Trump signs executive order prioritizing skills over degrees for federal jobs

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday directing the federal government to focus on skills over degrees when making hiring decisions.

Update 3:20 p.m. EDT June 26: Trump signed the order Friday following a meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board.

The president said the order will ensure that “the government will no longer be narrowly focused on where you went to school.”

“Today’s signing is a very, very important one,” he added.

The president’s daughter and co-chair of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, Ivanka Trump, praised his decision as broadening the employee pool so that the government looks past “outdated degree requirements.”

“This will allow us to better recognize the talents and competencies of all Americans we hire,” Ivanka Trump said.

Update 2:25 p.m. EDT June 26: The president is expected to make remarks and sign the order at the conclusion of a meeting Friday of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board.

He will also sign another executive order extending the board and the National Council for the American Worker for another year, Ivanka Trump said.

Original report: Ivanka Trump, who also serves as co-chair of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, called her father “a champion for America’s workers,” in a statement posted Friday on social media.

"Today he'll sign an (executive order) directing the (U.S. government) to hire on the basis of skills (and) knowledge rather than simply degree requirements," she said.

President Trump is expected to sign the executive order during a meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board.

In a statement released to The Associated Press, Ivanka Trump predicted the move would create a workforce that is more inclusive and talented.

“We are modernizing federal hiring to find candidates with the relevant competencies and knowledge, rather than simply recruiting based on degree requirements,” she told the AP. “We encourage employers everywhere to take a look at their hiring practices and think critically about how initiatives like these can help diversify and strengthen their workforce.”

The AP noted that the White House does not plan to eliminate degree requirements altogether. Instead, officials will stress skills in jobs where having a degree is deemed less important.

The federal government is the nation’s largest employer with an estimated 2.1 million civilian workers, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

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