Workforce Recruitment Program - Careers in Government

Workforce Recruitment Program

Recognized Leader in Online Education

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program. This program connects students with disabilities to employment opportunities for federal and select private sector employers nationwide. WRP is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Diversity Management Operations Center (DMOC).

Candidates come from all academic majors within undergraduate to graduate-level degree programs. Students who are accepted into the Workforce Recruitment Program will have their information compiled into a searchable database. This database is made available to federal HR Specialists, EEO Specialists, and other federal employees and hiring officials.

Candidates are not able to utilize this database to search for jobs. Rather, federal employers will utilize the database to search for qualified candidates. This is a great opportunity for students with disabilities to make themselves available for potential federal employment.

Three people enjoying an outdoor game. On the left, a man in a wheelchair holds a drink. In the middle, a man with a prosthetic leg bends forward and smiles. On the right, a woman in a white and yellow shirt smiles and raises her drink. They stand near a cornhole board, representing the diversity of our workforce.

A person in a wheelchair is working at a cubicle desk, exemplifying the inclusive workforce. They are wearing a headset and using a computer with a black monitor. The desk has a notepad and a pen, while the background consists of cubicle dividers and beige walls.

This is a great opportunity for students with disabilities to make themselves available for potential federal employment.

American Public University System

The process to apply, interview, and be accepted into the WRP program opens once per year, typically beginning in August. The dates below are specific to the 2020 WRP year.

Who is eligible to participate?

To participate in the WRP for 2020, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

Be a U.S. citizen.
Be a person with a disability and eligible for hiring under the Schedule A Hiring Authority.
Be a current, full-time, degree-seeking, post-secondary student OR have graduated from an institution on or after April 1, 2018.

NOTE: Students may also participate if they meet all of the other requirements for the program but are taking a reduced course load due to a disability or if they are taking less than a full-time course load in the enrollment period immediately prior to graduation.

What is the application process?

A candidate can begin the process by visiting www.wrp.gov and filling out a registration request. The school coordinator from the candidate’s school will receive a notification and work with the candidate to verify eligibility for the program. If the candidate is eligible, the school coordinator will update the candidate’s account on the WRP website. The school coordinator will also email the candidate with an outline of the timeline and the next steps in the WRP application and interview process.

What is the interview process?

Once the application period is closed, WRP staff will work to match schools with a WRP Recruiter. The school coordinator will then work to set up interviews between their WRP Recruiter and candidates. Most interviews will last 20-30 minutes.

Acceptance into the WRP Program

After all steps of the application and interview process have been completed, candidates will be notified if they have been accepted into the WRP program. Accepted applicants will have their information included in the WRP database for one year. This means HR Specialists, EEO Specialists, and other federal employees and hiring officials can search for and can contact candidates regarding potential positions for which they qualify.