People with Disabilities Workforce Recruitment Program

Author: Thomas C. Weiss
Published: 2012/12/17 - Updated: 2021/06/18
Category Topic: United States Employment - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: The Workforce Recruitment Program allows students and recent graduates with disability and are or have pursued any field of study to market their abilities to potential employers across America. The WRP is a recruitment and referral program that connects both federal and private sector employers with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities.

Introduction

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a U.S. recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.

Main Content

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is an exceptional way for students and recent graduates who experience forms of disabilities and are or have pursued any field of study to market their abilities to a large number of potential employers across America. People with disabilities can sharpen their interviewing skills through a one-on-one meeting with a WRP recruiter, gain skills, experience, and job contacts, and prove to employers that people with disabilities make incredibly valuable employees. Eligible candidates need to contact their campus coordinator as early as Spring semester in order to be considered for inclusion into the WRP.

Interviews for the WRP are conducted during the Fall and take place in the first week of October. They continue through the second week of November, and candidates are required to follow through with their campus coordinators to make sure they successfully complete the online application process and other requirements their campus coordinator has in place. The WRP also offers wonderful opportunities to employers.

For employers who need highly qualified candidates for jobs in their offices, the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) offers assistance. The WRP is a recruitment and referral program that connects both federal and private sector employers with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are very eager to prove their work abilities with employers on a national basis through summer or permanent job placements. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Diversity Management & Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) manage the WRP program.

The WRP program continues to be incredibly successful, participating with a number of additional federal agencies and sub-agencies. Since the expansion of the program in the year 1995, more than 6,000 students and recent graduates have received temporary and permanent employment opportunities through the Workforce Recruitment Program. In fact, the year 2011 found the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) highlighting the WRP as a model strategy in its guidance to federal agencies in regards to the recruitment and hiring of people with disabilities in response to Executive Order 13548, 'Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.'

Each year, trained WRP recruiters from federal agencies conduct personal interviews with candidates who are interested on university and college campuses across America. The candidates represent all majors and represent everyone from college freshman to graduate and law students. Information from the candidate interviews is then compiled into a search-able database that is made available through a website to Equal Employment Opportunity Specialists, Human Resources Specialists, and other hiring officials through federal agencies. Employers in the federal government or the private sector, as well as students who are interested in employment, can request a password and take advantage of the Workforce Recruitment Program through the National Employer Technical Assistance Center available at: www.askEARN.org.

The Workforce Recruitment Program and Federal Employers

In a letter titled, 'Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies,' signed jointly by Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, resources were outlined for the implementation of Executive Order 13548. The resources allocated have the goal of increasing federal employment of people with disabilities. The goals of the Workforce Recruitment Program in relation to Federal Employers include:

• Presenting information about each applicant's qualifications
• Pre-screening job candidates through face-to-face interviews
• Giving access to candidates across America by state or job category
• Providing search capabilities that are tailored to specific job requirements
• Providing flexibility in hiring for summer internships or permanent positions
• Giving the opportunity to identify outstanding candidates for permanent staffing needs
• Providing the freedom to conduct independent interviews after qualified candidates have been identified
• Allowing campus coordinators to know about new job opportunities by filling out an online job opening form
• Presenting the ability to search for candidates who self-identify as Schedule A Eligible and ones who are Veterans

The Workforce Recruitment Program and Private Employers

The Workforce Recruitment Program offers private employers a number of options in regards to the recruitment and hiring of students and recent graduates with disabilities. The options the program offers private employers include the following:

• Information concerning each candidate's qualifications
• The ability to request candidates who self-identify as Veterans
• Access to candidates from across America by state or job category
• Job candidates who have been pre-screened through face-to-face interviews
• Flexibility related to hiring for summer internships or permanent job positions
• The opportunity to identify outstanding candidates for permanent staffing needs
• Access to the National Employer Technical Assistance Center through www.askEARN.org
• The freedom to conduct independent interviews after qualified candidates have been identified
• The ability to submit position descriptions online and expect matched candidates for consideration within five business days

The Workforce Recruitment Program, Colleges and Universities

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) offers colleges and Universities some rather unique opportunities. For example, colleges and universities have the opportunities to:

• Access a system that has successfully been placing students and recent graduates with disabilities into summer and permanent positions in the public and private sectors for more than 15 years at no cost to either the school or the candidate.
• Combine the resources of the school's disability services, career services, and veterans' services offices to more effectively affect the job seeking skills and career readiness of students and recent graduates with disabilities.
• Present students and recent graduates with disabilities with the opportunity to grow on both a personal and professional basis through participation in this nationwide program.

The Workforce Recruitment Program Process

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is run on a yearly basis and requires those who are applying to interview during the Fall semester with one of the program's recruiters during an on-campus recruitment visit. Schools that would like to participate in the Workforce Recruitment Program need to be accredited by one of the accrediting agencies that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and need to provide a one-day schedule of at least eight eligible candidates for the program's recruiter to interview. Each year, information is sent out in the Spring concerning registration for the program's recruitment schedule for the following Fall. Schools that are interested in participating in the WRP can send an email with their contact information to the Workforce Recruitment Program Coordinator at: wrp@dol.gov

Author Credentials: Thomas C. Weiss is a researcher and editor for Disabled World. Thomas attended college and university courses earning a Masters, Bachelors and two Associate degrees, as well as pursing Disability Studies. As a CNA Thomas has providing care for people with all forms of disabilities. Explore Thomas' complete biography for comprehensive insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.