“GENIUS ARMOURY” - https://geniusarmoury.com
Genius Armoury is an online environment designed to identify and attract a cybersecurity talent pool from within the autistic community and was developed with support from a consortium of BHP, DXC, Splunk, La Trobe University, Curtin University and AustCyber.
Genius Armoury provides autistic people with little or no prior knowledge an introduction to the cybersecurity syllabus. Developed for people who may be interested in a cybersecurity or ethical hacking career, the course provides a foundation syllabus in an accessible, inspirational and fun format designed to ignite interest and the pursuit of further learning.
The Genius Armoury concept came from the realisation, through our autism employment selection workshops, that autistic individuals considering educational options and career paths have little understanding of the opportunities of a cybersecurity career. When explained, there was often quite a high level of interest in the types of work offered in cybersecurity. This generated the idea of providing an autistic-friendly deep-dive learning experience into the work of a cybersecurity analyst to determine whether this approach could spark interest.
A consortium was formed to successfully apply for a matching grant from AustCyber, and the project was subsequently developed in 2020.
Completion of the Genius Armoury modules enables students who are interested to engage in the Genius Armoury platform information about education and employment options that participants may choose to pursue. Genius Armoury completion provides a completion certificate that can be included on a resume.
Genius Armoury are seeking to partner with educational institutions - to create pathways to their cybersecurity courses - and with employers - to assist in developing their cybersecurity talent acquisition strategies.
ANDREW EDDY
Andrew is the Director of Untapped, a social enterprise focused on developing a sustainable neurodiverse employment ecosystem to increase opportunities for autistic individuals, thereby realising their untapped potential. Untapped is also driving the Neurodiversity Hub initiative (https://www.neurodiversityhub.org) which is about facilitating neurodiverse university students becoming more work-ready and increasing their chances of securing a job and commencing a career.
ADAM EASTERBROOK
Adam Easterbrook is COO at Untapped and helps organisations discover, engage and sustainably manage untapped talent. Prior to joining Untapped, Adam developed and managed the operations for DXC Technology’s highly successful autism employment program known as the Dandelion Program. Adam’s career in IT has delivered complex technology solutions for global and national organisations in Australia and the UK. Adam lives by the beach in Adelaide, South Australia, with his wife Tina.
