Innovation fellowship programs need to do more to ensure that graduates stay on in government jobs after their “assignments” end, a new report finds.
Researcher Sarah Schacht's report used data she collected during her time at the Beek Center for Social Impact Innovation to review three programs aimed at engaging workers in public-good technology and innovation: Code for America (reviewed from 2011 to 2019), Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) (2012 to 2019), and Fuse Corps (2015 to 2019).
These early programs created early indications of demand and pathways for engineers to work in the public sector.
Overall, the report found that only 17 percent of fellows studied (76 out of 438) continued to work two government jobs after their fellowship ended.
Presidential Innovation Fellows had an unemployment rate of 20 percent, slightly higher than Fuse (17 percent) and Code for America (16 percent). PIF also had the lowest unemployment rate.
Code for America had a higher percentage of fellows who went on to work in the private sector, Fuse Corps ended up with the most jobs after the fellowship, and Fuse Corps also seemed to have a higher percentage of government consultants who became fellows and continued to consult during and after the fellowship.
Approximately 20% of fellows became government vendors within two years.
The survey was collected using self-reported data, LinkedIn, public resume websites and other sources. The government does not track this data.
The report also noted that “a shockingly large number of former fellows could not be tracked online within a year of their fellowship ending.”
The technical program is modeled after Teach for America and is a so-called “assignment period” program in which participants serve short-term assignments, usually one or two years.
Why fellows don't stay
As for why fellows don't stay in government, the report offers several theories.
· Marketing – The program is marketed as an “assignment tour” so participants are likely to use it as a career break or career transition rather than a long-term move.
· Timing – Fellows who want to stay in government start their job search too late, not realizing that they need to start the process about 6-8 months before their fellowship ends.
· Technology – Fellows can use the program to leverage open source code to start their own businesses and become federal government vendors.
· Superhero Mentality – Government work is exhausting, frustrating and emotionally draining, and searching for the best and brightest people to fill it can be just as exhausting.
The report concludes that further research is needed on the topic, particularly as the government works to expand the tech workforce. As the government embarks on a major effort to recruit staff with key skills and experience from a range of sources, including fellowships, it will be important to evaluate the impact of fellowship programmes.
The report also issued the following recommendations:
A cool-off period before the Fellow becomes a government vendor
· Ensure that programs meet racial and socioeconomic diversity standards
· Good integration of training and hiring criteria into the program
“As an industry, PIT needs to develop training and hiring programs that avoid the turnover rates of other work model programs such as Teach for America,” the report states.
