NASA Develops Strategy for STEM Recruitment

Like the private sector, the federal government struggles to recruit talent in STEM fields. In the May 2020 Issues of Merit by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the MSPB highlighted NASA’s success in recruiting STEM occupations and outlined the ways in which other agencies can recruit additional STEM employees.

To help assist other agencies in attracting STEM talent, NASA developed the following tenets outlining their strategy of developing a highly qualified and diverse pool of applicants:

·       Workforce Planning: As a first step, NASA determines both present and projected future workforce needs;

·       Recruitment: NASA regularly assesses the effectiveness of traditional outreach programs and reevaluates participation in programs based on their ability to meet recruitment goals;

·       Electronic Outreach: In addition to in-person recruitment events, NASA developed a new career site and maintains a robust presence on LinkedIn and Twitter to promote “hard-to-fill” occupations. The social media campaigns also feature “people-focused” content to provide candidates with “deeper insights” on what working at NASA is like;

·       Active Learning Opportunities: NASA partners with minority-serving institutions to assist students in developing the needed skills and STEM-related learning opportunities to work with NASA. NASA also has initiatives to provide educational opportunities for women, veterans, and people with disabilities, as well as coordination with community colleges. NASA also utilizes programs like the Pathways Internship Program to enable college students to gain experience in working with federal agencies.

While the mission of NASA attracts a steady stream of STEM applicants, the agency still places significant focus on recruitment programs and innovative methods for reaching new potential applicants. Ultimately, the agency takes a “long-term perspective” for developing future talent.