PA Gov. Josh Shapiro Removes Four-Year Degree Requirement ‘From 92% of Government Jobs’
“A degree should not be the only way to get a good paying job or have a fulfilling future”
I don’t really disagree with this. Why should you need a degree to work in government?
Campus Reform reports:
Pennsylvania Governor drops four-year degree requirements for government jobs
Pennsylvania’s new Governor Josh Shapiro issued an executive order last week that removes four-year degrees from 92% of government jobs.
Shapiro stated that this initiative will open approximately 65,000 jobs in the state to those without college education, he announced on Twitter.
The Shapiro Administration is “not wasting a second.”
“The Commonwealth is committed to increasing economic opportunity for all people of Pennsylvania,” says the executive order, “by creating new pathways to public employment.”
The new policy is the first step in “modernizing the Commonwealth’s hiring model to a model focused on skill, competency, and practical experience rather than just educational background” and will emphasize “equivalent experience needed in lieu of a college degree wherever possible,” according to the executive order.
Pennsylvania is the most recent in a string of states that have announced similar plans to eliminate degree requirements for government jobs.
In March 2022, then-Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan announced his state’s plan to remove degree requirements for a multitude of state jobs in customer service, IT, and administrative tracks, according to NPR.
NPR quoted Hogan saying it is “more important than ever that we work together to find new ways to build a steady pipeline of talented, well-trained, skilled workers for the jobs of the future.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced in December 2022 that his state would also be dropping four-year degree requirements for state government jobs.
“[E]liminating bachelor’s degree requirements will broaden access to qualified talent and expand employment opportunities to attract diverse candidates, including underrepresented groups,” according to the press release announcing Cox’s decision.
“A degree should not be the only way to get a good paying job or have a fulfilling future,” the press release continued
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Comments
This looks blasphemous. Merit? Experience?? Using such racists qualifications yet ignoring diversity and equity???
This probably allows them to promote their diversity and equity goals. Straight white male college grad vs. black-identifying female-identifying non-college grad, now the second one can be preferred over the first.
Cain’t get nuthin’ but rusty water out this spigot, Paw!
We got any other spigots?
These people are violating all the grifters’ rules in turn. Everybody’s gotta get a cut if it works, or they’ll bail. You can’t be such a parasite that you kill the host.
Things do get interesting to watch as under pressure, some parts of The Apparatus turn on others for their own survival.
This also removes the need to get a degree in a relevant area. You can waste 4 years of college in a gender studies major and your degree doesn’t matter for the job if the government in power likes your politics.
In general this may be fine, my concern however would be if it’s used to de-professionalise things as opposed to stripping out unnecessary requirements.
A local council here for instance largely dropped professional and para-professional qualifications for one field, instead just asking for a driver’s licence and any experience you can sell as being relevant. Instead of getting professional expertise, knowledge, and service, you get the McDonald’s experience – do you want fries with your order, and can we interest you in …?
So long as the service can claim legs in the door, service is stable or growing. The fact they’re losing old patrons? Meh, who cares, old folk will die off soon enough anyway and young folk won’t know any better.
This makes sense, as I have rarely had experience with government where it was obvious that I was dealing with a college graduate.
But is it ever obvious? What’s the difference between an accounting student, and an accounting graduate?
In my own field for instance I heard of one woman casually comment that her high school daughter could do the work and asking how to get her employment. Er maybe get her masters degree then apply? With council wanting LCD type employees however she probably could get hired – they abolished the roles I did as a teenager when I was young, and also got rid of qualifications for many other positions.
For those who get their bits of paper in the hope of getting an entry level job and maybe working their way up, it’s really frustrating when completely non-qualified people are chosen to fill the roles – you can’t get into your own field anymore, but you aren’t qualified to work outside it.
Wow, a good idea from a Democrat, even if the motive is suspect.