Workforce Convo Recap: Unlocking the Potential of STARs in Chicago’s Workforce
Organizations like Growing Home joined the April 9th Workforce Convo to uplift the voices of people who benefit from their career training programs, but need more bridges built to help them achieve their career goals. Growing Home has on-the-job training opportunities and is looking to start an Apprenticeship Program.
At CJC’s recent Workforce Convo, workforce development provider organizations gathered to address a pressing issue: the barriers faced by job seekers without formal degrees. These individuals, named STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) by Opportunity@Work (OAW), possess valuable skills but are often excluded from quality jobs due to degree requirements. Jalencia Wade from OAW guided us through an insightful presentation on systemic hiring practices impacting STARs and shared strategies for creating a more inclusive job market. All information provided about STARs in this discussion is drawn from OAW’s comprehensive research and reports.
The Scope of the STARs Population
In today’s job market, nearly half of Chicago’s workforce is STARs (45%), as presented by OAW, representing a diverse and talented pool of workers. Despite their capabilities, degree requirements often act as gatekeepers, excluding STARs from quality employment. Across Chicagoland, STARs are primarily Black and Hispanic workers, yet their representation in the workforce does not reflect this racial diversity. This exclusion perpetuates inequities and limits economic opportunities for 2.0 million STARS in Chicago.
The Economic Impact of Screening Out STARs
The consequences of degree requirements extend beyond individuals to the economy at large. According to Opportunity at Work’s research, 50% of all workers in the US are STARs. STARs are a massive talent pool, yet they are systematically underrepresented in stable, well-paying public sector roles, even though many of these jobs do not require a degree to succeed. For example, state and local governments struggle to fill critical positions but overlook STARs as a potential solution. This talent mismatch costs both STARs and employers, creating inefficiencies in the labor market.
Moreover, the wage gap between STARs and degree holders has widened over the past 30 years. While STARs earn less than their degreed counterparts throughout their careers, the disparity is particularly stark: by the time a STAR reaches 30 years of work experience, their earnings align only with what a 25-year-old with a bachelor’s degree earns. This generation of STARs is projected to fare worse economically than their parents, underscoring the urgency to remove barriers to their employment.
Addressing Common Barriers
Degree requirements remain a pervasive barrier, not because the work necessitates formal education, but because of outdated hiring practices. Employers and hiring managers often overestimate the percentage of the workforce holding degrees, contributing to misconceptions about the candidate pool. The reality is that STARs have the skills needed for many roles, but traditional measures of hiring fail to account for their qualifications.
Public sector jobs, once a stable and accessible path for workers, are now less attainable for STARs due to rigid degree requirements. However, initiatives in states across the country demonstrate that these barriers can be dismantled. Colorado, for instance, implemented skills-based hiring practices after Governor Polis issued a series of executive orders, calling for the removal of degree requirements and promoting work-based learning (WBL) and apprenticeships across government agencies. The results were transformative: the State of Colorado saw a 40% increase in STAR hires between January 2024 and January 2025, illustrating the potential of skills-based hiring to expand access and diversify the workforce.
Building a STAR-Inclusive Workforce in Chicago
At Chicago Jobs Council, we plan to do our part in breaking down barriers to employment by encouraging our members to take these next steps:
Engaging Local Leadership: Sharing STARs’ stories to build legislative and public support for skills-based hiring.
Promoting Skills-Based Practices: Encouraging employers to reassess job descriptions, define required skills, and train hiring managers to prioritize skills.
Creating Accountability: Setting measurable goals for agencies and providing resources to achieve them.
Expanding Work-Based Learning: Investing in apprenticeships and training programs that align with skills-based hiring initiatives.
Chicago Jobs Council will continue the conversation and invite our partners along in the advocacy work. This work will continue, and we will reconvene in July to discuss how we can continue to move Illinois in the right direction when it comes to tearing down this barrier.
A Vision for the Future
By prioritizing skills over degrees, Chicago can unlock the potential of STARs and create a more inclusive workforce system. Removing barriers for STARs is not just a moral imperative but an economic one, fostering growth and innovation across industries. Together, we can build a future where talent, not credentials, defines opportunity.
Stay tuned for updates as we continue this work. To learn more about the “Tear the Paper Ceiling” movement, visit tearthepaperceiling.org, and explore Opportunity@Work’s resources on the value of skills-based hiring. Don't miss the inspiring documentary Untapped on Netflix.
