On March 15, 2022, Maryland governor Larry Hogan announced that thousands of state jobs would no longer require a four-year degree. “People shouldn’t be compensated based on their years of education, but what their skills are to do the job,” he said.
The federal government had moved toward skills-based hiring earlier. Executive Order 13932, signed on June 26, 2020, said that “an overreliance on college degrees excludes capable candidates.” It told agencies to assess candidates “in a manner that does not rely solely on educational attainment.”