The new program is another tool to help agencies fulfill a priority in President Biden’s management agenda to improve federal agencies hiring capacity and speed, and to reduce barriers to joining the federal workforce. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
OPM announces a program to make it easier for ex-interns to get full-time federal work
A new feature within USAJOBS’ Agency Talent Portal will allow agencies to hire former interns from other agencies into term or permanent federal positions.
The Office of Personnel Management announced Wednesday that it has launched two new programs aimed at boosting agencies’ recruitment of federal interns into early career jobs.
Under the Biden administration, OPM has made a priority of improving how the federal government recruits young workers, and particularly in revitalizing federal internship programs, which had seen declining usage—and conversions from internship into full-time positions—over the last decade. The agency finalized regulations overhauling the Pathways Program, which includes provisions expanding eligibility for recent graduates to include non-collegiate post-secondary education and reducing the minimum number of work hours required of an intern to become eligible for a permanent job, last April.
In a memo to agency heads Wednesday, OPM’s associate director Veronica Hinton for workplace policy and innovation announced the creation of two new tools—the Pathways Intern Talent Program and the Recent Graduates Talent Program—that are now accessible to agencies through the USAJOBS platform. Similar to shared certifications, another recent hiring innovation allowing multiple agencies to hire from the same list of applicants deemed qualified for a particular job, these programs allow agencies to reach out to interns and recent graduates across government.
“The Pathways Intern Talent Program connects Pathways interns who meet program requirements for conversion to permanent or term employment in the civil service but are not able to be converted at their employing agency, with other federal agencies,” Hinton wrote. “The Recent Graduates Talent Program has the same purpose except it connects recent graduates with other federal agencies. These talent programs allow agencies to reach out to promising individuals eager to advance their federal careers.”
Hinton said the measures are another tool to help agencies fulfill a priority in President Biden’s management agenda to improve federal agencies hiring capacity and speed, and to reduce barriers to joining the federal workforce.
“They facilitate a way for agencies to effectively identify Pathways interns or recent graduates to provide them with the option to be considered for conversion at other agencies,” she wrote. “It also speeds time to hire for agencies that can fill vacancies non-competitively with Pathways interns or recent graduates who have already completed Pathways Program requirements and been found qualified.”
The Pathways Intern Talent Program officially went live within USAJOBS in March 2024, while the program covering recent graduates was implemented in July. OPM said it will conduct demonstrations of the new functionality to agency HR leaders in the near future.
“The goal for this ‘soft launch’ was to give agencies sufficient time to identify agency points of contact and inform hiring managers and HR practitioners on the appropriate use,” Hinton wrote. “Following the revised Pathways Program regulations roll out in April 2024, OPM is continuing to assist agencies with any questions or functionality or policy matters. We encourage agencies to consult with their designated USAJOBS Agency Talent Portal point of contact for agency-specific instructions before using talent programs.”