Breaking the Mold
Gaping market holes are rare. Rarer still are stakeholders in the market who cannot fill the gap despite significant resources. Lime Connect's approach to filling the gap is simple - follow proven practice.
Lime Connect understands that the gap between the corporate community and the disability community exists because of a language barrier. Corporations are focused on creating shareholder value, and maximizing return on investment. A person with a disability is focused on maximizing their potential and being a full partner in the global economy. By bringing these complementary goals to the same table, Lime Connect works to put talent together with opportunities - attracting, preparing and connecting intellectual capital that partners likely do not have access to otherwise.
Put bluntly, Lime Connect is not your typical "disability group."
Real careers.
Real frontier markets.
Real opportunity.
New York Jets #49 Tony Richardson and Lime Connect global board member
Patty Watson, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
We are proud to have Bank of America Merrill Lynch and PepsiCo as global founding partners of Lime Connect. These two corporations blazed a trail and realized the value of our work in the days when Lime Connect was not much more than a vision of a future state. We are also proud to have Google and Target as leading partners, and Goldman Sachs as partner.
In Canada, we expanded on our best of class partnerships with Lime Connect Canada founding partners BMO, IBM Canada, RBC and TD Bank Financial Group. As a benefit of their level of partnership commitment, Bank of America, PepsiCo and Google participate in Lime Connect Canada programs as well to tap this pool of talent.
We are currently in various stages of partnership discussion with additional best of class corporations that represent new industry career opportunities for Lime Connect candidates.
Our partners understand the vast pool of talent that exists in candidates with disabilities, and the facts include:
- 1 in 10 students on university campuses today has a disability, and approximately 1 in 5 individuals in general has a disability.
- For every 10 students who are registered with disability services, another 6 are not because they do not require an accommodation.
- The percentage of college freshmen with a disability has more than tripled in the last 20 years.
- 90% of all disabilities on campus are "invisible" - including learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, medical conditions and more. 70% of disabilities in general (non-campus) are invisible. When a disability is invisible, the fear of disclosure can be great.
- Students with disabilities are intimidated by the standard corporate recruiting process, and only an estimated 30% enter the regular stream. The other 70% are underemployed, or remain in academia - which is seen by many as a "safe environment."
- Experienced candidates with disabilities can also be intimidated by the standard corporate recruitment process and as a result not seek career advancement.
- Lime Connect puts talent first and disability second. Lime Connect candidates compete, as they desire to do, with all other candidates for positions. We don't ask, or want, our partners to set aside "special jobs for special people," and we work with our university partners to see our candidates' talent and intellectual capital lead them to success.
Lime Connect, and our brand that says partnership is about a fresh approach to being "smart" and not about being "nice," attracts the talented candidates our partners want to see.
