The FINS Talent Pipeline (FTP) program is drawing attention across campus and beyond. As news about our institute’s innovative initiative spreads, the buzz is reaching key stakeholders from the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), a worldwide industrial complex made up of more than 100,000 companies – domestic and foreign – that includes subcontractors, as well as facilities that research, design, produce, deliver, and maintain military systems. Several DIB entitles have already reached out to FINS and UF leadership to find out more about the program and partnership opportunities.
The program, which “involves partnerships between the federal government, industry and UF, helping to align educational curricula with the specific needs of the security industry” (Dr. Domenic Forte, FINS Associate Director), was erected by a small seed fund taken from a larger UF-wide grant from the UF’s president’s office that is designed to increase UF’s profile in national security. To date, its first cohort of 15 high-achieving students from various departments within the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering (HWCOE), has almost completed the program. Three prominent DIB entities are already interested in taking some participants on for internships and potential jobs.
Last semester – the program’s inaugural semester – two students had internships before the semester ended.
“We are very focused on artificial intelligence for national security, which makes these students very attractive to various employers,” FINS Director Dr. Damon Woodard said. While students like those being produced by the FTP Program are in high-demand due to growing AI talent deficit in government and beyond (see the Why AI and National Security section in our About Us page), the length of the authorization process slows their placement.
“The problem is when you have graduates coming out of college and getting jobs with, say, the federal government or defense contractors in positions that require [authorization]. But the process takes a significant amount of time.” – Dr. Woodard
“Background screening can take upwards of a year,” he added. “They can’t start working until that process is completed, causing productivity issues. In some cases, the employer might lose the new employee because they are waiting and waiting. Graduates will say, ‘Well, maybe I can just go get another job.”
To learn more about what the FTP Program entails and what participating students have to say about it, read the original UF NEWS article HERE.