Affirmative Employment Program

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all personnel practices to ensure equal opportunity for employment, promotion, and training for all segments of the workforce. The Affirmative Employment Program (AEP) is an integral part of the Equal Employment Opportunity program. The AEP was created to achieve the goals of a workforce that represents our diverse population and to recruit, place, and retain qualified women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

The AEP requires managers and supervisors to develop strategies to effectively recruit, employ, and promote qualified members of target groups that have lower than expected participation rates when compared to their benchmark rates. It also requires managers to identify and remove barriers that impede employment and advancement opportunities for minorities, women, and persons with disabilities.

The objectives of the Affirmative Employment Programs are to:

• Eliminate the existence of work force imbalances of minorities, women, and persons with targeted disabilities within the workforce;
• Ensure minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities have equal opportunity in all personnel processes, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, training, and awards; and,
• Implement the Affirmative Employment Program as a management process to correct barriers that limit employment opportunities for members of a particular race, ethnic background, sex, or because of a disability.