Hillary’s talking about her Public Service Academies again.

She seeks a new educational institution modeled after the military service academies, that would provide a four-year, federally subsidized college education for about 5,000 students a year in exchange for a five-year commitment to public service following graduation.

Again, from her comments, one might think that the federal government has a hard time attracting workers. But according to federal human resources specialists posting at FederalSoup.com, a discussion board for federal employees, it is common to receive more than 100 applications for entry level positions, generally GS-3 to GS-7. Other hiring services firms have put the ratio closer to 150 applicants for every federal job opening. Back when Hillary first proposed the idea, I called editors at Government Executive, and they said these numbers were not out of whack.

According to figures from 2002, there were 75 applicants for every open Foreign Service position, 52 applicants for every open FBI special agent position, and 28 applicants for every opening for a passenger and baggage screeners at the Transportation Security Administration.

Also note that even if this academy turned out 5,000 of the greatest federal employees one could imagine, it would amount to a drop in the bucket. According to FederalJobs.com, a government recruiting web site, the federal government hires an average of 327,000 new employees each year just to replace workers that transfer to other federal or private jobs or retire. (Expansions of government agencies and new offices create even more openings.) Senator Clinton’s school, at full capacity, would manage to fill 1.5 percent of federal jobs each year.