The Office of Student Accessibility Services is offering a new resource called the Workforce Recruitment Program. The program works hand-in-hand with those seeking federal internship and employment opportunities.

Samantha Ricau, assistant director for Student Accessibility Services, said the program resulted from a collaboration with Career Services. She discussed what the program entails.

“The WRP is a recruitment and referral program that connects students with disabilities to an opportunity for employment,” said Ricau. “Through participating colleges and universities such as SLU, the WRP creates a database for federal and select private-sector employers nationwide to find highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to demonstrate their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.”

The program is designed to accommodate candidates from all areas of career exploration and classifications.

“Information from these candidates is compiled in a searchable database that is available, through this website, to federal Human Resources specialists, Equal Employment Opportunity specialists, and other federal employees and hiring officials in federal agencies,” explained Ricau.

Ricau detailed how prospective candidates can apply for WRP.

“To be eligible to register, candidates must be current, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate SLU students with a disability or have graduated from SLU within two and a half years of the release of the database each December,” noted Ricau. “Candidates must be U.S. citizens, must be attending or have graduated from a U.S. accredited college or university and be eligible under the Schedule A Hiring Authority for persons with disabilities.”

Corporations interested in hiring from the Workforce Recruitment Program vary each year.

“Federal agencies who have employed WRP candidates in the past include the Departments of Defense, Labor, Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, State, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,” listed Ricau. “Candidates have worked in more than 38 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and as civilian employees on military bases in Germany, Italy and South Korea.”

There is no cost to participate in the program.

“Candidates can register and complete their application, now through Oct.14, by going to wrp.gov,” explained Ricau. “If the student completes the application before the deadline in October, and the application is approved by one of our school coordinators, then that individual will be included in the WRP database when it is published to employers in December.”

Ricau shared the process that recruiters undergo when looking for potential candidates.

“About a week after the deadline, the candidate should work with the school coordinators to schedule an informational interview with the WRP Recruiter,” said Ricau. “Candidates are not required to participate in the informational interview, but it is highly encouraged. Interviews take place remotely and are conducted by telephone unless an accommodation is needed. After interviews occur, the database of completed candidate applications is published each December and is available to employers for the following calendar year.”

Any student interested in the Workforce Recruitment Program can contact coordinators Samantha Ricau at [email protected] or Sarah Nelms, career and job search consultant with Career Services, at [email protected].