Hispanic Employment Program (HEP)
Ramone Garcia is the HEP Manager for BLM Alaska, he is tasked with identifying discriminatory practices and barriers to the employment and advancement of Hispanic employees and applicants for employment. He recommends ways for agency managers to change these practices and remove the barriers. As the HEP Manager he has a critical role in the recruitment program developed by HRM ensuring outreach efforts are making an impact in the Hispanic community.
This program was established initially by a Presidential Directive in 1970. It was designed to assure consideration of the needs and concerns of persons of Hispanic origin in all aspects of Federal personnel management and program delivery. Hispanics are persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
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. Please click here Executive Order 13171 was issued on October 12, 2000, to help improve the representation of Hispanics in Federal employment. It was designed to assure consideration of the needs and concerns of persons of Hispanic origin in all aspects of Federal personnel management and program delivery. Hispanics are persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. to read the OPM Memorandum and the 9-Point Plan identified in the Hispanic Employment Initiatives. 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.
Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month starts September 15, and runs through October 15.
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