Leadership Program named in honor of Colin Powell

The US Department of States announced on Aug. 18, in Washington DC that there is a new leadership program to honor, the late Jamaican American former Secretary of State Colin Powell. The new leadership program will be a commitment to further advancement of the work and outreach efforts of the State Department to include all segments of the society, and to support the secretary’s modernization agenda.

Another objective of this new State Department’s leadership program is to help provide individuals with interest an opportunity to pursue careers at the Department of State.

According to the report, the late Colin Powell — the son of Jamaican immigrants, a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and four-star general in the US Army “understood that diversity is a source of strength; it is a source of our success.” The recruits for the Colin Powell Leadership Program will be candidates who are from various backgrounds and who are highly motivated. It is also for those who aspire to and possess the potential to become future civil service leaders at the US Department of State, the report further noted.

The program will provide paid fellowships to recent college graduates and paid internships to students who are enrolled at accredited institutions of higher education the State Department reported. Then, arising from both positions this may lead to full-time employment opportunities at the department; for those who are focused on developing future leaders through training, mentoring and on-the-job experience “to provide them with skills, tools and resources needed for long term success at the department,” the report also revealed.

The State Department reported also that the internship opportunities will be in the Social Science Student Trainee (0199) and the Administration and Office Support Student Trainee (0399) series. Fellowship opportunities will be in Foreign Affairs (0130) and the Management Analysis (0343) series the State Department said.

The first vacancy announcement is tentatively scheduled for mid-to-late September 2022, and additional announcements will be conducted in the Spring. All applicants must be United States citizens and should be able to obtain and retain a secret or top-secret clearance, the report noted, adding that all positions will be in the Washington, DC area.

To be eligible for the Colin Powell Leadership Internship Program, the State Department said applicants must either be enrolled or are current students, on a part-time or full-time basis, pursuing their bachelor’s degree in a qualifying post-secondary education program. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.2 out of 4.0 is required, the State Department reported. The fellowship program is a one-year paid developmental program.