An article from Dive Brief California to launch ‘career passports’ to encourage job access

The program, part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s broader push to establish high-paying career paths, also seeks to reduce employer reliance on four-year college degrees when hiring.

Published April 9, 2025 Kathryn Moody Senior Editor

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom touts his Master Plan for Career Education on Dec. 16, 2024, at Shasta College in Redding, Calif. Newsom expanded on the plan in an announcement made April 2, 2025. Retrieved from The Officer of the Governor of California.

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Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief:

• In an effort to expand access to jobs and reduce employer reliance on degrees for hiring, California will launch “career passports,” a tool that will combine academic records and “verified experience from work, military service, training programs, and more,” Gov. Gavin Newsom announced April 2.
• California will also invest in expanding the Credit for Prior Learning program that allows workers to turn their experience into college credit. Additionally, the state intends to build stronger state and regional coordination through paid internships, streamlined funding and employer input upon which skills are needed, among other strategies.
• The proposals are all part of a broader “master plan” to improve career pathways in the state, the announcement said.

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California is among a group of states focused on strengthening access to jobs by cutting degree requirements, particularly for state jobs. The state removed certain educational requirements from almost 30,000 state jobs in December.

“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 at the time.

The master plan signals that the governor intends to work with the state legislature to create a coordinating body formed of the state’s education arms, workforce training providers and employers — and also heavily features access to university education.

However, the plan outlines ways to potentially strengthen workforce training programs in the state. “A service delivery network of job centers, community colleges, adult schools, extension centers, libraries, county jails, state prisons, and community-based organizations can create an affordable ‘no wrong door’ approach to education and workforce training opportunities,” the report reads.

The plan also calls for the state to improve awareness and access around state benefits that can ease barriers to education, including streamlining “the eligibility process for public benefits and leveraging federal workforce dollars” to support adult learners in paying for college.

Upskilling is top of mind for employers right now, reports have shown, especially as the job market slows amid policy uncertainty.

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