Washington, DC- In conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James has launched another series of Federal recruitment fairs on university campuses nationwide. The first of which takes place today at the University of New Mexico.

"OPM joins all of America in commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month," James said. "We celebrate the contributions of Hispanics to help make this country great while ensuring opportunities in Federal government continue to be available to all Americans. A high quality civil service draws from the rich diversity of this nation, and although there is more to be done and more that we expect in terms of assistance from our partners in the private and non-profit sectors, we are making progress."

During the month, OPM will also host recruitment booths and conduct information sessions at Montgomery College in Rockville MD, and University of Texas at San Antonio in San Antonio, TX to encourage the next generation of job seekers to work for America. The university locations were chosen to specifically reach out to richly diverse cities.

"We will continue our nationwide recruitment initiative to bring the best and brightest America has to offer into the Federal workforce," James said. "The student fairs are a part of an overall recruitment initiative that provides an opportunity for students and other job seekers to acquire information on jobs in the public service."

Earlier this year, OPM visited Albuquerque, Tucson, San Antonio, El Paso, Miami, San Diego and New York, and participated in the 2004 League of United Latin American Citizens' National Convention in San Antonio. OPM also deployed senior executives nationwide to share the opportunities for Federal service.

The fairs feature a governmentwide USAJOBS booth showcasing jobs throughout the Nation. OPM volunteers will also be available to assist students with navigating the website, www.usajobs.gov and to provide assistance in applying for the hundreds of opportunities available in the Federal government.

James pointed to the fact that "aggressive outreach is achieving results", noting a number of positive trends found in the FY2003 Statistical Information on Hispanic Employment in Federal Agencies, a report given to President Bush to provide an accounting of the outreach efforts of each Cabinet-level department and major agency. The data showed Hispanic representation in the Federal workforce has increased overall, with increases in management and senior levels.

• Overall, the number of Hispanic new hires increased in FY2003 in the mid-management and senior management grade levels;
• Hispanics in the Senior Executive Service (SES) and other senior pay levels rose from 504 in FY2002 to 524 in FY2003, a 4% increase;
• Hispanic new hires in 2003 represented nearly 10 percent of all Federal new hires.

Under the direction of James, OPM is executing an aggressive campaign to reach qualified candidates and make Federal opportunities available to more Americans.