?Virginians will no longer need a college degree to apply for most state jobs, following a policy change issued by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The change will take effect July 1.
We’ve rounded up articles from SHRM Online and other outlets to provide more context on the news.
Expanding Opportunity
In addition to removing college degree requirements for most state roles, the Youngkin administration is looking to reform regulated occupations and professions to find ways to simplify and speed up credentialing processes and establish universal licensing recognition, according to Virginia Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater.
(Office of the Governor of Virginia)
Skills-Based Hiring Gains Momentum
A growing number of employers—and states including Alaska, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Utah—are shifting toward skills-based hiring, which entails moving beyond education and experience requirements to focus on the skills match between candidates and roles.
Using Skills Assessments Instead
A significant portion of HR professionals value skills-based hiring assessments, and some would weight them strongly as alternatives to traditional education and experience qualifications, according to research from SHRM.
House Approves Skills-Based Hiring Bill
The federal Chance to Compete Act—legislation for federal government jobs that prioritizes candidate evaluations based on knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies while limiting the use of education when determining if someone is qualified for a role—passed the U.S. House of Representatives in January. The bill also facilitates the use of more robust assessments over the self-assessment questionnaires currently used for nearly all federal jobs.