Penguin Random House the international publishers have announced that job applicants will no longer need a university degree for career consideration.
According to this article noted that UK and International Human Resources Director Neil Morrison said they want talented staff "regardless of background.
"We believe this is critical to our future — to publish the best books that appeal to readers everywhere, we need to have people from different backgrounds with different perspectives and a workforce that truly reflects today's society."
"Simply, if you're talented and you have potential, we want to hear from you."
Likewise, the UK office of Ernst & Young also changed its recruitment requirements last year, announcing job applicants would not need to meet baseline grade averages. Instead, the company use its own numerical tests and "strength" assessments to judge candidates.
The accountancy firm also removed all academic and education details from its application process.
Accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK also decided to stop using A-levels grades as a threshold for selecting graduate recruits. Richard Irwin, PwC's head of student recruitment, said: "We want to target bright, talented people and extend our career opportunities to untapped talent in wider pockets of society.
The root causations
There appears to be several social considerations that these new developments have come to the fore.
Social media: Such has been the influence of social media where a huge percentage of contributors are non-tertiary educated, the question has become whether such talented people might serve the corporate world.
Internet: The power of information through all forms of the Internet has become so persuasive that perspectives have been provided what university discussion once exhibited. Young people would come together from all over the country to attend university with a plethora of ideas, now that is a given through the internet.
E-Books and Blogs: the number of E-Books and Blogs in the market place of ideas today is it any wonder that their success and readership illustrates there are many talented and highly gifted people out there who have not been to university.
Fresh paradigms: all of this represents fresh paradigms in the big wide world out there. Still today many of the world's top CEO and billionaire business people have never had a university degree but had bundles of initiative and intuition. A friend of mine who was in television tells the story of the station owner who notified everyone this and that would be undertaken (in spite of all the smart money evidence against). He made billions.
Constriction: there is a view gaining momentum that a university degree has a strong predilection against recognising lateral doors and veiled opportunities.
Gospel applications
A cursory read of the New Testament will quickly reveal the disciples occupations on the most part were not what one might refer to as the society's cream of the crop. There were very different reasons they were selected by Jesus. He saw something else.
Following in such footsteps, so too missionaries down through the centuries serving the Lord to the four quarters of the earth.
The application form for Christian service has three primary question, one relates to 'availability', another to 'passion for the Gospel' and the third 'not adverse to risk'.
There is similar sentiment with this new direction for these companies – they want people who are keen as, a passion to deliver and the company itself accepts there might be risk. Great combination for Gospel applicants too!
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html