L to R: Melora Rush (MassHire Metro North Workforce Board), Colleen Moran (MNWB Board Member, Spaulding Rehabilitation), Rick Lafarriere (MNWB Board Member, CVS), Oz Mondejar,(Senior Vice President of Mission and Advocacy at Spaulding Rehabilitation)
On January 22, 2020, Spaulding Rehabilitation held a grand opening for its new JobLab facility located in Cambridge. Well attended by enthusiastic community partners and Spaulding Staff, the opening was a wonderful opportunity to hear from the people who made it happen! Thank you to our board member, Colleen Moran, for her work to bring this to fruition!
From Spaulding:
While the Massachusetts and National unemployment rates have continued to decline among ongoing economic success, the opportunities for persons with disabilities still lags far behind at more than twice the unemployment rate at over 8%. The reasons are many including real and perceived barriers to opportunity. A new center, JobLab, located at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge aims to provide space and resources to help prospective talent and companies connect in a fresh and productive way.
After several years in development and building partnerships to support the goals, a group of government, business and non-profit leaders gathered to celebrate the official opening of the JobLab training space. “Our vision for JobLab is to foster a vibrant space where people in need of training can get the skills to provide them opportunities and for companies to get the exposure to the underemployed community with disabilities. By breaking down those barriers and creating these pathways to opportunity, I’m hopeful we can create a model for others to follow,” said Oz Mondejar, Senior Vice President of Mission and Advocacy.
JobLab is an innovative training suite with classroom space, computers, interview rooms and a quiet work zone housed on the first floor of Spaulding Hospital Cambridge. There is no cost to participate and employers can get access to trained, employment-ready candidates with abilities trained, supported by and connected to community-based organizations. Among the organizations currently involved are CVSHealth, Jewish Vocational Service, MassHire, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Partners HealthCare and Partners for Youth with Disabilities. The goal is to grow even more partnerships in the coming years.
“Core to Spaulding’s mission is finding ways for the communities we serve to achieve the highest quality of life possible. We understand how vital a job is to enhance a person’s overall wellness and dignity. Spaulding is so proud to join with our like-minded partners today to make JobLab a reality,” said David Storto, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners Continuing Care.
Read Spaulding Press Release HERE.