Carl Perkins Grant Menu

Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify for Carl D. Perkins "Special Populations" funded activities a student must:

  • Be formally enrolled in a state-approved occupational program
  • Have formally declared an intent or commitment through a career assessment to enroll in a state-approved occupational program
  • Be enrolled in a general occupational course or apprenticeship related instruction for the purpose of job training.

A Special Populations student is a person who, through a formal assessment, has been deemed as being one of the following:

  • Individual with a Disability - A person having any of the disabilities defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
  • Economically Disadvantaged - An individual from an economically disadvantaged family, including foster children. This individual must be one or more of the following:
    • a Pell Grant recipient or recipient of some other form of financial assistance
    • a migrant and/or
    • a referral by faculty or staff noting that a student requires support services to succeed.
  • Non-Traditional Training and Employment Participant - An individual enrolled in an occupational program that is considered non-traditional for his/her gender as determined by National Labor Statistics and State Year End Program enrollment data. These occupations or fields of work generally include careers in computer science, technology and other emerging high skill occupations for which individuals from one gender comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in each occupation or field of work.
  • Single Parent, including Single Pregnant Woman - An individual who:
    • is unmarried or separated from a spouse, and has a minor child or children for which the parent/student has either custody or joint custody, or
    • is unmarried or separated from a spouse and is pregnant.
  • Displaced Homemaker - An individual who is under-employed or unemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining employment or upgrading employment and:
    • has worked primarily without remuneration to care for a home and family, and for that reason has diminished marketable skills; or
    • has been dependent upon the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income; or
    • is a parent whose youngest dependent child will become ineligible to receive assistance under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act not later that 2 years after the date on which the parent applies for assistance under this Title.
  • Individual with Limited English Proficiency - An adult who has limited ability in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language; or
    • whose native language is a language other than English; or
    • who lives in a family or community environment in which a language other than English is the dominant language; and
    • who, due to limited English proficiency has sufficient difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language to deny such individual the opportunity to learn successfully in classrooms where the language of instruction is English or to participate fully in society.

In addition to being an occupational student and falling into one of the above categories, the Special Populations student is also one who:

  • Requires special services and/or assistance in order to successfully complete an occupational program, AND
  • Has an Education Development Plan (EDP) on file which list services to be provided, and
  • Has the ability to benefit (i.e. has demonstrated that he/she is capable of successfully completing his/her educational objectives or coursework).