Interest in working for the federal government has soared among students under the new Presidential Management Fellows Program after experiencing a 21 percent increase in nominations of student applicants.
The Presidential Management Fellows Program replaced the Presidential Management Intern Program. This act, signed by President Bush on Nov. 21, 2003, also removed an annual hiring cap of 400 positions associated with the previous program, increased pay levels, expanded participation to excepted-service agencies (such as law enforcement and national security agencies), and created a Senior Fellows component.
Furthermore, in the new program’s second year, nominations of these applicants by university officials increased by 23 percent, with 3,073 students being nominated, compared to 2,503 in 2003. The finalists will be announced by Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James in the spring of 2005.
“Once again the proof is in the numbers,” stated James. “The interest in ‘Working for America’ clearly exists among the best and brightest talent in America. It is President Bush’s vision and my personal mission to streamline the federal hiring process to ensure that our fellow citizens have opportunities to serve their nation. The need to replace the previous Presidential Management Intern (PMI) Program was clear, and the increase in applications is a testament to the hard work of the new program’s participants and the excitement they have communicated about it.”
The program is designed to target outstanding individuals from a wide variety of academic disciplines who have an interest in, and commitment to, a career in the analysis and management of public policies and programs. Over 3,500 alumni of the previous program currently serve in all cabinet departments and more than 50 federal agencies.
