Melwood and Partners Awarded $8 Million to Expand IT & Tech Career Training Opportunities for Neurodivergent Individuals

October 16, 2024

The grant will help scale Melwood’s AbilIT training program to national level

Upper Marlboro, MD – Melwood, a leading employer, advocate and preferred provider for people with disabilities, together with its partners – KPMG, LLC the University of Maryland; the University of Washington – School of Information; Relay Resources and VersAbility – has been awarded an $8 million Department of Education grant to expand critical work in advancing career training opportunities for neurodivergent individuals, specifically in the IT, tech, and cyber security sectors.

The grant will help fund roughly 80% of the costs required to expand AbilIT Across America: Advancing Neurodiversity in the Workplace, a skills-based training program that leverages the untapped potential and talent of neurodivergent people for careers in information technology and cybersecurity. Approximately $2 million of the program’s expenses will be covered by Melwood donors and operating funds.

“This public-private partnership will enable us to implement a strategy to solve national labor shortages in the IT & Tech industry while strengthening the ability of regional nonprofits to provide critically needed programming to advance careers for people with disabilities,” said Melwood President & CEO Larysa Kautz.

The five-year project will build upon Melwood’s abilIT training program, which relies on a winning combination of soft and technical skills training to prepare graduates for earning industry-recognized IT and tech credentials and stable employment.

AbilIT Across America will expand these opportunities for neurodivergent individuals in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the Hampton Roads region of Southern Virginia, while building out a Train-the-Trainer program through strategic support and partnership from VersAbility and Relay Resources. Together, the three partners aim to train 900 individuals over five years and to solve several problems simultaneously: significant rates of underemployment and unemployment among neurodivergent adults; the growing need for talent in IT and tech sectors; and the lack of a national cohesive solution.

“Relay Resources is thrilled to collaborate with Melwood and VersAbility on this strategic initiative to provide contemporary skills training and career development opportunities in the technology and cybersecurity industry for neurodivergent and disabled people,” said Relay Resources President & CEO, Dr. Jennifer Camota Luebke.

“VersAbility is thrilled to partner in training neurodiverse individuals for successful careers that realize their full potential while meeting a critical IT/cyber-talent need in Hampton Roads and beyond,” said Kasia Grzelkowski, President and CEO of VersAbility Resources.

Additional partners, including KPMG, LLC, the University of Maryland, and the University of Washington – School of Information, will provide further support to curate best practices, provide access to leading subject matter experts, and project monitor and evaluation to ensure the program’s success and future growth.

About Relay Resources: Relay Resources is the leading social enterprise nonprofit in the Pacific Northwest with a mission to transform workplaces and communities by championing disability inclusion. The organization employs over 800 team members in janitorial, building solutions, landscaping, document solutions, and supply chain solutions, serving customers in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, Relay Resources has 850 affordable housing units and more than 1,500 residents, of which 27% of household units have a household member with a disability. Learn more at relayresources.org.

About VersAbility Resources: VersAbility Resources is a leading provider of comprehensive services for people with disabilities of all ages. We are a nonprofit headquartered in Hampton, Virginia, serving more than 1,500 people with disabilities annually in the Hampton Roads region, the 10 counties on the Middle Peninsula and beyond.