Workforce Recruitment Program- WRP

The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal sector employers nationwide with highly motivated postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs. Co-sponsored by the Department of Labor (ODEP) and the Department of Defense with the participation of about 20 other federal agencies, the WRP has provided employment opportunities for over 5,000 students since 1995.

In 2009, 75 recruiters from 17 federal agencies visited about 250 college campuses nationwide, resulting in a database containing application information on nearly 2000 students with disabilities. The students represent all majors, and range from college freshmen to graduate students and law students. Over 450 students were reported as being hired, the majority in summer jobs, in 20 different agencies.

Employers

Employers in the federal government can request a password to gain access to the WRP database.

Schools

The WRP is run on an annual basis and requires student applicants to have an interview with one of our recruiters during an on-campus recruitment visit. The interviews take place during January and February of each year. To be eligible for the WRP, students must be current, full-time undergraduate or graduate students with a disability, or have graduated within one year of the release of the database each March. For the 2010 WRP, a student who graduated the Spring semester of 2009 or later would still be eligible. Students must also be US citizens.

Schools that would like to participate in the WRP must be accredited by one of the accrediting agencies recognized by the US Department of Education, and must provide a one-day schedule of at least eight eligible students for our recruiter to interview. We do not work directly with individual students, but rather work through points of contact at the schools. If your school is interested in participating in the WRP please send an email with your contact information to the WRP Coordinator at wrp@dol.gov. Information is sent out each year in August to register for our recruitment schedule for the following January and February.

Students

To be eligible for the WRP, students must be current, full-time undergraduate or graduate students with a disability, or have graduated within one year of the release of the database each March. For the 2010 WRP, a student who graduated the Spring semester of 2009 or later would still be eligible. Students must also be U.S. citizens. If you are an eligible student, share this information with your school's disability services or career services coordinator, and ask him or her to contact the WRP Coordinator at wrp@dol.gov. Please understand that we work directly with college coordinators, and cannot respond to inquiries from individual students.

Resources

Please click here to view available resources regarding employment of people with disabilities. Check back on a regular basis for additional links and resources.

Leadership for the Employment of Americans with Disabilities (LEAD) Resources from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: http://archive.eeoc.gov/initiatives/lead/resources.html

Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP): http://www.dol.gov/odep/

Disability.gov website: http://www.disability.gov/