EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
May 2, 2006

NEW SURVEY FINDS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS,
NOT LACK OF INTEREST, TO BE KEY BARRIER TO FEDERAL SERVICE

Report Lays Out Recommendations to Improve Federal Recruiting

Washington, D.C. – The federal government must do a better job of recruiting college students in order to attract the talent it needs to do the nation’s work well, according to a report released today by the Partnership for Public Service.

The report reveals that almost half (42 percent) of college students are “extremely or very interested” in working for the federal government, compared to 49 percent for large private sector companies and 40 percent for nonprofits. At the same time, very few (13 percent) are “extremely” or “very” knowledgeable about federal job opportunities. In order to convert that interest into actual applications the report finds that the federal government must do a better job of providing information to students about federal service opportunities.

The report, “Back to School: Rethinking Federal Recruiting on College Campuses” is based on a survey of more than 3,000 college juniors and seniors from 6 universities – Clark Atlanta University, The George Washington University, Louisiana State University, The Ohio State University, Stanford University and the University of New Mexico.

These findings come at a critical time for the federal government, which has been struggling to attract and retain talented employees as hundreds of thousands of “baby boomers” approach retirement. Of the 1.9 million people currently serving in the federal government, 44 percent will be eligible to retire by 2010 – including 60 percent of senior managers. While the country has invested heavily to understand how to attract the talent we need for our military, the federal government – our nation’s largest employer -- has invested little to understand how to attract quality civil servants, particularly among younger people.

“This report reveals that students are eager to learn more about federal job opportunities. It is up to the federal agencies to change their approach and to take the message to students in a way that resonates with them,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

“Young people have become an endangered species in our federal workforce, only 3 percent of the federal workforce is currently under 25,” continued Stier. “In order to fulfill the promise of American democracy, we need to reestablish the federal government as an employer of choice for our country’s talented young college graduates.”

The survey was commissioned by the Partnership which last year launched the Call to Serve Recruitment Initiative in a joint effort with the six pilot universities to raise awareness of public service opportunities and ultimately increase the number of young people who enter federal government service. The initiative is part of the Call to Serve program (www.calltoserve.org), a network created in 2002 by the Partnership and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to educate young Americans about government careers. The network currently consists of 572 colleges and universities and 62 federal agencies and several higher education associations.

Other key findings of the report:

• When asked what factors would make them want to work in the federal government, the most popular response was “working on interesting issues” (82 percent), followed closely by “good benefits” (77 percent) and “the opportunity to make a difference” (74 percent).
• When asked about the biggest reason not to work in government, the most common reply was “too much bureaucracy” (53 percent), followed by “don’t know what careers are available” (43 percent) and “salaries not high enough” (40 percent).
• Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of juniors and seniors believe the federal government has job opportunities for their particular skills and background. However, 54 percent of students indicated they do not feel knowledgeable about federal career and internship opportunities.

Based on the findings of this survey, the report makes the following recommendations for federal agencies:

• Commit to a sustained investment in on-campus recruitment, building sustainable relationships with faculty, academic advisors and career center professionals.
• Work cooperatively with other agencies to market federal jobs by profession allowing students to see the variety of opportunities in their area of interest.
• Teach BA’s, MA’s and PhD’s the ABC’s of federal service to overcome the information gap.
• Stress the opportunities to do good and do well by informing students of what federal jobs have to offer: interesting work, good benefits, and the unique ability to make a difference.
• Put a “face” on public service so students will see that there are people with similar talents, interests and backgrounds working in government.

The Partnership for Public Service and federal agencies participating in the Call to Serve Recruitment Initiative will use the information gleaned by this research to inform recruitment activities at college campuses across the country in years to come.

Visit www.ourpublicservice.org for a copy of the report.

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The survey, which was conducted by iModerate Research Technologies with consultation from KRC Research, was complemented by 200 one-on-one Web-based interviews with college juniors, seniors, and engineering graduate students and 83 one-on-one Web-based interviews with faculty at the six schools participating in the Call to Serve Recruitment Initiative. The Web-based interviews were conducted by iModerate, a specialist in Internet research and online one-on-one qualitative sessions for leading research organizations and Fortune 500 companies.

 

© 2007 Partnership for Public Service