Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill stops government agencies from requiring college degrees for people working on federal contracts. Instead of looking at a diploma, agencies would focus on whether a person has the actual skills and experience to do the job.
• This change affects millions of workers employed by private companies that do business with the government. It is designed to help people who have technical skills, military experience, or on-the-job training but might not have a four-year college degree.
• The goal is to open up more job opportunities and help the government find talented workers. Many skilled people are currently blocked from these jobs just because they do not have a specific degree, even if they are highly qualified for the work.
• Agencies can still require a degree if they can prove it is absolutely necessary. A hiring official would have to write a formal explanation showing why the job cannot be done without that specific education.
• If passed, these new rules would start about 15 months later. The government would also be required to create a guide to help managers switch to looking at skills instead of degrees when hiring for projects.