IT students with autism ready for job

Edited by Julian Isherwood

The first graduates of an IT study programme for students with autism have been hatched. Four out of five already have a job.

“We really think this is fantastic,” says Project Manager Ole Bay Jensen.

According to Vejle Business College that offers the AspIT programme, the five graduates are the first students in the world who have completed a study specially prepared for people with Asperger syndrome (AS).

The AspIT study is a three-year programme targeting jobs in the IT sector.

Strengthens social skills
Asperger is a disorder within the autism spectrum and is characterised by normal or high intelligence. At the same time, people with AS have contact problems and are highly sensitive to stress. They have, for example, difficulties being with many people at the same time.

“Three years ago many of the students had problems socialising with other people, but now they agree to do interviews on television or radio,” says Ole Bay Jensen.

Study programme spreads
Similar programmes have now been launched in Skive, Århus, Odense and Copenhagen and programmes are being prepared in northern and western Jutland.

In Vejle they are now considering whether disciplines other than IT could match the characteristic personality features of autistic people.

Finance, accounting and logistics are on the list and, similarly, within languages there could be translation jobs and proofreading that people with AS could thrive with and be good at.

Source: http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/article635048.ece

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