The federal government's Rapid Access Project is an attempt to get serious about providing government career opportunities to Canadians with disabilities.

Rapid Access is a new and innovative approach to marketing qualified persons with disabilities directly to department managers, with the goal of helping department managers meet their employment equity goals by increasing the representation of persons with disabilities.

The principle of the program is that persons with disabilities increase their chances of being hired when they're given the opportunity to meet directly with managers.

Rapid Access can be used for the appointment of persons with disabilities to most federal government occupational groups and levels -- for either term or indeterminate positions. The process is quite simple. Once a government department is ready to participate in the program, information on the types of skills needed for positions in that department should be forwarded to a Rapid Access Coordinator.

The Rapid Access Coordinator then searches for and screens candidates with disabilities to ensure that they meet departmental needs. The Coordinator coaches and prepares candidates to meet with managers.

Candidates with disabilities then have an opportunity to meet directly with managers to give a brief précis of their work and experience. Managers will have an opportunity to ask candidates not only about their skills and experience, but also about their accommodation requirements (i.e. workplace modifications and/or assistive devices). The Rapid Access Coordinator will be on hand to answer questions about recruitment, referral and job accommodation.

There is no expectation that the presentation will result in hiring. Candidates should be aware that the primary purpose of the presentation is to give them the opportunity to market their skills directly to managers--not necessarily apply for specific jobs.

However, at the time of writing, a Rapid Access Coordinator was seeking candidates for two Ottawa-based positions: Legal Counsel for the Department of Justice, and Scientific Advisor, Species at Risk, for Fisheries & Oceans. For more information, contact Ghislaine Gagnon at 613/995-0443.

For more information about Rapid Access and the project's points of contact throughout Canada's regions, visit www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/ee/rap_e.htm.