A program to help Missourians get into high-demand job fields and fill critical operating positions continues to enjoy great success.
The Fast Track Incentive Grant was championed by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and established by lawmakers in 2019. The financial aid program addresses workforce needs by encouraging adults to pursue a certificate, degree or apprenticeship in a job field designated as high need. It’s targeted at adults who are 25 and older, don’t have a bachelor’s degree, and earn below certain income levels.
The top programs are health care, business accounting, computer science and education. Beyond the certificates or degrees, this program is also applicable to apprenticeships, so individuals can earn as they learn.
In 2022, legislators approved a change that allowed students to apply funding to an expanded list of training providers and registered apprenticeships as long as the programs are within the Office of Workforce Development’s Eligible Training Provider System. The legislation also added apprenticeship costs to the program.
“That change led to a real surge in interest in the program,” said Leroy Wade, deputy commissioner at the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.
The program served just over 1,250 students last year – 90% more than in 2022 – and dispersed around $5.4 million. That is more than double the amount dispersed in 2022.
“We think the popularity of the program will continue to grow,” Wade added. “The program is finding it’s legs now, and folks are getting more familiar with it.”
Wade said there will likely be an effort in the next legislative session to help more adults qualify for the grant program. A proposed change to the Fast Track program did not pass in 2024.
The modification – backed by the Missouri Chamber – would allow more adults in the state to receive funding for postsecondary education and training by increasing the maximum gross income for eligibility from $80,000 to $100,000 for taxpayers who are married, filing jointly and from $40,000 to $50,000 for all other taxpayers. The amounts would be adjusted annually based on inflation.
Statistics from Ozarks Technical Community College, the largest user of the Fast Track program, showed this change would allow 40,000 more Missourians (ages 25-54) to qualify for the program.
To learn more about Fast Track and the eligibility requirements, click here.
