The Workforce Recruitment Program A pipeline of talent FEDs New Perspective Conference Washington, DC April 29, 2015

Beginnings of WRP ● Started in the 1970s by the Department of Navy ● Expanded in 1995 by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities ● Managed jointly by ODEP and DoD’s Office of Diversity Management & Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) Meet the WRP Page 2

● Not an internship program -- though a significant number of agencies use WRP to find qualified interns ● Free resource to help hiring managers connect with qualified candidates with disabilities for all jobs ● Candidates are: –Available for internships, part-time or full-time employment –Students and recent graduates with disabilities –From a variety of academic and professional backgrounds –Schedule A Eligible Meet the WRP Page 3

● Database is compiled annually ● Candidates are interviewed each year by a cadre of dedicated, trained recruiters who are: –Federal employees who volunteer with the support of their agencies –Committed to making the Federal Government more inclusive of individuals of all abilities Meet the WRP Page 4

● Opens nationwide in early December ● Searchable by major, location, keyword and job focus, in a wide variety of career fields ● Candidates and positions are available nationwide The WRP Database Page 5

Schedule A Hiring Authority ● NOT a quota System ● Schedule A is an accepted appointing authority for people with disabilities that allows them to be quickly added to the Federal Workplace ● Executive Order on disability hiring in the Federal Government Why WRP? Page 6

● Allows candidates and agencies to be connected by the specific skills needed for a position ● Designated a model hiring strategy by OPM ● All candidates are eligible for Schedule A Hiring Authority – making WRP one of the largest Schedule A hiring resources in the Federal Government Why WRP? Page 7

Why WRP? Page 8 Effective Practices for Hiring Individuals with Disabilities

Some stats from the current year ● Over 300 accredited institutions participated in WRP representing over 1800 students. ● 194 Veterans ● 125 Engineers ● 24 MBAs ● 101 Accountants The WRP Database Page 9 ● 180 Health-Care Professionals ● 62 Law Students ● 100 Computer Science Majors ● 269 Graduate Students ● 22 Doctoral Candidates

● Patrick Cokley ● WRP website: wrp.gov dol.gov/odep/wrp Page 10 For More Information…

The Workforce Recruitment Program A pipeline of talent FEDs New Perspective Conference Washington, DC April 29, 2015