How can agencies retain young feds?

As the administration establishes clearer pathways for recent graduates to join the federal workforce, how can agencies ensure they retain these young feds beyond a couple of years?

The White House recently ordered the creation of clearer pathways for students and recent graduates to join the federal workforce. This effort to boost recruiting makes sense because of the roughly 60 percent of federal workers who will be eligible to retire during the next five years.

The question now becomes, how does the administration retain young workers beyond the fleeting time of their internships or the one to two years of entry-level service they complete?

I will be trying to answer this question in an upcoming feature for Federal Computer Week, and I’d love to hear your suggestions. What I’m looking for are the five or so best ideas on how agencies can retain young feds.

Also, are there different steps agencies should take when it comes to retaining IT employees?