On Thursday, Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced the Chance to Compete Act, which would require federal agencies to focus hiring practices on the skills job seekers possess rather than whether and where they earned a college degree, according to a press release by Hagerty’s office.
The legislation, which builds upon a Trump-era executive order titled “Reforming and Modernizing the Federal Hiring Process,” redefines “examinations” to include knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies while constraining the use of education when determining if an individual is qualified, according to the press release. It also requires federal agencies to review and update antiquated federal job qualification standards and candidate assessments.
“For too long, the federal government’s hiring priorities have focused on college degrees and institutions instead of if the individual is actually qualified,” Senator Bill Hagerty said in a statement. “Federal workers should be hired based on skills, not just if they have a degree. I’m pleased to have Senator Sinema’s partnership as we seek to modernize our federal workforce, which taxpayers depend on.”
For too long, the federal gov’s hiring has focused on degrees instead of if the individual is actually qualified. Pleased to partner w/ @SenatorSinema to build upon Trump-era executive order that requires federal agencies to prioritize hiring based on skills rather than degrees. pic.twitter.com/kt3dvV4IQg
— Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) January 14, 2022
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Chair of the Senate’s Government Operations Subcommittee, added, “We’re making federal hiring more efficient and the federal government more effective by removing barriers and expanding opportunities for skilled Arizonans who have the knowledge and experience to work in the federal government, even if they don’t have a traditional college degree.”
In addition to removing the ‘unnecessary’ degree requirements that exclude otherwise qualified Americans from Federal employment, Kyrsten and Hagerty’s bill implements best practices already adopted by the private sector and will allow talented individuals who pursue apprenticeships, have technical training and applicable background experiences to pursue federal civil service, the press release notes.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Kyrsten Sinema” by Gage Skidmore CC BY-SA 2.0.
