President Trump to Make Federal Jobs Accessible to Those Without Degrees

President Donald Trump will issue an order that will allow people without college degrees to compete for certain federal agency jobs that aren’t open to them now, senior administration officials said.

Currently, too many people are shut out of these jobs because of the requirement that they have a college degree, even if they have the skills needed for the job, the officials said. The government has about 2.1 million civilian workers, making it the largest employer in the U.S.

This won’t affect doctors, lawyers, and other occupations that require job-based training, the officials said. However, it means that people with needed skills—such as those in information technology—won’t be passed over because they don’t have a college degree.

Hiring should be based primarily on talent and not on arbitrary educational requirements, White House adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump told reporters.

Other administration officials said the order is part of a larger administration initiative to open up more job opportunities. About two-thirds of Americans don’t have college degrees, they said.

Ivanka Trump is also the co-chair of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, which will be meeting Friday afternoon, June 26th.

The President will sign the order at that meeting, a White House spokesperson said.