Tech Force set out to hire 1,000 technologists last year - it's onboarded 10 so far

The Trump administration launched the U.S. Tech Force to recruit early-career software and data engineers after large technology job reductions. The program aimed to hire a 1,000-person cohort quickly, potentially by late March, and is managed centrally by the Office of Personnel Management with placements across federal agencies. OPM partners with about 40 companies, including Amazon Web Services and Nvidia, to train hires and to provide managers who take leave from private sector roles to work for the government. Only 10 new hires have been onboarded so far, while overall hiring totals 180 to 200. Justice Department guidance in March allows deferred compensation to continue for participating managers, raising ethics concerns. The program targets 300 to 500 fellows by the end of summer, but hiring and onboarding are delayed by federal hiring processes.

"The goal of that new effort, called the U.S. Tech Force, was to hire a 1,000-strong cohort - potentially as soon as the end of March, Scott Kupor, the head of the Office of Personnel Management, said in December. So far, the program has onboarded only 10 new hires, Tech Force Director Kevin Hennecken said during a Thursday event held by the Alliance for Digital Innovation trade association. Overall, the program has made 180 to 200 hires."

"OPM is managing the program centrally, working with agencies across the federal government to place fellows into two-year stints. OPM is also partnering with about 40 companies, like Amazon Web Services and Nvidia, to train the new hires, as well as provide managers from within their own ranks to take a leave of absence to work for the government. Onboarding these new managers has also lagged. Three or four managers are in the process of onboarding now, said Kupor."

"The Justice Department issued a memo in March blessing OPM's plan to allow those private sector managers to keep their deferred compensation packages while working for the government - a setup that's made ethics experts nervous. "It's always going to be slower than we would have wanted, but I don't think we're discouraged by that at all," said Hennecken, who said that the goal is to hire 300 to 500 fellows by the end of the summer. "I think it just takes time to build a program.""

Read at Nextgov.com