Frequently Asked Questions
Established in 2011, our Academy prepares customers for office-based careers through courses on technology proficiency and business skills required to get and keep a job. Drawing on our 30+ years of expertise with assistive technology, business compliance and recruiting services, and our widely recognized Academy curriculum, we are pleased to serve all of Pennsylvania and beyond.
Our classroom model switched from in person to online In 2020 during the global pandemic. This provided new ways for Sierra to serve more people with disabilities who want skills to go to work in office settings. Now, those in rural counties and suburbs across the state join with students from Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Allentown, Philadelphia to Learn at Home – Work Anywhere!
Loaner Laptops are provided when necessary. Any skill level is accommodated according to their individual knowledge, skills and individual plan for employment.
Learn at Home – Work Anywhere!
Starting with our most frequent inquiry, who should attend The Sierra Group Academy, we encourage you to read our FAQ’s below or connect with us directly with your questions!
Who should attend our program?
Customers seeking an Office Career, and those needing preparation skills for college admittance
Training provides self-confidence, and proficiency with marketable skills. Grads are ready for jobs. Office clerk, administrative assistant, customer service rep, call center agent, IT help desk, supports broker, data entry, teaching assistant, and more!
Who will benefit from Sierra Group’s Training Academy?
❏ Do you want to gain skills to work at a career in an office setting?
❏ Do you have difficulty or need to master basic computer skills?
❏ Do you need to improve your data entry proficiency to gain office or clerical work?
❏ Do you have difficulty with grasping or retaining variety of necessary computer skills?
❏ Do you find it difficult to use and navigate between all of today’s computer apps?
❏ Do you want to learn Microsoft Office 365 and basic business skills required for jobs?
Learn More by attending our Virtual Tour every Fri. at 10 am
❏ Do you want to learn technology short cuts and master use of your assistive technology?
❏ Do you need to sharpen your skills for collage admittance, including reading and writing?
❏ Do you need a support because of a language barrier (speech or hearing)?
❏ Do you need a service provider that can support your bilingual needs?
If the answer is yes to any of the questions above, our Academy could be right for you!
Training FAQs
• Weekly Hours: 14 hours per week (45 hours per month)
• Breaks: Short breaks hourly; lunch from 12 PM–1 PM
• Average Length: 3–7 months, tailored to the Individualized Plan for Employment that you and your vocational rehabilitation counselor set; and on labor market requirements.
• Software: We provide access to the Microsoft Office 365 Suite, as well as other software apps that you will use during training at Sierra Group Academy.
• Preference: 98% of students choose remote training for flexibility.
What Support do we offer Graduates FAQs
We are committed to employment outcomes for those we train. Therefore, we offer an array of support to help ensure the best possible job placement results can occur for our graduates.
• Graduation Ceremony: Monthly online event via Zoom, your family and your vocational rehabilitation counselor (VRC) are welcome to attend.
• Graduates Are Presented With:
– Certificate of Completion
– Job-ready resume
• Post Graduation Follow Along Support Includes:
– Each graduate is invited to attend our privately funded Peer to Peer Transition to Career Group which meets 3 mornings per week.
– Each graduates job placement needs are discussed with the student and their VRC at the pre-graduation team meeting.
– Job Search Mentoring with Sierra Group Foundation
– Participation in Peer-to-Peer Transition group
– Other supports including need for one to one supported employment in the community is discussed and VRC’s recommend other CSP’s as may best meet every person’s individual employment goal and needs.
Why Choose Sierra Group Academy?
Unique Features
• Technology Mastery: Training on MS365, ZoomPro, Teams, Outlook, AI tools, and internet search practices, tailored to beginner or advanced learners.
• Assistive Technology usage, and training on Microsoft’s built in Technology.
Accessibility Features Integrated into each student’s learning plan as needed.
• Personalized attention within a classroom setting: Provides necessary skill attainment along with self-confidence, camaraderie with others and practice working in online team settings encourages and prepares our graduates to succeed in the modern, often hybrid workforce. Hear what students had to say at their graduation.
• Business Connections: Job leads, guest lectures, and community partnerships with hundreds of professionals across the region, state and country. Affiliations exist with Rotary International, Lions International, and more…
Graduate Support
As with all of our services, what each individual needs is dependent on that person’s skills and abilities, customer choice in providers. At Sierra our support for our graduates encompasses our long standing relationships with thousands of businesses locally, regionally and nationally allows for deep collaboration with job openings, business guests to educate and mentor, as well as our close interaction with other community service providers rounds out our ability to offer privately funded peer-to-peer career transition groups. Additionally, when appropriate, we serve as a SE provider for Job Search Mentoring to assist in online job finding, applications, interview preparation and more!
Our Approach
• Sierra’s Mission: since 1992 is to make a significant and meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve. With more than 10,000 success stories under our belts, we stand ready to serve your employment training needs.
• Our Motto: “Driving up employment for Americans with Disabilities”
• Our core belief: We believe that everyone who wants to work is capable of learning, and succeeding, with proper training and accommodations and a individual plan for employment that augments their core abilities and vocational interests.
We feel honored each time a person chooses Sierra Group Academy as their service provider. We’d love to get to know you during Assessment, or before and encourage you to request a zoom tour.
Still not sure if you should Apply?
• Talk it over with your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) to gain information about all of the service providers you can choose from.
Don’t have a vocational counselor?
• Join our General Information Session.
– Once every month, we host a general informational session to provide information about our program and Guidance on admittance, sources for funding and other resources that might be available to help you.
– Register for our general sessions or Email us at OnlineTraining@TheSierraGroupAcademy.org with “Attend General Session” in the subject line. You will receive an email with an invitation to attend our next General Information Session via Zoom.
Graduate Success Stories
Our Academy training program graduates go on to work according to the vocational goals they selected for their own individual employment plans! We highlight various stories in our Graduate Report publication.
Media, Agency or Legislative Interest Welcomed
To request email copies of our Graduate Report updates, or to request a discussion or interview, contact us. Sharing success stories about how program graduates who are often funded by the public program of vocational rehabilitation go on to enter the workforce and grow their career potential via promotions and/or via preparedness for higher education is something we are available to discuss.
For media interviews, or agency/legislative tours of our program, email OnLineTraining@TheSierraGroupAcademy.org and include “Success Story Information Request” in the subject line.
Still Have Questions?
• Call 1.800.973.7687
• Email Us
Customer Tours:
Fridays, 10 AM via Zoom
Together, we are driving up employment for adults with disabilities!
Request a Zoom Tour of our Classroom in Action
Open to OVR counselors and their customers
SIERRA
Seeking Inclusion for Everyone Requiring Reasonable Accommodation
Request a Zoom Tour of our Classroom in Action!
Every Friday morning at 10 am we welcome VRC’s and potential students to a VIRTUAL TOUR of our Academy classroom!