Annual Report to Congress
Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program
October 1, 1999 - September 30, 2000
A REPORT ON THE NINE-POINT PLAN
HISPANIC EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE: NINE-POINT PLAN
On September 18, 1997, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a memorandum to Heads of Executive Departments and Independent Agencies that raised concerns about Hispanic underrepresentation in the Federal workforce. In this memorandum, OPM proposed a Nine-Point Plan to improve the representation of Hispanics in the Federal workforce.
The Nine-Point Plan encourages Federal agencies to:
• Support and implement the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans;
• Provide employment information to students, faculty, and the Hispanic community;
• Use the Presidential Management Intern (PMI) Program for recruiting, converting, and advancing Hispanic college graduates;
• Participate in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) National Internship Program;
• Use the flexibilities of the Student Educational Employment Program to bring Hispanic students into agency’s shortage category occupations,
as well as other occupations;
• Develop mentoring programs to motivate young people to pursue higher education and Federal careers;
• Promote participation of Hispanic employees in career development programs;
• Assess agency needs for full-time, part-time, or collateral Hispanic Employment Program (HEP) Managers and ensure that HEP Managers are
integral members of the agency’s management team; and
• Incorporate these activities into agency’s Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP) accomplishment report to OPM.
AGENCY HIGHLIGHTS
The following are examples of significant agency accomplishments in support of the Nine-Point Plan during FY 2000.
The Department of the Air Force (AF) encourages the retention of Hispanic employees by considering the use of appropriate retention allowances, quality steps increases, and performance and incentive awards. The AF is developing a system to announce all GS-13 and above vacancies that will allow more women and minorities, including Hispanics, to be notified of specific vacancies. In addition, AF positions will be advertised in a number of venues including USAJOBS, state employment agencies, and other targeted locations and organizations. The AF hired 18 (13 percent) Hispanic students of the total hired under the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP), and 10 (4 percent) of the total hired under the Outstanding Scholar authority.
The Department of the Army (DA) signed a partnership agreement with HACU and is currently working on the establishment of an Executive Committee. DA dedicated $200,000 to provide 16 Federal Employment Information (Touch Screen) Computer Kiosks at minority-serving post-secondary institutions. By the year-end 2000, the DA had 12 kiosks installed of which three went to the following Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): University of the Incarnate Word (Texas), St. Mary's University (Texas), and Hostos Community College (Texas). DA participates in the PMI Program and has hired one Hispanic through it. The Army Corps of Engineers hires Hispanic students through the Student Employment Program as engineers-in-training. These students are rotated throughout the District in which they are hired to get a feel for all aspects of what the Corps does while developing skills and knowledge needed to ultimately fill a target position within the District.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) implemented specific actions to target recruitment especially of Hispanics, who are underrepresented in the agency. Hispanic employment web sites have been contacted to include recruitment advertisements for BBG jobs. The agency sponsored a Career Job Fair in Washington, DC; over 100 Hispanic students participated. BBG established a partnership agreement with the National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives (NAHFE). The agency hired two Hispanics through the PMI Program.
The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) was involved in a substantial recruitment campaign for entry-level auditors at the GS-5/7 level. DCAA formed a very successful partnership with the OPM Philadelphia Service Center and with OPM's San Juan Service Center. DCAA hired nine HACU interns in FY 2000 and eight Hispanics under the Student Educational Employment Program. Of the 452 auditors who entered on-duty in FY 2000, 14 percent were Hispanics.
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) disseminates job vacancies through the Federal Executive Board's Hispanic Employment Program committee. Announcements are mailed and /or faxed to community colleges and universities with a significant number of Hispanic students.
