actual industry demand and worker mobility.
Favor approaches that can operate beyond a single campus or isolated pilot.
Explicitly connect community colleges to the broader workforce system.
Why Workforce Pell changes the conversation
Program eligibility now depends on evidence the workforce system can help produce.
Short-term Pell readiness is not only a financial-aid task. It requires reliable program outcomes, labor-market relevance, employer demand, clear occupational pathways, and coordination across education and workforce partners. That creates a practical role for WDBs in validating demand, connecting employers, coordinating WIOA support, and identifying where short-term programs fit regional strategy.
Operational considerations for WDBs
Use SCC6 as a readiness checklist even if your region was not the applicant.
Ask colleges which short-term programs they expect to position for eligibility.
Bring current wages, openings, growth, and employer evidence into the conversation.
Clarify where ITAs, supportive services, work-based learning, and Pell can complement each other without duplicate payment.
Transportation, scheduling, rural access, language, and supportive services can determine whether a program is actually reachable.
Required vs. useful locally
Applicants had to meet the SCC6 FOA rules and submit by May 20, 2026.
WSIN25-23 does not require every Local Board to create a new college partnership or fund a Workforce Pell program.
Use the SCC6 design criteria as a shared agenda with community college partners.
Source authority
Keep the FOA separate from later California implementation guidance.
DOL Strengthening Community Colleges program page
This brief’s WDB readiness steps are implementation recommendations, not additional grant conditions.
Rewritten in the Wonkery Way format; updated from an open grant notice to a closed-application Workforce Pell readiness brief and clarified that a public SCC6 award announcement was not yet identified.