Hire those federal interns

The National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision intended to improve the conversion of federal interns to full-time employees, reports Federal Times.

The measures were initially in a bill called the Federal Internship Improvement Act, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). Key provisions of that bill became part of the NDAA  (H.R. 1540).

The law requires agencies appoint an internship coordinator to conduct exit interviews, and requires agencies to submit annual reports on interns and its program to the Office of Personnel Management. Partnership for Public Service in 2007 found the government hires only 6.6 percent of its interns as full-time workers, compared to the private sector hiring approximately half of its interns.