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Our Mission
Empowered Access (“EA”) seeks to cultivate a naturally diverse and qualified talent pool within the financial services sector by empowering individuals from underrepresented backgrounds with the exposure, network and resources necessary to navigate the sector's increasingly competitive job market.
Three Pillars for Progress
Several structural challenges within the financial services sector impede the efficacy of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives (see The Challenge). Empowered Access employs Three Pillars for Progress as a long-term approach to address these structural challenges and achieve a lasting impact.
Exposure
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Due to progressively accelerated recruiting timelines and an increasingly qualified candidate pool, students need to be exposed to opportunities across the financial services sector as early as possible in their college experience to ensure they can effectively pursue their chosen field of interest
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Through on-campus and virtual information sessions, EA empowers students with (i) exposure to different career paths and (ii) knowledge of the steps required in order to become a qualified candidate for those respective career paths
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EA’s information sessions combine class-room style education with perspectives from industry professionals to help students through career path discernment and set them on the right path
Network
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While “Exposure” is meant to point candidates in the right direction, many students require ongoing guidance to help navigate their own unique challenges
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The Empowered Access Mentorship Network was established to provide students and young professionals with the opportunity to learn from the experience and guidance of those who have walked similar paths before them
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The mentorship network enables participants to lend their experiences and knowledge to younger students while also gaining valuable guidance from older mentors as they navigate their own career paths
Preparation & Resources
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In addition to information sessions, EA and its network of partners host a free 6-week workshop for all students
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The first half of each workshop features presenting firms across the financial services landscape to expose students to a wide range of potential career paths; the second half serves as practical and technical training to help students navigate the competitive recruiting processes they will encounter in college and as young professionals
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While interview preparation courses often cost $500 or more, EA and its network of partners provide these materials free of charge to ensure cost is never a barrier for a student to become a qualified candidate