On his first full day in office, Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order announcing that 65,000 Commonwealth jobs don’t require a four-year college degree. As a result, a number of news outlets voiced there views.

The New York Times Praises Gov. Shapiro

The New York Times’ Editorial Board praised Governor Shapiro’s move as a critical step in opening the doors of opportunity and expanding our workforce. The editorial board noted how eliminating college degree requirements for certain jobs has galvanized bipartisan support and “would bring a greater degree of openness and fairness into the labor market and send a message about government’s ability to adapt and respond to the concerns of its citizens” in the modern labor market.  

In addition to signing the executive order, Governor Shapiro also instructed all state agencies to emphasize work experience and skills in their job posting and hiring processes and launched a new website for applicants to easily apply for positions that don’t require a four-year degree.  

Read The New York Times’ editorial here and excerpts below.  

The Daily Item: Opening doors for thousands in Pennsylvania

On his first full day as governor, Josh Shapiro threw a life preserver to 65,000 Pennsylvanians. In the first executive order of his new administration, Shapiro removed the college degree requirement on an estimated 65,000 jobs in the commonwealth government.

Gov. Shapiro — that will still take a while to get used to — estimates that 550 different jobs in state government will no longer require a college degree as a qualifier. The move, Shapiro and other stakeholders said, puts the emphasis on relevant skills, work experience and apprenticeships ahead of what can be a costly piece of paper.

Forbes: Penn.’s New Governor Strikes A Blow Against The College-Industrial Complex

Last week, in his first executive order, Pennsylvania’s new governor announced that 92 percent of state government jobs will no longer require a four-year college degree. Governor Josh Shapiro’s heartening move means that 65,000 state jobs no longer require a college degree, but that candidates will be free to compete for these positions based on skills, relevant experience, and merit. Shapiro’s move follows similar actions taken by Republicans, like former Maryland governor Larry Hogan, hinting at a burgeoning, bipartisan push to temper the role of college degrees in American life.[…]

Gov. Shapiro explained his action last week, saying, “Every Pennsylvanian should have the freedom to chart their own course and have a real opportunity to succeed. They should get to decide what’s best for them – whether they want to go to college or straight into the workforce – not have that decided for them.”

That’s very well said. College can be a very good thing. That’s not at issue. But an inconsistent judicial standard and comfortable employer routines ought not oblige Americans to buy a very expensive piece of paper. Here’s hoping more governors will follow Governor Shapiro’s lead.

Philadelphia Inquirer: What is college for? Gov. Shapiro raises the question. Higher ed leaders are listening.

What is college actually for?

No one expected this to be the initial question raised by Pennsylvania’s new governor, Josh Shapiro, in his first full day on the job. While he may not have stated it explicitly, this was the essence of the Democrat’s very first executive order, which opened up some 92% of job listings in state government — about 65,000 in all — to applicants who don’t have a four-year college degree.

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