ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A four-year college degree will no longer be required for thousands of state jobs in Maryland.
Governor Larry Hogan made the announcement Tuesday as part of a new job recruiting initiative.
The state is calling these candidates “Skilled Through Alternative Routes” or STARs.
STARs are 25 and older, active in the labor force, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and have developed their skills through alternative routes such as community college, apprenticeships, military service, boot camps, and most commonly, on-the-job. Of the 2,869,000 workers in Maryland today, more than 1.3 million, or 47 percent are considered STARs.
Maryland currently employs more than 38,000 people, it's estimated STARs could fill half of those positions.
There are more than 300 state government jobs open now that would apply to STARs.
"Just today, we had more than 300 government jobs that are currently open and available, which no longer require a four-year degree," Hogan said.
“There are over 1 million Marylanders who do not have bachelor’s degrees, but do have skills for jobs that are in demand by both the State of Maryland and other employers," said Byron Auguste, the CEO and co-founder of Opportunity@Work.
Hogan said this new protocol comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has left Maryland's job market in need of an influx of workers.
"At the end of the day, at work and solving problems, it's building things. It's healing people," Auguste said.
