Here's How You Can Support Students with Disabilities in Finding Employment

The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and select private-sector employers nationwide with college students, graduate students, and recent graduates with disabilities eager to demonstrate their skills and abilities in the workplace through internships or permanent jobs.

The WRP application and interview process is coordinated by college Disability Services or Career Services offices. This past year, more than 400 colleges and universities participated in the program, and additional schools are added each year. To participate, schools must be accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.

Register your college or university from April-June 2023 at WRP.gov!

The Workforce Recruitment Program:

• Functions as a primary pipeline for bringing new talent into the Federal Government to fill mission-critical jobs.

• Provides students and recent graduates with the opportunity to receive career advice through informational interviews with federal employees.

• Helps participating college Career Centers and Disability Services Offices tackle the unique issues involved in assisting candidates with disabilities with finding employment, such as job accommodations and the use of the Federal Government Schedule A Hiring Authority.

Applicants for the program must be:

• A person with a disability eligible for the Schedule A Hiring Authority a U.S. citizen.

• An undergraduate student, graduate/doctoral student, or a recent graduate.

  • A student must be enrolled in degree-seeking program at a U.S. accredited college or university on a substantially full-time basis (unless their disability or program requirements preclude the student from taking a substantially full-time load)

  • A recent graduate must have received a postsecondary degree on or after April 1, 2021

The WRP runs on an annual cycle. Schools register each spring and applications open to students from participating schools in late August. Each applicant can receive a remote informational interview with a federal recruiter in October and November each year. The database of applicants is then made available for federal employers to search for one year starting in December.

If registration is not currently open, schools should email the WRP Managers at wrp@dol.gov and ask to be added to the registration mailing list. The WRP is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Diversity Management Operations Center with support from other federal agencies.