Employers have long used college degrees (or absence thereof) to screen job candidates. While there is an undeniable logic to it, reliance on these degrees as a screening tool in an extremely tight labor markets may be preventing us from hiring less credentialed candidates who could perform the job just as well.
In a 5-minute interview on CNN’s “Smerconish” program last week, Dr. Nicole Smith, a Research Professor at Georgetown University, challenges executives to consider that “a bachelor’s degree is a reliable route to a well-paying job, but it is not the only pathway. In fact, as concerns grow about the affordability of a college degree and the labor market remains tight, middle skills credentials represent good alternatives that often pay off for workers.”
There is also a follow up article by Dr. Smith for a deeper dive on the subject”: “Sub-BA Qualifications are Winning in the Tight Labor Markets.”
