A bachelor’s degree in a technical field is undeniably a legitimate pathway to an IT career. But industry and government are increasingly recognizing it’s only one of many.
Alka Bhave of Fearless Solutions LLC called White House guidance from the Office of Personnel Management a strong step forward, as it relaxes degree requirements for major federal IT contracts and supports a broader shift toward merit-based hiring.
Bhave also serves as ACT-IAC industry vice chair on the Talent Community of Interest and on the board of advisors for the new Northern Virginia Science Center. She said the OPM guidance and Merit Plan released in May 2025 lays out a government-wide hiring plan instructing agencies to hire more quickly, focus on early career and STEM talent, and relax rigid requirements for degrees.
“This is exciting news to me personally, as I have passionately advocated for increasing a STEM talent workforce in the United States,” she said. “I have also advocated for merit-based hiring that accounted for skills gained through industry certifications, hands-on experience and other factors as part of a holistic look at a population pool — not basing qualifications solely on degrees.”
The Pinnacle of Achievement
In 2019, Bhave received a WashingtonExec STEM Advocate Pinnacle Award for her efforts to build a qualified talent pipeline, particularly through K-12 advocacy.
Bhave worked heavily with Loudoun County and Fairfax County schools creating partnerships between local industry and the school systems. In addition to Thomas Jefferson High School and the Academies of Loudoun that are well-known for their STEM focus, Bhave worked with other organizations to establish or strengthen their STEM programs. She also worked with the Loudoun County Business-Industry Partnership to bring schools and companies together.
“When I was working with those schools in 2018 and 2019, there were examples where students went directly from high school into industry roles,” she said. “Since that time, I’ve worked for employers that brought skilled high school interns into entry-level technical roles because of their readiness and depth of skill. With proper guidance and support, this talent group can thrive and build meaningful experience. For industry and government, this expands the talent pipeline. It’s a win-win.”
Bhave has 27 years of experience in GovCon, beginning as an engineer at Lockheed Martin and rising through the ranks across a range of organizations — from large and small firms to nonprofits, private equity-backed companies, and privately owned enterprises.
Her experience includes serving as vice president at Perspecta and Peraton, and as chief operations officer at Riverside Research for two years. For the past two years, Bhave has been president at Fearless Solutions, a digital services integrator.
Developing the STEM Pipeline
Bhave’s passion for fostering interest in STEM and developing talent remains strong. Shaping a desire for STEM education starts early, she said.
The OPM guidance reaffirms the importance of early career STEM development and broadens the pathways into the workforce, recognizing that not everyone must complete a 4-year degree.
“It is really opening up the aperture to where we get our STEM talent from,” she said.
Bhave continues to emphasize the need to create a STEM workforce in the U.S. to propel technological advancement. The OPM Merit Hiring Plan states its focus on a strong talent pipeline of students, recent graduates and other early career talent.
“Going forward, the collaboration between technology and delivery executives and people operations in both industry and government will have to accelerate to ensure proper pathways are created to hire early career STEM talent and nurture their development and careers,” she said.
Baltimore-based Fearless uses objective, skill-based assessments in hiring and actively recruits veterans through programs like Hiring Our Heroes. The company also partners with local schools, universities and nonprofits to find early career talent in the Baltimore area.
“This is a really great time for industry to tighten up any current relationships and build upon what they may have with colleges, community colleges and high schools,” she said.
What’s Next
Bhave’s role at ACT-IAC involves working with industry and government counterparts to strengthen the talent pipeline through governance guidance, best practices, and thought leadership about talent supporting the nation’s most critical challenges.
This need extends beyond government to the contractors supporting critical missions and adapting to fast-moving technological threats.
“It’s merit-based hiring, focusing on skills and competence,” she said. “It’s prioritizing recruitment from high schools and trade schools and community colleges. It’s creating pathways for veterans. It’s reducing the cycle time for hiring timelines.”
And if the skills aren’t there yet? There’s likely to be a shift in development of those skills at earlier levels, she said.
“That’s where K-12 fostering and nurturing of the desire and interest of that skill set begins,” Bhave said. “I expect to see partnerships between industry, academia and government to drive programs that will teach and educate students earlier, especially at the high school level, to encourage coding and other skill development to support AI, cybersecurity and other technology areas.”