Story at a glance
- Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) is scrapping the state’s four-year college degree requirement for most state jobs.
- Dunleavy issued the order to address Alaska’s ongoing workforce shortage which has hit the public sector especially hard.
- Maryland, Utah and Pennsylvania have also recently dropped four-year college degree requirements for many state jobs.
Alaskans will no longer need a four-year college degree to apply for some state jobs under a new order issued by Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R).
Dunleavy announced the degree requirement changes in an order issued earlier this week.
The order directs Alaska’s Department of Administration to review state job descriptions and determine where practical experience could be used in lieu of the four-year college degree requirement typically asked of applicants.
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After the review, state job postings will be changed to state that relevant experience can be used instead of a college degree.
Dunleavy ordered the requirement change to address the state’s ongoing workforce shortage.
“Today people can gain knowledge, skills and abilities through on the job experience,” said the governor in a statement.
“If we’re going to address our labor shortage, we have to recognize the value that apprenticeships, on-the-job training, military training, trade schools, and other experience provides applicants. If a person can do the job, we shouldn’t be holding anyone back just because they don’t have a degree.”
The state has especially struggled to retain and hire government workers. In 2014, the Alaska state government employed 27,300 people, according to state labor data. That number plummeted to 21,900 in December 2022.
Dunleavy’s move places Alaska on a growing list of U.S. states that are scrapping college degree requirements for most state jobs.
Maryland stopped requiring four-year degrees for many state jobs early last year, as did Utah.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) signed an executive order in January dropping four-year college degree requirements for most state jobs.
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