The General Services Administration (GSA) welcomed a group of 70 new fellows to the U.S. Digital Corps (USDC) on Tuesday after receiving a record-breaking 2,000 applications.
The USDC is a two-year paid fellowship position that enables early-career technologists to work across the Federal government, providing them with opportunities to work in cybersecurity, data science and analytics, design, product management, and software engineering. This year’s fellows will be USDC’s third cohort, providing fellows with the opportunity to focus on AI and AI-related projects.
Fifty of this year’s fellows will work in AI, following the Biden-Harris administration’s push to rapidly hire talent in AI that will help leverage its use in government, build AI regulations and policies, and develop and invest in Federal research and development.
“Growing the U.S. Digital Corps is crucial to driving innovation across the Federal government, especially as emerging technologies like AI evolve,” Robin Carnahan, the administrator for GSA, said in a statement. “GSA is focused on delivering great value to our customer agencies and the American people, so we are proud to help lead the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to bring tech talent into government to deliver those results.”
The first USDC cohort in 2022 included 38 fellows and the 2023 cohort had 48 fellows, making this year the largest cohort yet. GSA said it anticipates “scaling the program significantly in coming years” depending on tracks and agencies’ project needs.
GSA celebrated the graduation of its first inaugural class this summer, which had a two-year retention rate of 97 percent with 95 percent of graduates staying on at 15 Federal agencies.
This year, fellows can work on projects at 19 Federal agencies with new partnerships, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the IRS, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A total of 25 agencies have had fellows work on projects, according to GSA.
“I believe strongly in the contract between the American people and our government; that the Federal government has a duty to provide adequate services, support, and aid to all, especially our most vulnerable,” said Zach Palmer in a statement, a 2024 USDC data science and analytics fellow. “With these beliefs in mind, I felt that the U.S. Digital Corps was the perfect place for me to leverage my technical skills to help the Federal government effectively serve its constituents, while also giving me the opportunity to mentor under incredibly talented and knowledgeable public servants.”
