We track every Workforce Pell program approval in the country — from state application to federal decision. And for each approved program, we check the question nobody else does: does the credential actually stack toward a degree, as federal rules require?
All 52 jurisdictions — counting only what's verified against primary documents. 33 have published lists; 5 more run an approval process without one.
Verified current 2026-10-16 · approvals list last changed 2026-10-16
Already approved? Placement is the bigger problem. See the placement system →
Operated by OptimalResume.com, Inc. — serving higher education since 2005.
One autonomous engine, five stages: pull the live postings, isolate the duty sentences with a language model, match each against the federal O*NET standard, validate what's new, write the report. No analyst in the loop. What comes back is what's real for a completer in that market — and placement starts there.
National scale, regional focus
The engine that read postings across 138 metros now runs one market at a time: the employers, duties, and openings behind a specific program in a specific region. The national totals are our scale; the regional run is what you get.
NC placement evidence → · See it on one occupation → · Methodology →Every certified Workforce Pell program lives or dies on a 70 percent placement rate the state computes from wage records. The engine reads that program's market first; the placement guide, the student tools on SkillsFirst, and the coached search all come from that reading.
How it works →Look at the record for free, bring us a question, or put it to work on placement.
Every Workforce Pell approval and every state eligibility list, cited to a primary source and verified on a schedule. Public API and CSV export.
Which programs qualify under your state's gates. How your state's list compares to its labor market. Where your curriculum misses what employers ask for. Scoped in one conversation.
For certified programs: a placement guide from the local market, and tools for every completer on SkillsFirst, where the coach can see the search.
Student tools are delivered on SkillsFirst, our career readiness platform, in production at colleges and workforce programs nationwide.
33 states have published eligibility artifacts, and no two look alike. Each one verified against primary documents and mapped to IPEDS.
Open the tracker → Live chartOne law, 52 starting positions: 6 states have finished, 6 are mid-track, and 19 haven't left the gate. 51 institutions are running — 21 of them in North Carolina.
See the chart → Placement evidence · North Carolina5,579 postings behind NC's 43 certified programs: 134 jobs on screen, 38 actionable today, and what actually moves the number.
Read the analysis →Tell us your institution, your programs, and your state. We'll tell you where to start.
Contact usWork in state government? Talk to us about your state →