Government to move to 'noncompetitive' hiring practice?

Government Executive:

A group of public administration schools has proposed largely scrapping the competitive federal hiring process for graduate students in favor of a revitalized internship and apprenticeship program.

"By constricting the flow of grad students into federal service, especially through competitive hiring channels, we have put the country at risk of atrophying the whole federal workforce," (What a mindfuck. Orwell would be proud) wrote Laurel McFarland, executive director of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, in a white paper. "We are losing a generation of young people who have come to believe the government does not want them or value them."

Only 25 percent of students who join the federal government are getting their jobs through the competitive hiring process, according to McFarland. Such a high percentage of students relying on other channels is one indication the competitive hiring process is not serving them well, she said.