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ODEP News Release: [06/25/2003]
Contact Name:
Michael Volpe
Phone Number: (202) 693-7880
D.C. and California Tie For 5th Place Nationally
In Number Of Students With Disabilities Placed In Jobs Through Labor Department
Workforce Recruitment Program
WASHINGTON -- The District of Columbia and California are
tied for fifth in the number of college students and recent graduates with
disabilities who have been placed nationwide in summer and permanent jobs since
the Labor Department's Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) was announced in mid
April, U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao said today. Overall, the WRP has
placed more than 305 students with disabilities in jobs throughout the country,
she added.
Fifteen students and recent graduates with disabilities from
Gallaudet University in Washington have been placed through the WRP, the
Secretary said, with American University placing 4 and the University of the
District of Columbia placing 2. Meanwhile, California's educational
institutions with students in the WRP include Cal State-Sacramento (6), Ventura
College (3), Cal State-Long Beach and Cal State-Hayward (2 each), and the
University of CA-Irvine, the University of CA-Berkeley, San Jose State
University, San Francisco State University, San Diego State University, Fresno
City College, El Camino College, and Cal State-Northridge (1 each).
Maryland has placed the most students through WRP, with other
leading states including New York, Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
Also according to WRP statistics, about one-third of the students placed in
jobs under the Labor Department program identified themselves as "minority."
"President Bush, through his New Freedom Initiative, has
placed a priority on recognizing the untapped employment potential of Americans
with disabilities, and the need to expand job opportunities available to them,"
Secretary Chao said. "The Workforce Recruitment Program is succeeding in that
mission and giving students with disabilities the break they need to launch
successful working careers."
Roy Grizzard, assistant secretary of labor for the Office of
Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), which helps administer the program, said,
"WRP is a key resource for potential employers to find qualified students and
recent graduates who are eager to enter the workforce and prove what they can
do."
ODEP, in co-sponsorship with the Department of Defense, offers
employers a complimentary CD-ROM database of qualified students by field of
study, state or school, in disciplines ranging from computer sciences and
business, to communications engineering and office administration. Searches
generate candidate profiles, academic and demographic data, and contact
information from applications recruited by the WRP from more than 180 colleges
and universities in over 40 states and territories. The CD-ROM and additional
information are available from
www.wrpjobs.com,
or by contacting ODEP at (202) 693-7880.
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