Asian American and Pacific Islander Initiative

 

Welcome to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Initiative website! The AAPI Initiative is part of the Department of Commerce’s (DOC) efforts to address and assist in reversing the underutilization of AAPIs at DOC and better serve the nation's AAPI community.

 

The AAPI Initiative seeks to recruit talented candidates for employment with DOC; retain, promote, and develop current employees; and create a pipeline for addressing current and future workforce needs.

The AAPI Initiative is tied to our Equal Employment Opportunity policy.  Through the AAPI Initiative, DOC is seeking to build relationships with AAPI communities and engage them in DOC’s mission of ensuring and enabling this Nation’s economic growth and development.  The AAPI Initiative calls for strengthening departmental outreach activities in a comprehensive effort to promote partnership opportunities with the AAPI community in three critical areas: employment, education, and business opportunities.

 

All Federal agencies, including the Department of Commerce, must take a proactive stance in addressing AAPI underutilization in the Federal Government.

The Census Bureau reports that by the year 2050, or sooner, 33.4 million U.S. residents will identify themselves as Asian. They would comprise 8 percent of the total population by that year.  This significant increase in the AAPI population has given rise to a large influx of AAPIs into America’s workforce. The DOC must be prepared to effectively manage the recruitment, selection, hiring, retention, and development of AAPIs in its workforce.

 

News!

 

2019 AAPI Heritage Month #ThisIsMyStory Event

 

 

 

On Tuesday, May 21, 2019 the DOC's Office of Civil Rights hosted a storytelling showcase, #ThisIsMyStory, at the Commerce Research Library in honor of the 2019 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

 

Moderated by Senior Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Specialist, Cristina Bartolomei, the TED-talk-like event provided a forum for AAPI individuals and AAPI advocates to speak about their experiences with the community. The Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, Sarah E. Kemp, opened the event by speaking about her professional and personal experience with the Asian community, having lived in several Asian countries throughout her lifetime.

 

Five DOC employees from various bureaus were also given the opportunity to share stories on identity, inclusion, culture, and more. The employees were Dr. Lisa Ng, Mechanical Engineer, Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology; Pauline Truong, Conference Coordinator, Public Affairs Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology; Son Lam, Management Analyst, Economic Development Agency, Jawad Syedain, Senior Data Analyst, Office of Civil Rights, Office of the Secretary; and Dr. Suchira Pande, Patent Business Analyst, Office of Patent Information Management, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

 

Please enjoy the recording above and explore images from the event by accessing this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/171603259@N03/40944357403/in/album-72157708725788774/

 

For more information about this and other initiatives, contact ocr@doc.gov.

 

 

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About the AAPI Initiative

All Federal agencies, including the Department of Commerce, must take a proactive stance in addressing AAPI underutilization in the Federal Government.

The Census Bureau reports that by the year 2050, or sooner, 33.4 million U.S. residents will identify themselves as Asian. They would comprise 8 percent of the total population by that year.  This significant increase in the AAPI population has given rise to a large influx of AAPIs into America’s workforce. The DOC must be prepared to effectively manage the recruitment, selection, hiring, retention, and development of AAPIs in its workforce.

 

Mission

Address the underutilization of AAPIs at all levels of the DOC.

 

Objectives

  • Ensure that AAPIs are proactively recruited in order to fill vacant positions at all levels of the DOC.
  • Create a workplace environment where AAPI employees are valued.


 Strategic Focus:  Education

 

  • Ensure that prospective AAPI applicants are aware of DOC as an employer of choice and of the opportunities for AAPIs at DOC.
  • Ensure that AAPI employees are fully developed and prepared to assume positions of greater responsibility.
  • Ensure that the DOC is aware of the culture, concerns, and issues of its AAPI employees and the AAPI community it serves.

 

Strategic focus:  Partnerships

 

  • Establish cooperative relationships with both internal and external organizations in order to respond to the mission and goals of the DOC.
  • Ensure that AAPI goals and objectives are fully integrated in DOC strategic planning. 

 

Strategic focus: Communication

 

  • Communicate AAPI initiatives throughout the Department and to external organizations.
  • Create the image of the DOC as the premier employer of choice for all demographic groups.

 

Core Functions


Outreach and Recruitment

 

  • Identify opportunities
  • Identify and recommend outreach activities
  • Monitor and evaluate DOC AAPI outreach and recruitment activities

 

Retention

  • Analysis and Research
    • Conduct workforce demographic analysis
    • Monitor exit and mobility trends
    • Conduct research and studies

     

  • Workplace Issues
    • Language
    • Benefits
    • Workplace environment
    • Benchmarking

     

Development

 

  • Identification of high potential employees.
  • Assist employees with career planning and development actions.
  • Help identify internal and external learning opportunities and institutions.

 

For more information about this and other initiatives, contact ocr@doc.gov.

 

Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
U.S. Department of Commerce

Send questions and comments about this page to OCR@doc.gov
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