Are we prioritising skills over degrees?

For decades, a university degree was seen as the golden ticket to a successful career. But recent years have seen a growing shift. Employers are now placing more weight on specific skills than formal qualifications. In sectors like tech, green energy, and digital services, the demand for hands-on expertise is outpacing the value of traditional credentials.

A study analysing over 11 million UK job postings found that from 2018 to 2024, mentions of degree requirements in AI and sustainability roles dropped by 15%, while demand for particular technical skills rose sharply. Employers are adopting “skill-based hiring” to widen talent pools and respond to acute talent shortages.

In the UK, the structural backdrop supports the shift. The government’s “Assessment of Priority Skills to 2030” framework emphasises the need for adaptable, job-ready skills across key sectors — not just degree holders. Meanwhile, data from ONS and other bodies highlight ongoing qualification mismatches: many workers hold qualifications higher than what their job demands. 

What this means for businesses

1. Larger candidate pools
   By removing strict degree filters, you open up to talented individuals who learned via on-the-job experience. That’s especially useful in competitive roles where degrees alone don’t guarantee competence.
   
   
2. Faster hiring and better agility
   Skills-based approaches let you prioritise what matters, what the person can do instead of what they studied. That reduces assessment waste, shortens hiring cycles, and helps align candidates to real role needs.
   
   
3. Diverse and resilient teams
   Emphasising skills over credentials helps reduce bias toward formal education, and brings in candidates from varied backgrounds. This diversity strengthens innovation, retention, and problem-solving.
   
   
4. Better ROI on learning investments
   You can hire for potential and then train for gaps. Skills-based hiring encourages continuous learning and helps tie employee development more directly to role outcomes.

Looking ahead - how to make it work for you

• Revise your job specs to emphasise required skills and outcomes
• Promote internal training and clear development pathways for talent you bring in
• Celebrate non-traditional success stories internally and externally 

So here we are, in a world where technology, roles, and business models shift rapidly, it seems that just maybe, what you can do matters more than what you studied. Leaning into this shift means better hires, fairer opportunity, and stronger futures.

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