The White House has launched a "Technology Fellows" program "to increase the federal government's pool of qualified IT professionals."

The program, similar to the Presidential Management Fellows program, seeks recent graduates of "top graduate programs" with "significant experience" in IT and computer science, for a two-year paid appointment as a Technology Fellow.

With an $80 million IT budget, the federal government is of IT talent, especially .

Students expecting to complete an advanced degree, either at the master's or doctoral level, from a qualifying school or university during the current academic year are eligible for nomination.

In explaining the reasons for the program, newly appointed federal CIO Steven VanRoekel acknowledged competition from the private sector in recruiting IT professionals and said the goal of the fellowship program is to build "a more sustainable talent pool.