Federal job seekers are capitalizing on specialized training programs designed explicitly for them.

In the wake of mass layoffs under the Trump administration, several organizations are stepping up to support public employees in their career transitions. Two notable initiatives come from Rebecca Ferguson-Ondrey and Drew Tye Ruby-Howe, co-founders of Wellfed, a social impact startup for federal employees changing careers.

Wellfed offers a range of resources to help federal employees navigate their job searches. This includes weekly wellness sessions, virtual skill workshops, and some in-person events focused on job search strategies. Ferguson-Ondrey and Ruby-Howe, both experts in change management, employee engagement, and wellness, launched Wellfed with the aim of supporting fired federal workers.

Another initiative comes from Chris Radich, the public sector chief technology officer at UiPath. Radich announced on July 1 the creation of organizations to support the career transition of public employees affected by mass layoffs. UiPath, an automation company and government contractor, is offering a program to train public sector professionals on how to use AI agents.

Caitlin Lewis, the executive director of Work for America, is another advocate for these career transition efforts. Work for America is partnering with more than 9,000 former federal employees to provide them with three free coaching sessions. Lewis believes coaching is particularly helpful for federal employees who have decades of experience and need a mindset shift to consider what's next.

Lewis, seeing federal employees with decades of experience seeking help with their resumes, finds it a gut-punch. It highlights the impact of the mass layoffs, with approximately 288,000 full-time employees projected to be impacted by the deferred resignation program or reduction in force.

The coaching sessions aim to help individuals who want to shift the focus of their work or move for a new opportunity. UiPath's program, on the other hand, aims to help laid-off federal employees transition to the technology wave and AI era.

In this challenging time, these initiatives offer a glimmer of hope and support for the thousands of federal employees affected by the mass layoffs. The related article title is "Ex-feds launch websites to help unemployed civil servants find new jobs."