I am pleased to announce that OPM has again been asked to coordinate the DC Federal Jobs Initiative-Summer 2000. Last year's effort resulted in the hiring of 817 students by 26 participating agencies in the DC Metropolitan Area. Agency commitments to hire 746 students were exceeded by almost 10 percent. We are looking forward to another successful year, and believe that we can attain this year's goal of 1,000 hires by all participating agencies.

To maximize the benefits of this program for both participating agencies and students, we ask that agencies make early hiring commitments. This initiative has demonstrated the benefits of giving students a positive experience with our Federal government and the people in the Federal workforce.

During the 1999 summer program, youths were employed by agencies in a wide array of jobs which included clerical, administrative, health, business, and finance - to name a few. They also received academic enrichment, exposure to the workplace, job and life skills orientation, and mentoring.

Agencies participating in this year's program are responsible for paying the salary of the youths, who generally will be expected to work for a 6-week period (program may run longer at agency's discretion). The DC Department of Employment Services (DCDES) manages student referrals to agencies. Agencies hire students at GS-1 and above under Student Temporary Employment Program guidelines, which can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 5 CFR 213.3202 (a). This effort will also provide agencies an opportunity to recruit students with disabilities, and strengthen our commitment to set the standard for the employment of persons with disabilities.

The prorated commitments of participating agencies were arrived at by taking each agency's average hires for the last three years to determine a percentage of the total goal of 1,000 hires for 2000. The proposed hiring commitment and point of contact for your agency are attached.

An orientation for agency representatives to discuss the Summer 2000 program will be held on March 21, 2000 at 10:00 a.m.

Location:   Office of Personnel Management
                Room 1316 (First Floor)
                1900 E Street, NW.
                Washington, DC 20415

If your agency has not participated in the past and you would like to make a commitment, your participation is encouraged and welcomed. To better coordinate student employment activities between DCDES and agencies, we ask that you identify any changes to your point of contact (POC) by March 30, 2000. Include the phone, fax and email address for your agency's POC. Please provide the requested information to Margaret Bankston (email), Office of Personnel Management at (202) 606-2215, or by fax at (202) 606-0264.

Attachment

D.C. FEDERAL JOBS INITIATIVE - SUMMER OF 2000

AGENCY POINTS OF CONTACT**

DCDES POC: Kathy Ashe (202) 724-7326, Fax (202) 724-7347
OPM POC: Margaret Bankston (202) 606-2215, Fax (202) 606-0264, email

* Justice funded 53 positions in 1999 for five other agencies (FEMA, NTSB, SBA,VA, USIA).

** Agencies will receive an attachment which only shows their proposed commitment.