No college degree? No worries. Newsom unveils plan for well-paying jobs without one

Aiming to narrow the state’s economic divide, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday unveiled a blueprint to create more well-paying careers for Californians, especially those who don’t have a college degree.

As more people question the value of higher education, unsure whether the economic payoff is worth rising college costs, Newsom wants to streamline and coordinate state and regional efforts to prepare students and workers for high-demand jobs with more hands-on learning, job-related skills and wider access to affordable education.

“Every Californian deserves the opportunity to build real-life skills and pursue a fulfilling career — including those that don’t require college degrees,” Newsom said in a statement. “California is working to ensure that every person has what they need to get a well-paying, long-lasting job so we can build an economy for the future that supports all families.”

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Newsom presented his plan at Shasta College in Redding, a Northern California city whose 93,000 residents, on average, have lower incomes and educational achievement than the statewide average. About one-quarter of Redding residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 37.5% statewide. The median household income is about $69,000 annually, compared with $96,000 statewide.

Key elements of the blueprint, called the California Master Plan for Career Education, include:

• A new “career passport” is envisioned as a digital tool with academic transcripts, verified skills and credentials earned outside the classroom — in the military, for instance — to help workers showcase their abilities to potential employers.
• A statewide collaborative of educators, job-training providers and employers would evaluate economic trends and workforce needs, aligning curriculum and funding to meet the demand for skills. Newsom’s office has targeted healthcare, climate, education and technology as some of the hottest areas of labor demand.
• High schools and colleges would offer more work-based learning, including internships and apprenticeships, career exploration and stronger counseling. The plan encourages more opportunities for high school students to take college classes to acquire skills sought by employers.
• Wider access to workforce training and education would be encouraged, especially for people with disabilities, English language learners, youths who are neither working nor attending school and those whose parents did not attend college.
  

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Newsom also announced plans Monday to double the number of state jobs that will no longer require a college degree or other specific educational requirements, to about 62,000 next year from nearly 30,000 currently. The jobs include some research, analyst and informational technology positions. A high school degree will no longer be required for custodians. Some state investigator positions will allow more areas of study or experience, such as military service, to count as qualifications.

In addition, Newsom proposed an initiative to help 30,000 military veterans turn their service experience into college credit. The effort, which would be led by faculty, would begin with California community colleges.

The final plan will be presented early next year, with funding commitments included in the upcoming state budget proposal in January. At least $100 million would be provided to develop the career passports, a statewide system to help veterans receive college credit for work experience and other career programs.

Initiatives to expand college and career education have drawn bipartisan support. State Assemblymember Heather Hadwick (R-Grass Valley) appeared with Newsom on Monday, expressing excitement for more opportunities for youths in her rural district — some areas so remote that the nearest Costco is a three-hour drive away, she said.

EdTrust-West, a nonprofit that promotes racial equity and diversity in education, also applauded Newsom’s plan. “We are especially pleased to hear mention of credit for prior learning, e-transcript, and continuing to remove financial barriers to college and career training in his vision,” Christopher J. Nellum, the nonprofit’s executive director, said in a statement.

The master plan builds on Newsom’s other college and career programs he began rolling out in 2021. They include the establishment of 13 regional collaboratives of K-12 districts, the state’s three public higher education systems and local employers. The plan calls for collaboration to create accelerated degree and credential programs featuring work-based learning in such areas as education and healthcare.

“This is around recognizing that we needed to create a framework where you can get the benefit of a life well-lived, that...doesn’t include some fancy degree,” Newsom said of the master plan. “Everybody is included in this agenda, and I don’t want people to feel like they’re not.”

The master plan recognizes that college degrees still provide a valuable path for financial stability. It noted that households with at least one college graduate earn 33% more today than similar households did in 1980, indicating that the value of a four-year college degree has grown over time. In contrast, households with a high school graduate earn 8% less today compared with those in 1980, reflecting diminishing returns of a diploma. Research has shown that those with bachelor’s degrees are more likely to be employed and earn $1.2 million more over a lifetime than those with a high school diploma.

The HEA Group, a research and consulting firm focused on college access, value and economic mobility, has produced guides to top-value college majors that yield high pay with low debt along with the most lucrative degrees.

But, the plan says, California must find ways to help those without college degrees thrive — many of whom may want to pursue college but can’t afford it given the state’s high cost of living and complexities of accessing public assistance. California has one of the largest economic divides in the nation, the plan said, with the top 10% of California earners making an average of $300,000 annually compared with the bottom 10% at $29,000 annually.

“The economic divide underscores the imperative for a more coherent career education infrastructure,” the plan says. “Degree attainment cannot be the only pathway to stable, well-paid work. Even though individuals with bachelor’s degrees earn significantly more over their lifetimes than those without, degrees are not a panacea, particularly in the absence of practical experience and social capital.”