The Partnership for Public Service has launched an education campaign to recruit college graduates into public service. Called "making the difference," the campaign kicked off at hundreds of colleges and universities and is based on the partnership’s two-year experience with OPM through their joint "call to serve" recruitment initiative.
The call to serve effort identified cost-effective and sustainable ways to promote federal service on campus, such as email, which students have responded well to, PPS said.
It has also released a report outlining what Congress, agencies and campuses can do to better recruit students.
According to the report, the more students know about federal service, the greater their interest — 60 percent of students said the more they learn about federal opportunities the more interested they are.
Campus visits have a strong impact on students, which PPS called an "invaluable tool for driving action."
However, the report called for a greater effort to streamline the federal application process, needed to capitalize on increased interest before turning away graduates.
The campaign, launched with 600 schools, includes a website – makingthedifference.org — with an interactive internship directory, as well as monthly job and internship listings, and workshops for students and university career services staff, PPS said.
The partnership has also recently launched a speakers bureau with a grant from the Annenberg Foundation to hold talks with students on campus about federal careers.
These efforts complement financial incentives for graduates to take federal jobs including $10,000 per year in student loan repayments, up to a $60,000 total, in exchange for three-year service commitment.
The recently enacted College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 forgives balances due on direct student loans by borrowers who have been full-time public service professionals while paying off their loan balances for 10 years, although the clock only started running this month.
