SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom Dec. 16 unveiled the final framework for the master plan for career education to strengthen career pathways, prioritize hands-on learning and real-life skills, and advance educational access and affordability. The master Ppan will be supported by funding in the upcoming state budget.
The master plan for career education recognizes the need for a more coherent skill-building infrastructure that is forward-looking, accessible and aligned with California’s diverse workforce needs. The framework paves the way to help ensure that all Californians can navigate toward career-sustaining jobs with the tools necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
This framework will be followed by the final master plan for career education, which will be published early in the new year.
Career Passports
As part of the master plan, the state will establish career passports to help workers showcase their skills and experiences to potential employers. This tool is designed to make it easier for people, especially those without a four-year degree, to prove their qualifications and access good jobs.
The digital tool will combine traditional academic records, like college transcripts, with verified skills and credentials earned outside the classroom, such as military service, job training, or volunteer work. The concept, also known as a Learning and Employment Record or LER, provides a mechanism for workers to demonstrate knowledge and skills already learned. Employers will be able to use the career passport to see a clear, validated record of a person’s abilities, helping to shift hiring practices toward valuing skills over just degrees.
This builds on and supports the Governor’s efforts to create pathways to sustainable, well-paying careers across diverse sectors through earn and learn apprenticeships. Since 2019, over 190,000 Californians have completed state-registered apprenticeship programs, helping put the state on track to meet the Governor’s goal of serving 500,000 earn and learn apprentices by 2029.
By recognizing prior learning, California is also closing workforce gaps, advancing opportunity, supporting veterans, and strengthening the economy.
College credit for veterans and workers
As part of a $100 million budget investment to implement key components of the master plan, including a career passport, Gov. Newsom is proposing scaling the state’s credit for prior learning or CPL effort to make it easier for Californians — especially veterans and military members — to turn their real-world experience into college credit.
The economic impact of this investment would be immediate and substantial — veterans would receive an estimated average of $26,115 in immediate savings and $161,115 in lifetime benefits, translating to $3.7 billion in preserved educational funds and $28.8 billion in long-term economic benefits over 20 years, while also closing equity gaps.
While some colleges already award credit for prior experience, this new effort aims to create a statewide system so more people can benefit. The goal is to help Californians translate their skills and knowledge into real progress toward a degree or career. The budget investment is expected to benefit 250,000 Californians, including 30,000 veterans.
New coordinating effort & strengthened local coordination
Today’s framework also calls for the creation of a new statewide planning and coordinating collaborative to connect California’s education systems, workforce training providers, and employers while also strengthening regional partnerships. This body would evaluate economic changes and workforce needs, coordinate efforts to maximize funding and programs, and develop strategies to prepare students and workers for high-demand careers.
Removing barriers to state employment
Today, in line with his Freedom to Succeed Executive Order, the Governor also announced the state has now removed college degrees or other certain educational requirements for nearly 30,000 state jobs and a new goal to double that number next year.
The California Human Resources Department or CalHR evaluates whether a college degree or other educational requirements are truly necessary for a position. The administration is proposing further simplifying civil service jobs by consolidating about 70 job classifications, modernizing descriptions, and removing restrictive qualifications. This effort is part of the Newsom administration’s work to modernize state government and improve the hiring process by removing unnecessary barriers to public service jobs. The proposal for an additional roughly 32,000 positions statewide, is currently being negotiated with employee unions and will be submitted for approval in 2025.
