REGIONAL- In a move to increase the pool of potential applicants for state-funded job opportunities, Gov. Tim Walz on Monday issued an executive order that eliminates college degree requirements for over 75 percent of state government jobs.
Minnesota employs about 38,000 people, and the elimination of college degree requirements could affect around 28,000 positions. The Minnesota Careers website for state government jobs had postings for 674 vacancies as of Tuesday.
Walz noted in the order that there are many different pathways to gain job-related training and skills, including on-the-job training, technical education, and military service. He directed state agencies to “update guidance on the hiring process that emphasizes skills and work experience, utilizing degree requirements as a minimum qualification only as necessary based on state or federal licensure or certification requirements, as required by law, or in rare circumstances where required skills or knowledge can only be obtained through degree programs. Agencies shall provide alternative pathways to qualification whenever possible.”
“There are many opportunities to build meaningful careers through state service,” Walz said in a press release. “We’re making sure these opportunities are available to more Minnesotans, so we can grow our workforce, tap into valuable skills, and recognize that not all Minnesotans need a four-year degree to be successful. By removing these requirements, we’re expanding opportunities for people to enter the workforce, choose state service, and build a good-paying, family-sustaining career.”
With the order, Minnesota joins a movement that began during the COVID pandemic among both public and private employers to expand their options for hiring by restructuring job prerequisites. Utah, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alaska, Colorado, North Carolina, and New Jersey have rolled back college degree requirements for many government jobs, and corporations such as Tesla, Google, General Motors, IBM, and Delta Air Lines have done likewise.
The order also targets employee retention, setting a goal of retaining 75 percent of new hires for at least two years.
One barrier to employee retention is the lack of satisfactory career advancement opportunities. Only 56 percent of surveyed employees believe there is a viable path for advancement in their current positions. Walz directed the Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) office to work with state agencies to improve career advancement and professional development opportunities by creating individual development plans, providing career guidance, and making training available.
Another 18 percent of surveyed employees cite poor management practices as a reason for leaving state jobs. MMB will develop behavioral competencies for leadership positions and a tool to assess leader competency.
Agencies will also update many job titles that are vague or confusing and deter qualified people from applying.
All activities specified in the executive order are designated to be implemented incrementally through July 31, 2024.