With a national shortage of more than 500,000 cyber security unfilled jobs in the U.S., NFAR has been working with industry to develop a cybersecurity vocational training program for individuals with autism called NFAR Cyber. Autism specific, it is designed to help launch careers in cybersecurity - a field to which many with autism are well suited with strengths such as strong attention to detail and patterns, sustained focus, technical savvy, and trustworthiness.

NFAR Cyber is a 9-month Integrated Technical Training Program based on industry standard CompTIA  curriculums to ensure the technical material is fully covered and provides an opportunity for participants to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject matter with industry recognized certification (A+, N+, and Security+).

The NFAR Cyber program utilizes hands-on instruction with real-work applications in a simulated work environment, allowing participants to strengthen and build their technical proficiency and employment skills over time while in a safe and supportive space.

Modelled after NFAR’s successful NFAR Tech, NFAR Cyber trains individuals for careers as an entry level cybersecurity analyst and consists of four key processes:

Technical Training:

Program participants will perform system evaluation and testing on an internal test network following the processes and practices supported by industry work samples bringing realism and real-world examples to the program.

The skill building will be reinforced with real onsite work in our cyber lab using real hardware that allows the individuals to fully demonstrate subject matter being learned for deeper understanding.

Soft Skills Training: A large part of our soft skills curriculum is based on the SUCCESS program, a social communication skills program combining evidence-based cognitive enhancement and an executive functioning skills curriculum to help adults with ASD improve the necessary "soft skills" to find and keep competitive work.

 

 

Work Experience: The projects are selected to expose students to real work examples that they would encounter in the industry and are recognizable by potential employers. Includes office skills needed at work, such as MS Office application suite, timekeeping and time management, work management, office communication, and work etiquette. Participants gain work experience through hands-on projects that demonstrate and reinforce the training and skills to be learned.

Job Readiness/Job Search: Includes an Internship Program designed to further a participant’s vocational experience, by working with local employers to offer participants paid work internships. Also, Job Search Preparation allows students learn about the job market and prepare and update their resume to reflect their new training and experience. When available, we arrange for Industry guest speakers and tours will enhance the participants understanding of the workplace and industry.