Federal Employment Opportunities Including Schedule A and the Workforce Recruitment Program

Tami Tidwell, DO‑IT Staff
A student practices interviewing for WRP with a mentor.

Schedule A is a hiring authority that enables federal agencies to speed up the process of hiring qualified persons with disabilities. If you are eligible for Schedule A and interested in federal employment, it is to your advantage to search for positions posted as “open to individuals with a disability” on the USA Jobs website. To find out more about eligibility for Schedule A, tips for applying under Schedule A and how to search the website for jobs, visit the Individuals with Disabilities page on the USA Jobs website.

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities. In fall 2018, 28 applicants representing the three University of Washington campuses personally interviewed with trained WRP federal agency recruiters in hopes of connecting with summer or long-term opportunities. Participants have a wide range of career interests and backgrounds.

During the interview process, students received assistance developing their resume, preparing for the interview questions, and practicing via mock interviews. Participants who completed WRP interviews are included in a national database that captures their resume, transcripts, highlighted skills, locations where they would like to work, their schedule A status, and a summary of their recruiter interview. The student information in this database is made available to employers for one year. During that time, employers reach out to participants and invite them to apply for open positions. Since it’s beginning in 1995, over 7,000 participants have received temporary and permanent employment through WRP.

For more information on WRP, consult their website. WRP is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity.”