Goldman Sachs has launched a new paid internship program for individuals on the autism spectrum as the firm looks to increase diversity in its job hires.
Goldman Sachs, in conjunction with World Autism Recognition Day on April 2, announced the launch of its Neurodiversity Hiring Initiative, an eight-week paid internship program open to neurodiverse individuals, who experience autism, dyslexia, developmental disorders, psychological health conditions and ADHD.
Interns will get «on-the-desk» function experience along with mentoring opportunities and training at the American multinational investment bank and financial services company's New York, New Jersey and Salt Lake City offices.
The program is designed to lead to a full-time job at the firm, which said that it expects to place participants in its engineering, operations and compliance divisions, CNN reported.
«Embracing Neurodiversity»
The high levels of unemployment among individuals on the autism spectrum is «a missed opportunity for employers and society, considering this highly intelligent and skilled talent pool embodies intense levels of concentration and dependability, and often higher retention rates than neurotypical people,» Dane Holmes, Goldman Sachs head of human capital management, said in a LinkedIn post.
«At Goldman Sachs, we believe who you are - including everything that makes you unique - contributes to how you add value to what you do. And so, we are committed to fostering a supportive environment that welcomes and celebrates all of our differences,» Holmes said about the program.
Autism at Work
Goldman rival J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. launched its Autism at Work program two years ago. Since then, the firm has hired more than 100 individuals with autism to its workforce, including one brought in at the vice president level, across more than 20 roles representing 10 lines of business in six countries.
«Our autistic employees achieve, on average, 48% to 140% more work than their typical colleagues, depending on the roles,» James Mahoney, executive director and head of Autism at Work at Chase, said.
