SAN ANTONIO – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ (HACU) National Internship Program (HNIP) and the new HACU Cooperative Education Program were cited as “best practice” tools for the recruitment of Hispanics into the Federal workforce by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in its fourth annual report on Hispanic Employment in the Federal Government.

Hispanics continue to be the most under-represented ethnic group in the Federal Government. Yet, the Hispanic population is the youngest and fastest-growing population, according to the 2000 U.S. Bureau of the Census. In 2002, the Department of Labor reported that one in three people currently entering the workforce are Hispanic and by the year 2020 that number will change to one in two.

“HNIP opens doors to rewarding careers for our students each year, and provides opportunities for employers to build a workforce that better reflects the rapidly changing demographics of our country,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “HACU applauds the dozens of government agencies and corporations participating in this outstanding program each year for contributing to its extraordinary record of success,” Flores said.

Based on formal Program Evaluations from students and supervisors, the HACU National Internship Program boasts a proven track record. Supervisors all agree that their interns made valuable contributions to their organizations, and they would hire an HNIP intern again. On the student side, prior to an internship, 25% of college students considered the federal government as a career choice; however, after their HNIP internship that number rose to 80%.

The Office of Personnel Management praised Federal agencies who partnered with HACU’s National Internship Program. According to the report, “In 2004, 565 HACU interns worked in 22 agencies in the Washington, D.C. area and field locations throughout the country. Many of these HACU interns were later hired into permanent positions in the Federal Government.”

HACU’s new Cooperative Education Program will allow students to accrue enough on-the-job hours to make them eligible for noncompetitive placement in certain Federal positions. This program was also named as a “best practice” tool for recruitment.

The report identified four “critical areas to addressing the underrepresentation of Hispanics in the Federal Government: community outreach, recruitment, career development and accountability.” The report concluded that Federal agencies that market their missions and careers to the Hispanic community and have active partnerships with Hispanic organizations, like HACU, and reached out to the Hispanic community and to Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) with their recruitment messages, were highly successful in diversifying their workforce.