Philadelphia vocational school grads now get an edge on civil service exam

As a significant chunk of Philadelphia’s municipal jobs sit vacant, some city leaders are hoping a new form of extra credit for certain public high school graduates will get local young people interested in civil service.

Starting this month, recent graduates of Philadelphia public schools’ career and technical education programs get an extra five points on most Philadelphia civil service exams, which are a step in the hiring process for some city jobs.

The new advantage took effect May 1, after voters approved it in a ballot question last year. Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson — who won a Democratic nomination for City Council at-large this week, making her likely to keep her seat in November’s general election — championed the legislation, arguing that it would help the city recruit workers.

Any applicant who has graduated from a Philadelphia CTE program within the last three years will get the points added to their score on the civil service exam relevant to a position they’re seeking. When a civil service position has more applicants than openings, those scores are used to rank the candidates.

“If you’re number one on the list, then obviously you’re going to be called for an interview, and if you’re number 10, you may not be called,” Gilmore Richardson said.

There’s precedent in Philadelphia for giving preference to certain civil service applicants. Veterans get a 10-point boost on their scores, as do children of Philadelphia firefighters or police officers who died in the line of duty. (Some opponents of the new rule were concerned that it would dilute the advantage for those groups.)

The direct impact of the CTE advantage on Philadelphia’s workforce may be slim — the majority of city jobs don’t require a civil service exam, though there may be other kinds of assessments used, and many civil service jobs require post-high school education. But supporters of the new rule say it will help raise awareness of the opportunities in city government and how to apply for them.

Students “know that there are jobs available, the city has jobs. But they have never really been informed of how you get those jobs,” said Michelle Armstrong, executive director of CTE for the School District of Philadelphia.

Armstrong said the five-point preference is a way for the school district to support its graduates, so they have an advantage in the job hunt. And it will make them more likely to consider the city as an employer, whether the job they ultimately get is a civil service position or not.

When Gilmore Richardson was growing up, she recalled in an interview, “if you had a city job, it was a big deal.” They promised a pension, other “great benefits” and opportunities to move up, she said.

“But I think the perception has changed over the years,” Gilmore Richardson said, noting that roughly one in five city jobs are vacant. “And I think it’s tools like this that will help us to encourage more young people to apply for civil service jobs.”

Many of the open jobs in Philadelphia government right now don’t require a civil service exam. While these positions may involve some form of written assessment during the hiring process, civil service hiring has “increased formality and structure,” said Michael Zaccagni, the city’s human resources director.

As of May 18, Philadelphia’s jobs portal had 145 positions listed, and 20 were civil service jobs. Whether a job is designated as civil service depends on the nature of the position, specific job requirements and the department, Zaccagni said.

Civil service jobs available now range from window washer and crossing guard, to positions like accountant, engineer or analyst that require a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree in some instances.

These job listings explain, in addition to the basic qualifications, how the applicant’s civil service exam score is awarded — some involve a multiple-choice exam, oral exam or performance of the job duties, while others simply give each applicant a score based on their prior training and years of experience.

A little less than half of the current civil service listings have a written exam, and those typically get 70 or fewer candidates, according to Zaccagni. Some positions with written tests get hundreds of applicants, he said, such as library assistant.

Gilmore Richardson and several other Council members are also on a Special Committee on Retention and Recruitment of Municipal Workers, formed by a City Council resolution last year. The committee recently made further recommendations to address the city’s worker shortage, including a pay study, expanding parental leave, and bringing in a marketing firm to help promote the city as an employer.

“We have so many employees who are eligible for retirement over the next five years,” Gilmore Richardson said. “We really need something to help us encourage young people and those who may want to reskill and upskill to get into civil service.”