The President noted in his speech:

... "First, we'll open new doors to higher education and job training programs to recently laid-off workers who are receiving unemployment benefits. And if those displaced workers need help paying for their education, they should get it -- and that's why the next step is to make it easier for them to receive Pell Grants ...

I've asked my Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and my Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, to work closely with states and our institutions of higher learning and encourage them not only to allow these changes, but to inform all workers receiving unemployment benefits of the training programs and financial support open to them. And together, the Department of Education and the Department of Labor have created a new website called opportunity.gov -- I'll repeat that, opportunity.gov -- to help workers discover and take advantage of these opportunities ..."

"This morning, President Obama announced that the Department of Labor and the Department of Education will work to coordinate efforts to lower the barriers for unemployed workers to pursue education and training, at the same time allowing them to keep their unemployment benefits.

This program would allow unemployed workers receiving unemployment benefits to qualify for federal assistance for education and training. This aid would be significant for many American workers, particularly the Federal Pell Grant program, which can provide up to $5,350 for educational costs at community colleges, colleges and universities, and many trade and technical schools."