Engaging early-career talent is critical to building the next generation of public servants. To meet young professionals where they are, the Partnership for Public Service set out on its fourth Public Service Roadshow, the first to focus entirely on promoting careers in California state government.
Over the four-week tour, the team met over 300 students and advisors at 13 campuses across the Bay Area and Sacramento. We heard a familiar message: Students are enthusiastic about opportunities for meaningful work but do not always know how to get started or where to look.
The Public Service Roadshow helps bridge this gap by providing practical guidance and support. From career exploration to civil service exams and step-by-step advice on navigating California government applications, the team aimed to demystify pathways into state service.
What are students looking for?
Students consistently shared a strong desire to directly contribute to their communities, often pointing to service-oriented clubs and nonprofit work as the most accessible entry points.
Yet, questions about how to find opportunities, navigate civil service exams and how to properly prepare required application documents highlight the importance of advising resources.
Throughout the Roadshow, students also mentioned three reoccurring priorities:
- Mission connection and impact. Students want to know how their work would impact their communities.
- Salary and career progression. Students prioritize opportunities for growth and seek confirmation that public service careers offer stability.
- Exposure to opportunities across departments. To map their career journey, students need to know what career pathways exist at government agencies.
State agencies are in a good position to address these priorities and can do so directly on campus.
Through outreach, agencies can increase brand awareness and give students the tangible information they need to consider, prepare for and apply to a state government job. The result is increased confidence among applicants and a stronger pool of early-career talent.
Reaching students directly on campus starts with engaging career advisors. They can be strong force multipliers to educate students on entry-level pathways and drive engagement at on-campus events and career fairs. Developing these relationships is critical to building public service talent pipelines.
Campus visits also increase the visibility of career opportunities in state government. The Public Service Roadshow participates in career fairs, hosts student information sessions and engages directly in the classroom to encourage students to consider government careers—and these same methods are essential for agencies, too.
After visiting a total of over 100 campuses across 29 states in previous years, the Partnership’s first state-specific Roadshow was a success thanks to its existing network of career advisers, new campus hosts, strong collaboration with the California Government Operations Agency, and continued student interest in public service opportunities.
Spring 2026 Public Service Roadshow Visits
- Bay Area Community College Consortium
- Cañada College
- City College of San Francisco
- College of San Mateo
- Skyline College
- California State University – East Bay
- California State University – Sacramento
- Northeastern University – Oakland
- San Jose State University
- Santa Clara University
- Stanford University
- University of California, Berkeley – Goldman School of Public Policy
- University of California, Davis
- University of San Francisco
Looking to build your agency’s early-career talent pipeline? Learn more about the Partnership’s Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program and visit GoGovernment.org for additional resources.
Coming soon: GoGovernment.org resources for state of California careers! Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates.