WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) – Soon, having a college degree may not be a huge boost if you want to work for the federal government.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday to focus on skills rather than education for government workers.
Trump said if the federal government wants to hire someone, what they can do is more important than a degree.
“So it’s a skills-based recalibration versus what the federal government has historically done, which is more of a degree based,” said Brook Rollins, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. “We’re also hopeful it sets an example for the rest of the country in the private sector as well.”
The executive order overhauls federal hiring guidelines to prioritize skills over a college education.
Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb said the pandemic unemployment makes this change even more important.
“But it’s even more vividly apparent for the need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to level the playing field to create opportunity for all,” Holcomb said.
The White House said its goal is to make a more inclusive federal workplace.
Historically, Trump has performed well with voters without a college education.
Joann Weiner, economics professor at The George Washington University, said, “I don’t think necessarily this is a real political issue.”
Weiner agrees with the administration’s approach to expand job opportunities, but cautions…
“I would hate to see education no longer matter,” she said.
Rollins said college-educated job seekers won’t be at a disadvantage.
“It’s not a binary choice,” she said. “Do they have a degree, do they not have a degree.”
Rollins added the executive order will take effect next week.
