For today’s college graduates, the job market is far from stable.
Tech hiring has slowed, and tariffs under the Trump administration have led to broader market uncertainty, making it harder for recent graduates to secure entry-level positions. Unemployment among 22- to 27-year-olds with degrees reached its highest level in more than a decade in April, excluding the pandemic.
In this challenging environment, the Tysons, Virginia-based NobleReach Foundation is trying to help recent STEM graduates connect with public-sector opportunities through its scholars program.
Earlier this month, the nonprofit announced its second class of 28 scholars, who will spend a year working with government agencies and mission-driven private sector partners across the country. The program focuses on four tracks of roles: artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, business process innovation and materials manufacturing.
Rebeca Lamadrid, senior vice president of talent programs at NobleReach, described the program as a way to strengthen collaboration between industry and government while building a pipeline of talent for government roles.
“It is critical that our governments at every level are able to pick up and ensure that they’re providing citizens the type of service delivery, the type of infrastructure that the current technology allows,” Lamadrid told Technical.ly. “All of that starts with people … and getting folks that may not necessarily think about the power of public service to be considering these types of job opportunities.”
The inaugural class worked at federal departments and industry partners. This year the program expanded to include state and local governments. Lamadrid explained that the change allows the scholars’ work to have a more direct impact on the public.
“It’s a lot more tangible, the work that you get to do and how you get to impact millions of people,” Lamadrid said.
Building the public sector pipeline
Federal agencies cover their scholars’ salaries, while some state and local partners receive grants from NobleReach to support their positions. The first class still has a few weeks left in its fellowship, some participants plan to continue working in government — even though federal constraints make it difficult for others to do so, according to Lamadrid.
The program also offers professional development support, starting with a two-week bootcamp that covers frameworks such as human-centered design, which scholars can apply to solving public sector challenges.
Pulkit Sharma and Thomas Thompson recently joined the scholars program. Sharma is a graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s University, and Thompson graduated from Old Dominion University. Both will work as analysts on the team at the Maryland Department of Information Technology’s (DoIT) Security Operations Center, a resource for state and local agencies to report cybersecurity incidents.
The center shares its name and acronym with a descriptor for analysts doing similar work throughout the public and private sectors. For instance, Sharma previously worked as an SOC analyst at his university, but didn’t consider state government opportunities before stumbling on the scholars program while job hunting.
“NobleReach really opened up my eyes,” Sharma said. “Originally with cyber, I was looking at federal or private sector opportunities, but being able to really go deep into public service [at Maryland DoIT] is awesome, honestly.”
Before joining the program, Thompson worked as a desktop support specialist at LCG, Inc, a technology consulting service. He enjoyed helping people with everyday challenges, such as setting up monitors or resetting passwords, and is excited to continue serving the public in his new role.
“The things I was doing weren’t making a huge difference … but just to fill in those gaps of their daily lives and really make things easier for them was a gratifying moment,” Thompson said.
Katie Savage, Secretary of the Maryland DoIT, emphasized that the program is mutually beneficial and underscores the importance of building a pipeline for future government talent.
“ People don’t always see government as a noble profession anymore,” Savage said. “Oftentimes it can be seen as bureaucracy, but we have such power and deliver so many services.”
