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A federal program launched this week to recruit technologists from undergraduate programs, apprenticeships, boot camps, and certificate programs.
Software engineers, data scientists, and technologists will build the U.S. Digital Corps and improve people-facing services in the government. Top skillsets include cybersecurity, design, and information technology (IT).
"Looking to start your tech career in government? asked the corps on Twitter. "We are a government program for early-career technologists to launch impactful careers in public service."
The U.S. Digital Corps is a collaboration between the General Services Administration (GSA), the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
“The federal government has so many important and exciting problems to solve — in science, in technology, in digital innovation — that affect the daily lives of millions of people across America," said Dr. Eric Lander, the President’s Science Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "I’m thrilled to see the creation of the U.S. Digital Corps as a way to give early-career people from all backgrounds the opportunity to serve the country, make a difference, and be a part of something bigger than themselves.”
This fall, 30 fellows are expected to begin work. Initial host agencies include the GSA, Veterans Affairs, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“The U.S. Digital Corps is a forward-looking solution that will build a deep bench for technology modernization and digital transformation across the federal government and meet the Biden Administration’s goals of advancing federal IT and cybersecurity,” said Clare Martorana, in a statement. Martorana is the federal chief information officer in the White House Office of Management and Budget.
GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said the Digital Corps fellowship offers technologists just starting out in their career the opportunity to work on some of the most pressing challenges and develop innovative solutions that make government work better for the American people.
The corps will complement existing fellowships, including the Presidential Innovation Fellows, Presidential Management Fellows, and the U.S. Digital Service. It will be located within GSA’s Technology Transformation Services. Applications for the first cohort of U.S. Digital Corps fellows will open this fall. More information is available at digitalcorps.gsa.gov.