2011 Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities Launched

posted on Dec 13 by Sherri in the Advocacy, Disability News, Employment category

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment (ODEP) has just announced that the 2011 Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP) database is now available to assist federal and private-sector employers in locating workers with disabilities to fill their available positions. Co-sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD), the database is a recruitment and referral program that currently contains more than 2,200 candidates from all academic backgrounds, who have recently earned or are working toward associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and law degrees.

“This database is filled with talented students who are highly motivated to prove their skills in the workplace,” said ODEP Assistant Secretary Kathy Martinez.

The student job seekers are interviewed annually by trained WRP recruiters from federal agencies and are seeking everything from temporary, summer employment to permanent, full-time positions. To participate, the student must complete an online application, submit all necessary paperwork online and agree to a 30-minute interview. The recruiters then prepare interview summaries and enter information about students into the recruitment database, where the information will be updated annually.

More than 20 federal agencies recruit new hires though the Workforce Recruitment Program by visiting the site at http://www.wrp.gov and searching for candidates who meet their hiring needs. In addition, candidates can be tracked by perspective employers to determine whether they have already been hired or are still available for employment. Employers in the private sector can also take advantage of disability employment consulting services online through the Employer Assistance & Resource Network (EARN) at http://www.earnworks.com or by calling toll-free at 866-327-6669.

According to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people with disabilities are experiencing a 14.5 percent jobless rate, which is significantly higher than the 9 percent national average for the rest of the population. A large portion of those who are employed are actually underemployed (part-time) and actively seeking full employment. ODEP hopes that this new database will successfully close some of those gaps for the disabled.