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ODEP News Release: [06/25/2003]
Contact Name:
Michael Volpe
Phone Number: (202) 693-7880
Florida Ranks Seventh Nationally In Number Of
Students With Disabilities Placed In Jobs Through Labor Department Workforce
Recruitment Program
WASHINGTON -- Florida ranks seventh 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.
Five students and recent graduates with disabilities from the
University of West Florida have been placed through the WRP, the Secretary
said, while other educational institutions with students in the WRP include
Pensacola Junior College (4), Seminole CC, Lynn University and Florida Atlantic
University (2 each), and Florida A&M University (1).
Maryland has placed the most students through WRP, with other
leading areas including New York, Virginia, Texas, the District of Columbia,
California, and Pennsylvania. 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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