Symantec Gives Grant to Help Talented People on the Autism Spectrum Find Meaningful Work
San Jose, CA (PRWEB) April 13, 2017 -- Goodwill today announced, Expandability received a $50,000 grant from Symantec Corporation to expand an innovative employment program. Powered by Goodwill, Expandability is a not-for-profit organization that increases accessibility to high-tech jobs for people on the autism spectrum. In a simulated work environment, Expandability will provide training to candidates on the autism spectrum on leveraging real world technical skills and operating in a corporate environment while being connected to employers across industries including financial services, networking, security, and enterprise software.
“Symantec is sponsoring this innovative initiative as a way to recognize that equity comes in many forms,” said Cecily Joseph, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Symantec. “The Expandability program will provide crucial access to high-tech jobs for a group of tremendously skilled people within our community, who are often under-represented by traditional hiring practices.”
“Expandability has a unique opportunity to address a need often overlooked,” said Trish Dorsey, Executive Director of Expandability. “Employers are looking for strong technical talent to fill critical roles. Talented people on the autism spectrum can help fill this gap. With Symantec’s generous grant, we can provide training and make corporate connections that are not afforded with traditional education and recruiting processes.”
The grant from Symantec marks a step forward for Expandability as it extends the reach of the Autism Advantage program. Building on previous success, the Expandability program brings direct access to employers and to people on the spectrum while also raising awareness in the community to their unique skillset. To ensure success, Expandability trains hiring managers and their teams to create an inclusive environment. Continuing to build best practices and engagement will bring more employers and candidates to the program and increase employment opportunities.
About Expandability
Expandability is a not-for-profit 501(c) division of Goodwill of Silicon Valley. Their 5-week training program helps candidates improve their self-awareness and offers techniques to adapt to a modern workplace. Through individual and team exercises in a simulated work environment, each candidate will learn new social skills to allow success as individuals and members of a team. Our programs are grounded in crucial technical skills: Data Analysis/Science, Software Engineering, and Quality Assurance.
About Symantec
Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC), the world’s leading cyber security company, helps organizations, governments and people secure their most important data wherever it lives. Organizations across the world look to Symantec for strategic, integrated solutions to defend against sophisticated attacks across endpoints, cloud and infrastructure. Likewise, a global community of more than 50 million people and families rely on Symantec’s Norton and LifeLock product suites to protect their digital lives at home and across their devices. Symantec operates one of the world’s largest civilian cyber intelligence networks, allowing it to see and protect against the most advanced threats. For additional information, please visit http://www.symantec.com or connect with us on LinkedIn or @Symantec on Twitter.
Katee Peek, Expandability, http://www.expandability.org, +1 408 691 9150, [email protected]
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