In an open letter to employers published by RealClearEducation, Charles Koch Foundation Executive Director explains why throwing out degree requirements benefits both employers and the people they hire.
“From my daily conversations with business leaders and entrepreneurs around the country, I know it is hard to find and keep motivated talent,” Stowers says. “A future of work where more Americans have the chance to turn their dreams into reality will increase innovation, entrepreneurship, and the drive to contribute at work and in our communities.”
A shift in hiring culture will benefit workers as well, of course.
“Whether in medicine or manufacturing, self-actualization — the highest goal on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs — is something most people want from work,” Stowers writes. “And if what we do each day informs how good we feel when we go home, it follows that not helping more people live a life of purpose will lead to a host of social ills, from disengagement and depression to addiction.”
In addition to making the argument for change, Stowers offers employers a list of tools and partners like the American Opportunity Index, Catalyze, and Human Potential Capital, that can help them execute this new and better future of work.