Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development

The Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant is a financial aid program that addresses workforce needs by encouraging adults to pursue a certificate, degree, or industry-recognized credential in an area designated as high need. The Fast Track application is available electronically in the State Financial Aid Portal. High-demand occupations were identified using long-term occupational projections developed by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC). MERIC’s projections assign career grades based on projected openings, growth, and wages. Occupations were included if they had a grade of A or B at the state level or in any region. Occupations were then excluded if they typically required no formal education or education above a bachelor’s degree, or had below average projected total job openings. See all of MERIC’s long-term occupational projections here.