NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Delmarva Power today announced the creation of an innovative program to provide employment to local adults with autism. The program, formed in collaboration with The Precisionists, Inc., a Wilmington, DE-based company that creates jobs for individuals across a broad range of disabilities, provides jobs for dozens of local adults with autism. Delmarva Power will be utilizing The Precisionists’ innovative disability employment model across a number of areas in the business.

“When properly assessed, trained and employed, people with autism are extremely high performing employees in critical and challenging jobs such as administrative business functions, software testing and data analytics,” said Ernie Dianastasis, CEO of The Precisionists. "When you consider that more than 70 percent of people with autism in the country are either unemployed or underemployed, we are making a true difference in engaging a significant, untapped and high-performing labor force right here in Delaware.”

Individuals taking part in the program are identified, assessed, trained and employed by The Precisionists, and carry out project-based work, including managing and updating databases, supporting the processing of solar application invoices and requests, and entering and analyzing data for the company’s customer care organization. In addition to performing work for Delmarva Power, participants also provide support to all of the Pepco Holding’s utilities, which includes Pepco in Maryland and the District of Columbia and Atlantic City Electric in southern New Jersey. All work is performed at The Precisionists Innovation & Technology Center in North Wilmington, DE.

"We are committed to offering fair and equal employment opportunities to people across our region, and we are pleased that this initiative will help us to continue supporting this commitment,” said Gary Stockbridge, Delmarva Power region president.

“A diverse team of people – with different backgrounds, experiences, cultures and perspectives – makes us a better company and a stronger community partner,” said Mike Poncia, vice president of Customer Operations for Pepco Holdings.

Individuals entering the program go through a comprehensive four-week training program, utilizing the methodology of Specialisterne, a nonprofit launched by Thorkil Sonne that offers programs for talent and career development to autistic individuals. As part of the program, Delmarva Power hopes to identify additional opportunities to expand this employment model to other parts of the business, further supporting The Precisionists’ goal of employing 10,000 people with disabilities in the United States by 2025.

Delmarva Power is part of Exelon Corporation, a Fortune 100 energy company with the largest number of utility customers in the U.S. Exelon’s efforts to hire, retain and promote employees from a variety of backgrounds earned it a spot on this year’s “Top 50 Companies for Diversity,” the national recognition from DiversityInc. Exelon also recently joined 150 leading companies for the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to take action to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected.

About Delmarva Power

Delmarva Power, a public utility owned by Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), provides safe and reliable energy to more than 500,000 electric delivery customers in Delaware and Maryland and approximately 130,000 natural gas delivery customers in northern Delaware.

About The Precisionists

The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI), a B-Corporation, is a national company focused on providing industry best practices for delivering administrative and technology services by building teams which include individuals with disabilities. This approach enables The Precisionists to meet each customer’s specific needs, and to deliver projects with the highest degree of productivity. The Precisionists is dedicated to creating jobs for individuals with disabilities in all the markets it serves. The Precisionists, Inc. is headquartered in Wilmington, DE. Learn more at www.theprecisionists.com.

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