Just to share an encouraging anecdote: I was previously in a stat board for several years and at one period I told my supervisor I needed a temp staff to help me with my workload. He agreed and HR shortlisted a few candidates. The one who received the offer was in her early 20s, did comms in ITE and is currently doing part-time studies at Kaplan. Not to sound elitist but she turned out to be a better worker than expected (probably from her comms background which enhanced her writing and comprehension skills). After ~6 months of working, my supervisor decided to convert her to perm - equivalent to an executive assistant role - which of course she was more than willing to accept.

So I think the public service is open to qualifications other than your standard local degrees, just that you need to be given an opportunity to show your substance and be rewarded in kind.