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Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday, March 15 announced the plan to formally remove the mandatory four-year college degree from thousands of state jobs.
Through the program, labelled as “Skilled Through Alternative Routes” or STARs, the state will recruit and market these positions to eligible candidates.
“Through these efforts we are launching today, we are ensuring that qualified, non-degree candidates are regularly being considered for these career-changing opportunities,” Governor Hogan said. “This is exactly the kind of bold, bipartisan solution we need to continue leading the nation by giving even more Marylanders the opportunities they need to be successful.”
STARs are people 25 or older who are active in the workforce, have a high school diploma or equivalent and have honed their skills through other experiential learning opportunities. These include apprenticeships, military service, boot camps or on-the-job experiences. The state said more than 1.3 million, or 47%, of people working in Maryland are considered STARs.
The initiative will be spearheaded by the Maryland Department of Labor and the Maryland Department of Budget and Management (DMB). Opportunity@Work, a non-profit workforce development agency, will recruit candidates through a platform known as “Stellarworx.”
“By launching this initiative and sourcing STARs talent on Stellarworx, Governor Hogan and his administration are making clear that Maryland values all the skills of its diverse workforce,” said Byron Auguste, CEO and co-founder of Opportunity@Work. “This will enable more Marylanders to work, learn and earn to their fullest potential and is a promising model for other states and employers to follow.”
More than one million Marylanders don’t have a bachelor’s degree but are still qualified for state roles. DMB estimates more than half of the 38,000 state jobs can be filled by applicants with relevant training, experience or a community college education. Currently, there are more than 300 state job openings that no longer require a four-year degree, making these prime opportunities for STARs.
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