The General Services Administration (GSA) has committed to increasing the number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts in fiscal year (FY) 2022, which ends Sept. 30., according to a press release. […]

A group of senators led by Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have introduced legislation that would make it easier for international students with advanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degrees to work in the United States upon after their schooling is completed. […]

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., is calling for more policies to build a diverse workforce in order for America to maintain technological leadership. […]

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) personnel mobility program – which allows for temporary assignments of Federal and non-Federal employees to come in and quickly fill skill gaps – needs more complete data for the program to realize its full potential. […]

Artificial intelligence-driven innovation requires top talent to drive agencies’ missions forward, and Federal officials this week shared how their agencies are building and recruiting their AI workforces. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has hired Mark Lantonero, a PhD and longtime member of the AI research and academic communities, as a senior policy advisor for AI and international collaboration, Lantonero announced on LinkedIn. […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a new memo for agencies on Feb. 2 with performance management tips for a hybrid workplace. […]

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) unveiled a new quantum sciences initiative on Feb. 1 that aims to improve advanced technology education and outreach and foster the next generation of talent in quantum information sciences.   […]

Building a diverse workforce is the secret to having a more innovative and decisive team, officials from the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said during an AFCEA NOVA webinar this week. […]

The United States Air Force (USAF) has named Joe Chapa as its first-ever Chief Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics Officer, according to his LinkedIn. […]

Senior IT executives across several Federal agencies devoted to providing healthcare discussed mission imperatives, technology design requirements, and workforce needs during a wide-ranging discussion at AFCEA Bethesda’s 14th annual Health IT event on Feb. 1. […]

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has added three more hires to its Office of the Director including a new chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, as well as a new senior advisor, OSTP announced Jan. 20. […]

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja stressed the need for agency budgets to include funding for efforts to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) for the Federal workforce during a Jan. 27 roundtable discussion hosted by OPM and the Commerce Department. […]

The White House’s Safer Federal Workforce Task Force released new guidance on Jan. 24 instructing agencies to pause enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for Federal employees amid a preliminary court injunction that blocks the mandate nationwide. […]

The Biden Administration announced policy changes today to attract international science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students as part of a broader effort to make the U.S. economy more competitive. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has added 22 new fields of study to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for enhancing contributions of nonimmigrant students studying STEM subjects. […]

Federal agencies have embarked on various IT modernization journeys in the last few years. Still, according to an all-woman panel of Federal IT leaders, a critical factor in successful IT modernization is a diverse workforce, which means hiring more women. […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is set to release new guidance for agencies this week with tips and best practices around performance management in a hybrid workplace, according to OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. […]

To rapidly innovate in their digital transformation journeys, Federal experts recommend agencies invest in their staff and provide them with a “safe space” to experiment and explore different technologies. […]

Democrats in both the House and Senate have introduced legislation that would give Federal employees an average 5.1 percent pay raise in 2023. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., reintroduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, in the House, and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced the companion bill in the Senate. […]

The White House’s Safer Federal Workforce Task Force released new guidance this week calling on agencies to establish COVID-19 testing programs by Feb. 15 for Federal employees who are not fully vaccinated, including those with an approved or pending exemption. […]

The General Services Administration (GSA) issued an updated request for information (RFI) this week that aims to help Federal government senior executives improve workforce policies and initiatives. […]

The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Jan. 5 ruled against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for Federal government contractors put in place by the Biden administration in November.  […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register today that looks to rescind previous Trump-era Federal workforce policies centered around how agencies handle employee misconduct and poor performance. […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is extending the deadline for agencies to adopt skills-based hiring assessments, according to a memo from OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established new criteria for Federal agencies hiring data scientists by releasing its new occupational series for data scientists in government – a project that has been more than two years in development. […]

The Department of Defense (DoD) has increased restrictions at the Pentagon as COVID-19 cases climb due to the omicron variant of the virus. The Pentagon remains at Health Protection Condition (HPCON) Bravo Plus, but is implementing additional measures to protect the workforce. […]

As a very busy 2021 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the past year and look forward with optimism to the possibilities of the new one that’s about to begin. Rounding the corner to 2022, MeriTalk asked several experts on the industry side of Federal IT for their predictions of what the next year will bring. […]

President Biden signed an executive order on Dec. 22 making the 2.7 percent Federal pay raise official for 2022, consistent with his fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget. […]

Digital security breaches have shown us that Federal agencies are more vulnerable than anyone thought, and their security tools are no longer effectively defending against them. This begs the question, what can IT leaders and staff at all levels do to better protect Federal networks? The short answer: it’s time to rethink our approach to basic security and how we defend every endpoint across the enterprise. […]