WPBN: As a result of a decision made by Governor Gavin Newsom, the state of California will no longer need applicants to possess a degree for over 30,000 state employment.
“The state has now removed college degrees or other certain educational requirements for nearly 30,000 state jobs,” according a news release.
“This effort is part of the Newsom administration’s work to modernize state government and improve the hiring process by removing unnecessary barriers to public service jobs,” according to the release.
Additionally, “a new goal to double” the number of the nearly 30,000 jobs that do not require a degree by the year 2025 was declared in the statement.
“The proposal for an additional roughly 32,000 positions statewide is currently being negotiated with employee unions and will be submitted for approval in 2025,” according to the release.
In the release, it was stated that the California Human Resources Department (CalHR) is the organization that determines whether or not a degree or “other educational requirements” are required for a job.
CalHR is the department of the state that is responsible for a variety of things, including but not limited to the pay of state employees, job classifications, training, examinations, and so on, as stated on its website.
Camille Travis, who serves as the deputy director of communications for the California Human Resources Department, stated in an interview with The Center Square that “CalHR has committed to the policy and ongoing practice of ensuring that there are multiple pathways, including employment without a degree.”
According to Travis, the California Human Resources Department (CalHR) has “removed barriers to employment from the minimum qualifications,” which includes about 176 job classifications where a degree or other educational need is not required. This has resulted in an increase in the number of opportunities and access to well-paying positions in the public service sector.
“Since 2014, CalHR has worked to simplify the State’s job classification plan via projects that streamline processes and address barriers to state hiring, exam maintenance, bargaining discussions, and pay equity for affected classes,” Travis stated.
“California is working to ensure that every person has what they need to get a well-paying, long-lasting job so we can build an economy for the future that supports all families,” Newsom stated in the news release.
“Every Californian deserves the opportunity to build real-life skills and pursue a fulfilling career – including those that don’t require college degrees,” Newsom stated.
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According to the press release, the decision to eliminate degree requirements for certain positions is “in line with Newsom’s Freedom to Succeed Executive Order.”
According to a news release, the executive order is a career education initiative designed to “reduce employment barriers for state jobs” and “prepare students and adults for the workforce of tomorrow.”
Among these obstacles are college degree requirements that are “unnecessary to job duties.”
Fifty percent of American workers are “skilled through alternative routes,” or “STARs,” according to Tear the Paper Ceiling.
According to Tear the Paper Ceiling, the majority of these 70 million people acquired their abilities through on-the-job training and do not hold bachelor’s degrees.
According to a statement, Opportunity@Work’s Tear the Paper Ceiling initiative promotes hiring people based on their skills rather than their degrees. In the press announcement, Opportunity@Work CEO Byron Auguste stated, “If you can do the job, you can get the job.”
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According to Tear the Paper Ceiling, 66% of working Americans in rural areas are eligible to be STARs.
Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and other states have stopped requiring college degrees for up to 90% of public positions, depending on the state, according to a Brookings article.
