Governor Larry Hogan announced that the state is removing the requirement of college degrees from a series of state positions.
At a March 15 press conference, Hogan announced a new work force development initiative to help the State of Maryland address ongoing staffing shortages for state jobs. The initiative would scrap current requirements of bachelor’s degrees for certain state positions, in an attempt to attract more skilled applicants who may not have hold degrees to state positions. Notably, Maryland is the first state in the country to do so.
According to the press release, “spearheaded by the Maryland Department of Labor and the Maryland Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the state will work with partners to recruit and market these roles to job seekers who are “Skilled Through Alternative Routes” (STARs).”
During his announcement, Hogan said there are 1.3 million Marylanders who have skills, but don’t have a 4-year degree, and he wants to tap into that group to fill some of the staffing shortages across state agencies.
The governor also announced that the state will work with Opportunity at Work on the new policies. Opportunity at Work is a nonprofit to help skilled adults, without a four-year degree, find good-paying jobs.
Watch the full March 15 press conference on the jobs announcement.