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Pan-Organizational Summit on the U.S. Science and Engineering Workforce Meeting Summary (2003) / Chapter Skim
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Building a Federal Civil Service for the 21st Century: The Challenge of Attracting Great Talent to Government Service
Pages 156-160

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 156...
... Through an aggressive campaign of agency reform, legislative advocacy, focused research, and educational efforts, the Partnership encourages talented people to choose federal service for some or all of their careers and works with the government to help retain high-achieving federal employees. The mission of the Partnership is to help ensure that the federal government has the workforce it needs to meet the economic, social, and security demands of the 21st century.
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From page 157...
... director Sean O'Keefe who said earlier this year in testimony before the Congress, "In an agency where the expertise is not as deep as we would like it to be, even a few retirements can be critical. Everywhere I go across the NASA Centers, I hear the same story: we're only one deep; we can't afford to lose that skill." KEY FINDINGS ON RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION BARRIERS As it seeks to replace its most experienced employees, the federal government is entering a recruitment marketplace that even in today's economy is characterized by keen competition for top talent in most professions.
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From page 158...
... Many college-educated Americans know very little about the civil service or the varied work of federal employees. Only 29 percent of those the Partnership polled felt well informed about federal government opportunities; a mere 20 percent could recall seeing a federal recruiter on their campus.
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From page 159...
... The federal government converted only 12 percent of its career-oriented interns, while the private sector typically converts 36 percent of its program participants. We also found that, over the past five years, seven agencies account for approximately 70 percent of federal interns in the career-oriented program.
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From page 160...
... 3. Federal agencies should also make student employment programs part of their strategic workforce planning and use them as a critical tool for building the talent pool for future hires.
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Key Terms

  • federal employment
  • federal service
  • hiring process
  • federal hiring
  • top talent

  • varied work
  • recruitment opportunity
  • strong civil
  • internship opportunities
  • missed recruitment

  • federal employees
  • student employment
  • continuing education
  • sometimes impenetrable
  • future hires

  • retention bonus
  • critical tool
  • existing tools
  • federal offices
  • keen competition

  • employment opportunities
  • strategic workforce
  • research roundtable
  • talented people
  • government falls

  • federal work
  • security demands
  • pursue federal
  • funding scholarship
  • work environment


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