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has developed a Hispanic Employment Plan to improve the representation of Hispanics in its workforce. This strategy will be used to recruit, advance, and retain qualified Hispanic candidates in the Agency's workforce. In FY 2000, DIA sponsored a Collegiate Information Exchange Summit, which provided an opportunity for DIA and HSIs to develop effective relationships. The summit was used as a means to 1) cultivate HSIs as a recruitment source and supplier of talent, 2) cultivate HSIs as suppliers of vendors of products and services that the agency requires to accomplish its mission, and 3) include HSI faculty in academic dialog and partnership efforts. DIA monitors the progress of Hispanic employees through the collection of quarterly data from senior leadership and human resource personnel. This data provides detailed information on the status of Hispanics at the agency, including recruiting/hires, training, career development opportunities, and awards.
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has developed a Plan of Action for the HEP, which includes goals and objectives that coincide with OPM's guidelines. DLA maintains an ongoing relationship with professional organizations such as Women in Science and Engineering, NAHFE, and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) to seek candidates for employment with DLA in professional positions.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense's (OSD) report covers activities of 12 Defense organizations. The OSD continues to use two videos and an interactive CD-ROM for external recruitment purposes. The first video, "Careers for the 21st Century," is used to inform participants at career and job fairs at national-level conferences, colleges, and universities about the wide gamut of job opportunities within the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Defense agencies. The second video and the CD-ROM are entitled "Words of Experience." The video is targeted toward graduate students interested in the PMI Program at OSD. Copies of the CD-ROM are mailed to colleges and universities, specifically targeting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and HSIs.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed its Hispanic Outreach Strategy as a result of its first National Hispanic Stakeholder Conference held in 1999. This strategy is based on community partnerships, economic opportunities, education pipeline, and employment and professional advancement. The Hispanic Employment Program Advisory Council in Philadelphia hosted its second annual mentor program for students from a local high school. The students spent six weeks with a mentor/supervisor helping them in their daily technical work. The agency has established agreements with Inter American University of Puerto Rico and with the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. It hired 11 Hispanic students under the SCEP. Six Hispanic employees from among 29 interns participated in the EPA Intern Program. This program is a comprehensive entry-level, permanent employment and career development program. The agency has a full-time HEP Manager and around 30 collateral-duty HEP Managers. They are an integral part of the National Recruitment Strategy.
The Export and Import Bank's (Ex-Im Bank) Office of Human Resources and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs work collaboratively to develop recruitment methods and sources that help Ex-Im Bank simultaneously meet its agency goals and FEORP objectives. Ex-Im Bank is listed in "The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education" and in "The Hispanic Business Federal Resource Guide" as a source for job information. Four, or 14.5 percent, of employees participating in its Tuition/Professional Development Program are Hispanics.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appointed four Hispanic students under the SCEP. Program participants receive mentoring and career-related classes to enhance their work experience and motivate them to pursue higher education and Federal careers. As the budget permits, students are brought on board in full-time positions after graduation.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hired two Hispanics through the PMI Program. Hispanics made up 160 or 3.7 percent of the new hires, including one hire at the Senior Executive Service (SES) level. Hispanics represented 3.8 percent of the new SES hires. Five Hispanics (12.8 percent) were converted into SES positions during FY 2000. In FY 2000 the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) funded "Saludos Hispanos" as a recruitment strategy. It is an online recruitment package that includes the capacity to post vacancy announcement on the web and is linked to CFSAN's web site. It also has the capacity to be linked to several universities in Puerto Rico, Panama, and the United States.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) established a "10-Point Plan" to improve the recruitment and career development of Hispanics. HUD's Annual Performance Plan and Business Operation Plan calls for HUD to increase the percentage of Hispanics in its workforce to 7.3 percent in the year 2001, with additional goal increases as appropriate in future years. Some of the points of this plan include: making recruitment for vacant positions open to all sources, including the SES and managerial positions at grade levels GS-13 through 15; revitalizing the HEP Committee; and participating in the HACU National Internship Program.
The International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) appointed a HEP Manager. The HEP has initiated the development of agency-wide programs to improve opportunities for recruitment, selection, and promotion of Hispanics. During FY 2000, seven (8.5 percent) of the agency's newly hired workforce consisted of Hispanic employees.
