We're proud to announce that NHA's article, "Certifications That Count: What Students Should Know Before Entering Allied Health," was recently featured in the 2026 Summer edition of the Career Education Review!
Nationally recognized, short-term credential programs offer a viable solution to the nationwide shortage of allied-healthcare professionals.
Annual outlook highlights growing responsibilities, skills gaps, and the critical role of certification and career pathways in allied health for sustaining care delivery
The National Healthcareer Association (NHA), an Ascend Learning brand and the largest allied health certification agency in the United States, has submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in response to its Proposed Rules to Implement Working Families Tax Cuts Act’s Workforce Pell Grants. NHA underscored the need for clear, efficient processes to expand access to high-quality, accredited short-term healthcare training programs that prepare students for the workforce and enable them to be job-ready immediately upon program completion.
Congressional Budget Process
The federal budget process directly shapes which resources are available to support students, classrooms, and schools. Federal funding streams, including Workforce Pell Grants and Title VII grant programs, are all determined through annual budget decisions made by Congress. Funding increases can expand services and access, while cuts can force programs to make tough trade-offs or lead to program elimination altogether.
Our nation is facing critical shortages in the healthcare workforce. While you, your teams, and your students are doing their part to fill those gaps, policymakers must do their part in addressing this crisis as well.
If you work in healthcare today, you know what the data shows: allied health professionals are the backbone of our system. They make up 60% of the U.S. healthcare workforce—over five million people—and directly shape patient access, care quality, and operational efficiency.
While Congress works on setting its budget for the year, NHA strongly supports continued full federal funding for CTE and Job Corps programs. These dollars help programs serve more students, expand career opportunities, and keep their doors open.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Kurt Burkum, Senior Director of Government Relations at Ascend Learning, shares his insights on the upcoming new Workforce Pell program. His post covers who this program will benefit, and what implementation will likely involve. This includes highlighting how Workforce Pell can support short-term, career-focused training for learners aiming to join the healthcare workforce.
