The inaugural class of the U.S. Digital Corps will join the Biden administration this month, working on technology-intensive projects in immigration, healthcare, cybersecurity and other sectors.
Why it matters: The new program is meant to boost the administration’s roster of tech-savvy workers to more efficiently deliver government services — and tempt early career technologists into joining the federal workforce.
Driving the news: Forty fellows will spend two years working on government projects across 13 federal agencies, the Office of Management and Budget announced Friday. The projects include:
- Helping the Office of Refugee Resettlement develop technology to better track unaccompanied children through government services.
- Creating a locator tool to make it easier for people who use Medicare or Medicaid to find behavior health treatment.
- Improving access to U.S. Census Bureau data.
What they’re saying: More than 1,000 people applied for the program, which was expanded from 30 to 40 fellows based on demand from federal agencies, federal chief information officer Clare Martorana told Axios.
- “Folks that are early career technologists are so interested in making an impact,” Martorana said. “They’re really mission-focused, and I think that the U.S. Digital Corps meets that moment brilliantly.”
