The report also said several agencies commented that the
program has enabled them “to remain competitive with the
private sector in recruiting top notch employees.”
Others reported it has stirred interest during college
recruitment trips and helped them meet workforce diversity
goals.
A component agency at the Department of Defense reported
that the percentage of candidates accepting job offers in
offices using the program increased from 42 to 60 percent
in fiscal 2003, noting that eight out of its 20 hires
cited the loan program as the primary reason for taking the
job.
The Department of Justice said it placed a “highly-qualified”
clinical psychologist at a remote federal prison through
the program, which enabled it to compete with the higher
salaries other employers had offered.
One agency reported that the program helped lower the
attrition rate among recent college graduates, while others
said the program raised morale as measured through
unsolicited employee feedback.
The Department of State, as in years past, reported that is
used the program to retain employees in difficult to fill
positions, noting that it lost just three civil service
employees who were receiving benefits in the past two
years. The department uses the program for internal
recruitment of hard to fill foreign service posts,
said the report.
Most agencies said they delegate budgeting for the program
to component organizations–with some working “within a
manage-to-budget environment” based on agency funding.
Updated documents on the administration of the program can
be found at: opm.gov/ .
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