Change : By Degrees

If you work in HR and recruitment you’d be hard pressed not to have seen the news this week, in which publisher Penguin Random House (PRH) has confirmed that job applicants will no longer be required to have a university degree. PRH aren’t the first big firm to confirm this small and significant change in policy, but building on the success of their ‘The Scheme’ project, this feels like the first time the idea is getting mainstream exposure beyond the sometimes inward looking world of HR. Good stuff.

So what?

Lowering barriers to entry where it’s practical to do so is an important thing. I know because I don’t have a degree – I fell through the cracks of the formal education system in my late teens and and when Mum died shortly before I turned 19, I really lost any motivation to learn for a while. I subsequently struggled at times because people judged me on the length of the list of my qualifications. It’s an easy thing to measure.

I was also aware of this during my 12.5 years at BT – people using ‘you haven’t got a degree’ as a reason for not offering a job in my direction, despite the fact that I never did a job in BT which required one! I persisted and worked hard and eventually got to, and probably beyond where I wanted to. Yet too much effort was expended by me on navigating this ‘you haven’t got a degree’ barrier – when what I should have been doing, was the work itself. I hope that makes sense!

I’m fortunate. Along the way I rediscovered my love for learning and also my love for applying it too. I invest heavily in my own learning and development, I don’t regret not studying for a degree, and it’s good to see that finally – more people are getting to grips with the fact that not every role requires one. This is positive news, and I believe that what this small step does is afford these organisations which are willing to broaden their horizons, even more wonderful choices in future. It will be interesting to look back in a few years time and see what changes in the demographics of work emerge and stick as a result of this growing change in practice.

Author: Doug Shaw

Artist and Consultant. Embracing uncertainty, sketching myself into existence. Helping people do things differently, through an artistic lens.

5 thoughts on “Change : By Degrees”

  1. Doug

    This is one of the most open, honest, truthful and insightful statements that I’ve ever read from someone involved in the world of HR. Like yourself, even though I’d attended the same school as a former British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, at 16 I found myself completely disaffected by the whole formal education system and I entered the world of engineering via a then five year apprenticeship, gaining qualifications along the way.

    But most of all I read, read and read again to increase my knowledge of this mad, bad world. I know that I’ll be accused of being an old curmudgeon, but from what experience I’ve had some people with degrees are simply some of the most blinkered, unimaginative people I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet and work alongside, although that said they did have letters after their names, don’t ‘cha know!!.

    The old maxim of “If you can do the job, your good enough” still rings true in my world! Intelligence isn’t measured by letters after a name.

    Well said young Douglas!

    1. Grammar School education be damned! That should read “If you can do the job, you’re good enough” aaah the curse of the misplaced apostrophe! A curse I tell’s ye!!

      1. Heh heh – lovely to hear from you thanks – you old curmudgeon you…and what’s an apostrophe between friends? 😉

  2. Thanks for sharing this Doug. I remember recognizing feeling lucky to have attended a grammar school when my situation suggested the local (and, candidly, not as good) comprehensive was to be my lot. Then, I became a solicitor but did it the Institute of Legal Executive route, rather like an old school apprenticeship in some regards. And now I’m not even a lawyer, but embarked on a different career, with much of what I know self-taught or, more precisely, a blend of self-driven learning, experience and mentoring. There are so many twists and turns, ups and downs in life that requiring a degree now is often a smoke screen for many organizations’ tolerance of the status quo or intransigence when innovative approaches to talent is needed.

    1. ‘…with much of what I know self-taught or, more precisely, a blend of self-driven learning, experience and mentoring. There are so many twists and turns, ups and downs in life that requiring a degree now is often a smoke screen for many organizations’ tolerance of the status quo or intransigence when innovative approaches to talent is needed.’

      Beautifully put Stuart, thanks for coming by and adding to the mix.

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