by Chris Lu
At the Labor Department, we strive to ensure that the federal workforce reflects the diversity of America. After all, that is who we serve.
This diversity includes more than 50 million Americans with disabilities. As the federal government, we must take steps to ensure that our recruitment, hiring, and retention practices are welcoming of their skills and talents. One of our key tools is the Workforce Recruitment Program.
The WRP is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal employers — not just in Washington D.C., but nationwide — with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are seeking summer internships or permanent jobs. Our Office of Disability Employment Policy, in cooperation with the Department of Defense, manages the WRP to ensure that it helps agencies across the government meet their disability inclusion goals. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter recently wrote a joint memo encouraging all heads of federal agencies to take advantage of the program.
Their advice is sound. Since the program was launched government-wide in 1995, more than 7,000 people have obtained positions through it, and many have gone on to become full-time federal employees. The WRP is helping agencies achieve their goals under President Obama’s 2010 executive order, “Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.”
This year marks the program’s 20th anniversary. And the 2016 WRP database, which was released today, includes more than 1,500 students and recent graduates who have been pre-screened through personal interviews with trained recruiters from across the federal government. The students and graduates run the gamut in terms of majors and career interests and include everyone from freshmen to graduate and law students. They represent some of the best and brightest from campuses across the country.
More importantly, the WRP helps federal agencies better serve their stakeholders – the American people. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working in a variety of capacities across the federal government. While each new position brought different responsibilities, the overall goal remained the same: to serve our citizens as effectively as possible. And to accomplish this mission, we need the talents of all workers. In other words, a strong federal workforce is a diverse federal workforce.
Excerpt from the U.S. Department of Labor Blog - Chris Lu is the deputy secretary of labor.
