Attracting and hiring top IT talent into the Federal service is a top priority for Federal managers and recruiters.  As the Chief Information Officer for the nation’s top recruiting department,  the U.S. Office of Personnel Management,  I am pleased to announce the launch of the 2013 IT Job Shadow Day.  This outreach initiative has been around for more than a decade and this year’s goal is to increase the number of participating agencies and schools.  Information technology does not just take place in Washington, DC, so we are planning events throughout the U.S.

The Job Shadow Season will run from January 31, 2013 to May 1, 2013.  This CIO Council initiative is designed to educate and engage high school students in the variety of IT careers in the Federal Government.  Students will have the opportunity to shadow Federal IT professionals at Federal facilities in their communities and learn about the innovative work being done to improve transparency, communication, and cost efficiencies for American citizens.

If your agency is interested in participating in this event, it’s not too late to sign up.  Federal employees who would like to volunteer can register on MAX.gov. School faculty and administrators can sign up to participate on the IT Job Shadow Day page on CIO.gov.

We look forward to working with you to inspire the next generation of IT professionals and make this program successful.