Career Transition Project hits 50 hires since 2015

The Office of Human Resources’ Career Transition Project, which aims to hire veterans and individuals with disabilities into the Pitt community, this month celebrated its 50th hire since the project started in July 2015.

Tom Armstrong and Janet Gerster of the Career Transition Project.As of May, OHR has officially hired 40 individuals with disabilities and 10 veterans through the program.

“It took an amazing vision in those early days, and so much support and assistance from a village of people, to make this program successful,” Tom Armstrong, recruiter for the program, said in a statement on the OHR website.

The Career Transition Project — through Veterans and Individuals with disABILITIES programs — encourages a welcoming and inclusive workplace environment, as well as assisting with job searches, attending career fairs and creating referral resources for those who have been hired at the University.

On behalf of Pitt, Armstrong and fellow recruiters have spoken at 23 career-related events, as well as participated in 18 veteran- and 24 disability-focused recruiting events and eight educational events. Partnerships have been made with 20 veterans groups, 38 disability groups and 180 community partners.

OHR and the Career Transition Project received the 2018 University Prize for Strategic, Inclusive, and Diverse Excellence (UPSIDE) Award in October, which acknowledges programs that employ innovative approaches to increasing diversity and inclusion.

Learn more about the Veterans and Individuals with disABILITIES programs in the University Times.