Introduction to the Issue
Citing the skyrocketing cost of a college education, a City Council committee agreed Tuesday to remove that “paper ceiling” by allowing candidates for city jobs to substitute work experience for a diploma.
The Committee’s Decision
The Committee on Workforce Development moved to abolish what many consider an irrelevant and discriminatory barrier at the behest of 36th Ward Ald Gilbert Villegas, a retired Marine who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Villegas argued that requiring most candidates for city jobs to have college degrees has prohibited veterans and minorities alike from qualifying for positions that could be their “pathway to the middle class.”
The Impact of the Requirement
The lower bar would not apply to professional positions, including attorneys, doctors and nurses. “There’s north of 55% of veterans who don’t have degrees, but we’ve spent tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars training these men and women. They have real-life experience,” Villegas said. “We want to make sure we’re giving opportunities to all Chicagoans and veterans by breaking that paper ceiling.”
The STARS Program
The city of Chicago has so many applicants who lack college degrees that there’s an acronym for them — STARS, which stands for “skilled through alternative routes.” Those “alternative routes” include everything from community colleges, apprenticeships and job certifications to military training and years of service or on-the-job experience.
Statistics on STARS
An analysis conducted by the advocacy group Opportunity@Work concluded that there are 922,000 STARS in Chicago who have the skills to qualify for city jobs but lack a college degree. “When a job requires a college degree, we automatically screen out the majority of most demographic groups,” said Blair Corcoran de Castillo, vice president of public sector and policy for Opportunity@Work. “In the city, this translates into screening out 61% of Black workers, 54% of Hispanic or Latino workers, 39% of white workers, 33% of Asian American Pacific Islander workers and 64% of veteran workers.”
Comparison of Wages
De Castillo concluded her testimony with a surprising statistic: “It takes more than 30 years for a STAR to earn the same wage that a bachelor’s degree candidate earns on their first day after college,” she said. If, as expected, the full City Council approves Villegas’ ordinance, Chicago would join 26 states and the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Madison, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis-St. Paul in “tearing the paper ceiling,” de Castillo said.
Support for the Ordinance
Annika Cole, policy advocate manager for the Chicago Jobs Council, said it’s high time the city “remove unnecessary degree requirements from city jobs where workers are well-qualified through alternative routes other than a bachelors degree.” “These workers are prepared for higher-wage work and are held back by outdated hiring practices,” she said. Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) said the switch to “skill-based hiring” is a good first step at a time when “the cost of a college education now is crazy … closing in on $100,000-a-year at some institutions.”
Implementation and Future Plans
Human Resources Commissioner Sandra Blakemore said the ordinance approved Tuesday “codifies” what Mayor Brandon Johnson has asked her department to do informally. There was talk of formalizing the policy with an executive order. But Villegas said he wanted something more permanent to prevent future mayors from altering a new policy. “With skill-based hiring, it really diversifies and expands our labor pool,” Blakemore said. “We’re excited about that because …only a third of city employees have a college degree. So this helps not only prospective employees, but also helps our current city workforce.”
Personal Stories and Impact
Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), newly elected chair of the Council’s Latino Caucus, said removing the college degree requirement is “pretty personal to me.” He went to University of Illinois Chicago, but “didn’t finish” and “got a degree online” just to secure a promotion at the telecom company where he worked. “The amount of debt that people take on just to get a degree to hopefully get a job, but then barely be paid [enough to retire] the loan they’ve taken out isn’t a solution for people looking to get ahead,” Vasquez said.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the City Council committee’s decision to remove the college degree requirement for city jobs is a step in the right direction. By allowing candidates to substitute work experience for a diploma, the city can provide more opportunities for veterans, minorities, and individuals who have acquired skills through alternative routes. This change has the potential to diversify the city’s workforce, provide a pathway to the middle class for many, and address the issue of outdated hiring practices.
FAQs
- Q: What is the main purpose of the City Council committee’s decision?
A: The main purpose is to remove the college degree requirement for city jobs and allow candidates to substitute work experience for a diploma. - Q: Who will benefit from this decision?
A: Veterans, minorities, and individuals who have acquired skills through alternative routes, such as community colleges, apprenticeships, and job certifications, will benefit from this decision. - Q: Will this decision apply to all city jobs?
A: No, the lower bar will not apply to professional positions, including attorneys, doctors, and nurses. - Q: How many states and cities have already implemented similar policies?
A: 26 states and the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Madison, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis-St. Paul have already implemented similar policies. - Q: What is the expected outcome of this decision?
A: The expected outcome is to diversify the city’s workforce, provide a pathway to the middle class for many, and address the issue of outdated hiring practices.