The Department of Labor (DOL) used a variety of strategies to enhance its outreach efforts and to disseminate information about its job opportunities. These strategies included sponsoring and participating in career fairs and conferences, networking with HSIs and their faculty, placing ads in Hispanic publications, and conducting workshops for targeted audiences. DOL sponsored a very successful career fair at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico which was co-sponsored by all universities in the Island. The career fair resulted in 330 applicants registered and several offers and hires. DOL conducted workshops for high schools with high concentration of Hispanics. The department hired 20 HACU interns and 27 Hispanics through the Student Educational Employment Program in FY 2000. DOL awarded $2,436,000 in grants to HSIs for partnership-building and skills training. In FY 2000, DOL assigned two Hispanics to the Senior Executive Service. DOL has a full-time departmental HEP Manager.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) continually analyzes the diversity of its workforce to plan targeted recruitment. The agency reviews internal process and systems to determine whether there were any internal barriers precluding the advancement of minority candidates. NASA provides employment information to students, faculty, and the Hispanic community via web sites, Center specific recruitment pamphlets and educational brochures, and the publication, "How to Access Information on NASA's Education Program, Materials, and Services." The Agency's HEP Managers have formulated strategies that will facilitate and provide meaningful work opportunities for students participating in the program. NASA hired 12 Hispanics under the PMI Program. During FY 2000, NASA Centers conducted extensive programs to mentor and motivate young people to pursue higher education and Federal careers. For example, the Johnson Space Center co-sponsored the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference Pre-College Career Day Program for middle and high school students. About 8,000 students attended the program held on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso.
The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) has determined that women and minorities are underrepresented in the agency's mainstream occupation. To eliminate this underrepresentation, NCUA will continue to utilize an array of recruitment and appointment approaches. It will maintain a close relationship with the American Association of Hispanic CPAs, National Association of Black Accountants, American Association of Women Accountants, and Asian American Certified Public Accountants.
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) regularly sends its vacancy announcements to HACU and other organizations with large representation of Hispanics. PBGC had 45 employees who volunteered their time to mentor students at local elementary schools with high Hispanic enrollment.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has targeted HSIs with majors in engineering and science for recruitment purposes. These schools include the University of New Mexico, Florida International University, and New Mexico State University. In FY 2000, the NRC attended 14 career fairs targeting Hispanic students. The NRC made more than 20 job offers to graduating students at the University of Puerto Rico Career Fair in October 2000.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) worked with HACU to bring students attending institutions with high Hispanic enrollment greater access to Federal employment job information. OPM presented the University of Puerto Rico in Carolina, Puerto Rico, with a Federal Employment Information (Touch Screen) Computer Kiosk (each a value of $13,000). This makes a total of 19 kiosks sponsored by OPM in institutions with high Hispanic enrollment and brought to 69 the total number of kiosks placed in institutions with high Hispanic enrollment and minority-serving institutions throughout the Continental United States and Puerto Rico. OPM, NAHFE, the Department of State, and Department of the Treasury co-sponsored the third Hispanic Executive Summit. The purpose of the meeting was to provide an opportunity for Hispanic executives to discuss their views and ideas for increasing the number of Hispanics in the higher levels of Federal service. OPM signed partnership agreements with the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Federal Employed Women (FEW). OPM published statistical profiles of Women, Hispanics, Blacks, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans in the Federal workforce. By the end of FY 2000, OPM took the lead in the preparation of Executive Order 13171 on Hispanic employment signed by the President on October 6, 2000. OPM awarded a five-year, $1.8 million contract to HACU to provide recruitment and screening services for referrals and interns for developmental assignments under the HACU National Internship Program. This initiative resulted in 25 HACU Interns for FY 2000.
The Department of the Treasury maintained 20 touch screens computer kiosks of which 12 were in HSIs. In FY 2000, Customs had two Hispanic PMI participants and the Financial Management Services converted four interns to permanent full-time positions. Treasury reported that two GS-15 Hispanics are pursuing career development assignments, one of whom was selected for the SES Candidate Development Program.
