In January, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shared its vision for building “exceptional” internship programs, releasing guidance on how federal agencies can increase opportunities for paid internships, fellowships, apprenticeships and other student and early career programs.
This month, OPM has taken what the agency expects to be a big step toward making those opportunities easier for would-be federal interns to find.
Along with the Department of Labor (DOL) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the OPM recently unveiled a new portal on USAJOBS for prospective federal interns. The Federal Internship Portal was conceived as “a one-stop shop for prospective interns to find opportunities and apply for internships in the federal government,” according to an OPM statement announcing the portal’s launch.
A given day sees an average of 23,000 federal work opportunities listed on USAJOBS, “a fraction of which are targeted at early-career applicants and college students and, thus, may be hard to find,” Federal Times’ Molly Weisner recently wrote.
Before the new site’s Feb. 16 introduction, users were able to filter jobs by experience level, “to help tease out programs specifically for students, paid and unpaid,” Weisner wrote, adding that the new site automatically aggregates internship postings in one place, “though it may not be an exhaustive list.”
While USAJOBS has served as the government’s digital “help wanted” board since the mid-1990s, the site has been criticized in the past for being “cumbersome to use and hard to reach, thereby throwing up roadblocks for young people to get hired into government,” Weisner noted.
OPM has made upgrades to the site over time, however, in an effort to assess and enhance the user experience, and “fortify [USAJOBS] as one section of the talent pipeline,” Weisner added. “The tool may help agencies make progress on their goals to recruit younger people into the federal government, which for several White House administrations has been a priority.”
Clearing a ‘Critical Pathway’
Bringing more young talent into the government tent has indeed been a focus of the Biden administration.
For example, the aforementioned OPM guidance states that, per the President’s fiscal year 2023 budget, federal agencies have committed to hiring more than 35,000 interns in the coming year.
In 2021, the OPM issued regulations designed to make it easier for agencies to hire college students and recent graduates. And, officials announced last year that, as of fall 2022, all White House internships would be paid, “as part of an administration-wide push to improve the recruitment of young federal workers,” Government Executive’s Erich Wagner wrote.
The new internship portal is just one of several initiatives the White House has undertaken in 2023, with more in the works, according to the OPM.
For instance, the organization recently hosted a virtual federal internship webinar for applicants to hear directly from a panel of former government interns and recent graduates from the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. Participants learned how to use the federal internship portal, submit applications through USAJOBS and find answers to frequently asked questions.
OPM describes the new federal internship portal as the latest tools the organization is deploying to expand opportunities for early career professionals, and to give federal agencies more avenues to recruit talent.
“Federal internships offer a critical pathway into government and public service. No matter what your interests are, the federal government offers opportunities in nearly every sector and every industry, from conservation, to housing policy, cybersecurity, and healthcare,” said OPM Director Kiran Ahuja, in a statement.
“Hundreds of internships are already posted with more opportunities going live every week. A federal internship is a great way to start your career in public service and make an impact in your community.”
27 February 2023
Category
HR News Article