Pennsylvania to Recruit Neurodiverse Talent for Cyber Careers

(TNS) — With thousands of open cybersecurity jobs in Pennsylvania, people will be needed to fill them — including those on the autism spectrum, or those with other neurodiverse conditions such as ADD or ADHD.

A newly announced program, the Neurodiversity Cyber Initiative, will help connect those individuals with jobs in the cybersecurity field.

LindenPointe officials announced the program Tuesday during a visit by White House National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. at the eCenter@LindenPointe in Hermitage.

LindenPointe Development Corporation Executive Director Bradley Calleja said the program will be a collaborative effort between the eCenter’s Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center, or PCC, and the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst, or AIM, at Mercyhurst University in Erie.

Calleja said AIM provides different learning experiences, including cybersecurity, for neurodiverse students at Mercyhurst.

LindenPointe’s PCC provides cybersecurity training for students in high school and college, and adult learners.

Through the Neurodiversity Cyber Initiative, students can dual-enroll in both Mercyhurst and the PCC, which Calleja said could potentially feed students into both programs.

“From a dual-enrollment standpoint, we believe that we have a really well-structured program on our end, and we can just work directly with them,” Calleja said of AIM.

“And the fact that they already have something in place, they have the leadership and the talent, is just terrific.”

Craig Columbus, chair of the LindenPointe Development Corporation’s board of directors, said about 70 students with autism were enrolled at Mercyhurst, with cybersecurity being the most popular major among those students.

As the father of a 25-year-old with autism, Columbus said he understood the process may not necessarily be easy for those students or their families, due to each impacted person’s unique needs and circumstances.

“When you’ve met one person with autism, then you’ve met one person with autism, because their needs are very diverse,” Columbus said.

During a panel discussion held later that day, Dr. Christopher Mansour, chair of the Computing and Information Science Department at Mercyhurst University, said neurodiverse people can be uniquely suited for a career in cybersecurity.

“They have different ways of approaching problems, and they can think outside the box, which is what you need for this kind of field,” Mansour said.

Calleja said the Neurodiversity Cyber Initiative will begin in January.

“We are grateful to the Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center in supporting the launch of this innovative dual enrollment program that combines Mercyhurst’s strengths in neurodiversity and cybersecurity,” Ryan Palm, project initiator and executive director of the Brad McGarry Center for Neurodiversity at Mercyhurst University, said in a press release.

“By integrating our Autism Initiative with our Cyber Security degree, we are not only addressing a critical workforce need but also creating opportunities for students on the autism spectrum to excel in a field where their unique skills and attributes are incredibly valuable. This initiative is a testament to our commitment to inclusive education and the future of cybersecurity.”