Adecco Group & USOC Work Together to Help U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Teams Best Achieve their Personal & Professionals Goals

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – Adecco Group North America, the world's leading recruitment and workforce solutions provider, today announced it has renewed its sponsorship with the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through 2012.

Since partnering with the USOC in July 2005, Adecco has served 1,620 U.S. Olympic Movement participants – Olympians, Paralympians, coaches and elite athletes. Adecco Group will continue to provide its comprehensive and industry-leading career transition and job placement resources to the U.S. Olympic Family. These services will include the customized Athlete Career Program (ACP) delivered by the company's talent solutions subsidiary, Lee Hecht Harrison . The ACP supports athletes while training and competing as well as when they integrate into the job market and transition from their athletic pursuits. ACP services include tailored athlete summits and career coaching Additionally, job placement services will be delivered by the company's Adecco General Staffing and Ajilon Professional Staffing business which will provide expert resume development, career seminars and job research and placement.

“The work Adecco Group does with the USOC on behalf of America's Olympic and Paralympic athletes has never been as important as it is in today's economic climate,” USOC Acting Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Streeter said. "Through Adecco Group, U.S. athletes receive invaluable career services and professional support to assist in their transition from the playing fields to the workforce. We will continue our work to enhance career opportunities for our athletes and to support their journeys in sport and in life.”

“At Adecco Group North America we recognize the extreme hard work, talent and dedication that our U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes apply to being successful at their sport while positively representing America on the international playing field,” said Tig Gilliam, Chief Executive Officer of Adecco Group North America . “We are honored to provide these world-class athletes with our world-class career transition and job placement services. With the right career coaching and access to our 120,000 client companies, we are pleased to help these athletes reach their personal and professional goals while achieving our motto of better work, better life.”

“Olympians, Paralympians, and hopefuls often have to sacrifice career goals to pursue their quest to represent America on the world's athletic stage,” said Keeth Smart, two-time Olympian in fencing.  “When I went through the Adecco program a year ago, I was at a crossroads between my professional career and my fencing career.  I didn't want to sacrifice either, but life's demands were forcing me to focus on my professional career and contemplate retirement from fencing.  Thanks to the career coaching and assistance I received from Adecco, not only was I able to continue on my career path, but I also ended my fencing career winning a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing!"

Since its inception, the IOC's Athlete Career Program has grown internationally, and is now implemented in 23 countries.