Springfield subcommittee weighs skills-based hiring ordinance to reduce degree barriers

Councilor Jose Delgado presented a draft skills-based hiring ordinance at a General Government subcommittee meeting of Springfield City, urging the city to evaluate candidates on skills and relevant experience instead of using bachelor's-degree requirements to screen applicants.

Delgado said the proposal was modeled on a Commonwealth of Massachusetts executive order that encourages skills-based hiring at the state level and in other employers. He said the measure is intended to expand access for residents and historically underrepresented groups who may lack college degrees but have relevant workplace training or certificates.

Human resources director Bill Mahoney and HR staff told the committee the city already uses experience substitutions in many job classes but flagged operational and legal limits for a local ordinance. Mahoney said the municipal workforce (excluding schools) numbers about 1,548 employees across roughly 573 job classifications and that roughly 237 classifications include a degree requirement.…