Eastern PA Disability Mentoring Day - Questions? Call 800.973.7687

The Sierra Group Inc. and Wachovia Presented Local Event to Mark 2007 National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Over 16,000 people attended Disability Mentoring Day events across the nation. The program that was created to promote career development for students and job seekers with disabilities through job shadowing, hands-on career exploration and other employment related activities. The Sierra Group Inc., a full service disability management firm in King of Prussia, has served as the Eastern PA Regional Coordinator for this event over the past 5 years. This year they were joined by Wachovia who offered to host the interactive mentoring event at their Center City Philadelphia headquarters.

Greg Redden, Wachovia Mid-Atlantic North Regional Banking Executive, and Wachovia’s Recruiting Consultant Staff, supported Sierra in presenting an event that brought together job seekers with disabling conditions and corporate human resource staff, school and university diversity personnel, community program employment specialists, and governmental representatives including:

Accenture - Contemporary Staffing - Mass Mutual Financial Group - Wachovia Bank - Wistar Institute - Colonial School District - Temple University - AHEDD - KenCIDD - Liberty Resources - the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities - Sierra Group, Inc. - the US Coast Guard - the Philadelphia Veterans Administration.

Jackie Pickering and Carl Marshall of The Sierra Group noted that the large conference room was filled to capacity. Over 30 job seekers had the opportunity to meet with mentors from local Philadelphia companies to complete at least 2 mock interviews. The 45 minute wrap-up session acknowledged just how much both the job seekers and the mentors learned from each other. Job seekers said they “gained good insight into what traits, skills, and experience employers look for in any applicant”, and “how to effectively present their own unique abilities” Corporate representatives acknowledged how they gained more insight to effectively address whether a candidate’s disability will impact their ability to complete the essential functions of the job for which they are applying. Indeed all participants requested to be included in any future events related to increasing employment opportunities and reversing the rate of unemployment for people with disabilities. To learn about future events, go to www.thesierragroup.com.

Previous Year's Events:

On October 18, 2006, The Sierra Group was the Regional Coordinator for Eastern PA Disability Mentoring Day, and Mass Mutual Financial Group (Harris Fishman, Agency President, and Bruce Sham, Agency Vice President) was our gracious HOST company.

Last year's participating companies and organizations.

Aramark
Galia & Johnson Executive Search
Olive Garden Restaurant
PECO, an Exelon Company
Rohm and Haas
Verizon
Wachovia

Community organizations included the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities and Hireability, as well as the Springfield Township School District

View pictures of the 2005 Eastern PA Disability Mentoring Day At Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) is a national program that promotes career development for students and job-seekers with disabilities through job shadowing and hands-on career exploration. More information on Disability Mentoring Day.

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