Metropolitan State University of Denver working to increase underrepresented Latinos in federal workforce

Despite being one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S., Latinos remain drastically underrepresented in the federal workforce.

"Our community is not being adequately served by the federal government," said Bill Valdez, board chair of the Alliance of Latinx Leadership and Policy. "I think part of it is the Latino population in the United States has not been oriented towards public service in the federal government. The other big thing that I think has led to this is that the center of power is Washington DC, and until very recently Latinos were a very small minority of the population of Washington DC."

While Latinos represent 20% of the nation's population, they only account for 9.1% of the federal workforce, according to a report recently published by the Alliance of Latinx Leadership and Policy. Those jobs largely include lower-paying jobs like TSA and Border Patrol agents, but Latinos are even more absent in administrative and policy positions, where decisions are made. The report also found that Latinos are the only demographic group that has not reached proportional representation.

This is why Metropolitan State University Denver is stepping up to address the issue.

"The city and county of Denver has an over 30% Latino population," said James Mejia, MSU Denver's chief strategy officer. "It means we need to be at the table to help decide our future. Denver is also home to many federal jobs."

The university is now working to grow its Institute for Public Service which is geared towards helping underrepresented students. They're hoping to provide a pipeline for students by giving them access to more things like internships and specified coursework.

Mejia said that having more Latinos in these roles creates a more diverse workforce meaning a greater benefit for the entire country.

"If we prepare students and we know they are ready for these positions, we feel it's incumbent on the federal government to do a much better job of recruiting and bringing Latinos on to the federal workforce," he said. "Really it's about being represented. It's about being a voice for a community that is trying to improve its condition."