Shapiro’s plan to end some four-year degree requirements a winner
While Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano pursues his uniquely quiet campaign, his opponent, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has rolled out a series of proposals for new policies. His plan to eliminate four-year degree requirements for many state jobs, including those in customer service, administrative work and information technology, deserves particular praise. It will make state government more fair, inclusive and effective.
Mr. Shapiro wants every state agency to review employment qualifications and eliminate those that don’t make sense. In truth, few jobs really require a four-year degree to perform with excellence. While fouryear college educations can impart job-specific knowledge and intangible skills, such as problem solving and time management, most or all of those can be learned in other academic settings, such as community and technical colleges, or on-the-job.
Not in all cases, of course. A high school diploma does not qualify someone to design highways for PennDOT. Some credentials matter, but not nearly as often as the state’s hiring rules require.
More often, they erect unnecessary economic and social barriers to employment. They ensure the majority of Americans who do not have college degrees — either due to lack of opportunity or lack of interest — are eliminated from jobs they might have the skills, intelligence, work ethic, empathy and other qualities to excel in. That unfairly denies people opportunities — and it also makes it
more difficult for the state to hire the best person for the job.
De-emphasizing four-year college education will also boost alternative skills- development programs: among them, two-year schools, tradeunion apprenticeships and the growing collection of non-degree certification programs. All of these are creating a more inclusive economy, in which most new jobs require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree.
Removing unreasonable academic requirements from state jobs is pragmatic and bipartisan. Maryland’s Republican governor Larry Hogan made a similar move early this year.
Regardless of who becomes the next governor, he should immediately review the job prerequisites for state jobs and eliminate as many four-year degree requirements as possible. Private business would be smart to do the same.