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ODEP News Release: [06/25/2003] Contact Name:
Michael Volpe Phone Number: (202) 693-7880
Texas Ranks Fourth Nationally In Number Of
Students With Disabilities Placed In Jobs Through Labor Department Workforce
Recruitment Program
WASHINGTON -- Texas ranks fourth 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 University of Texas-Arlington students and recent graduates
with disabilities have been placed through the WRP, the Secretary said, while
other educational institutions with students in the WRP include the University
of the Incarnate Word and the University of Texas-San Antonio (4 each), the
University of Texas-El Paso and El Paso CC (3 each), St. Mary's University (2),
and Amberton University, Rice University, and the University of Texas-Austin (1
each).
Maryland has placed the most students through WRP, with other
leading areas including New York, Virginia, the District of Columbia,
California, 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 WRP 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,
"Workforce Recruitment Program 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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