​Expanding financial aid to students who attend college part time or are enrolled in non-credit courses was a key topic during a town hall-style meeting at a Florida community college that included U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Fresh on the heels of the president's call for two-year colleges to help train an additional two million Americans for available jobs, the meeting at Tallahassee Community College (TCC) on Wednesday focused on adult education and the role of workforce training in rebuilding the U.S. economy.

”I can’t overstate how important the role community colleges are going to play, helping our country get back to where we want to go,” Duncan said.

Administration officials promote commitment to community colleges

Questions from the standing-room only meeting at TCC’s Center for Workforce Development ranged from early education to K-12 standardized testing, but they focused on job training. One issue discussed was the difficulty many students in adult education and non-credit training programs experience trying to qualify for financial aid.

Outside of special grants or corporate funds, these students are usually ineligible for financial aid and scholarships. Kristina Pereira, an adult education specialist at TCC, noted that these students are often seeking to overcome unemployment by updating their skills or training to transition between careers, and therefore they are the most needing and deserving of financial assistance.

Duncan acknowledged the contradiction these students face.

“I encourage you to push our administration on this issue,” he said.

Reform student aid

In an interview with Community College Times on Thursday, TCC President Jim Murdaugh applauded the idea of reforming student aid, specifically to help students who want to enter short-term training programs.

“What is missing in the dialogue regarding education reform is financial aid reform,” he said.

Murdaugh mentioned a TCC student who wanted to enroll in a certificate course costing $500 that would have helped him secure a good-paying job, but he didn’t have the money and didn’t qualify for student aid.

“There is no mechanism to provide any help to these folks,” Murdaugh said, noting that current rules on federal student aid eligibility “disadvantage” part-time and non-credit students enrolled in courses that can usually be completed in 90 days with jobs waiting for them. Eligibility requirement should factor in programs that successfully lead to employment.

“That should be the litmus test for success,” Murdaugh said.