Young people with disabilities are expected to get a helping hand with new online IT services thanks to national grant monies garnered by the Computing Technology Industry Association Educational Foundation.

CompTIA announced this week that a $25,000 grant from the NEC Foundation of America would pay for the first phase of the program, which will provide training, mentoring, certification, and job placement assistance. It aims to create employment opportunities so students with disabilities can enter the nation's high-tech workforce.

CompTIA hopes to offer the services to 65 high school students within a year. The program is part of Creating Futures, a CompTIA Educational Foundation initiative to provide career development opportunities for people who have been underrepresented in IT fields.

Employers help identify hiring needs so Creating Futures can tailor education and training programs to give potential hires the technical, business, and communications skills they need.

"Creating Futures is important not just for high-tech companies, but for companies across all sectors of our economy," John Venator, president and CEO of CompTIA, said in a statement. "Virtually every industry relies on technology to conduct business. They also rely on a skilled IT workforce to manage their technology infrastructure. Through this training effort, we are reaching out to new groups of talented individuals who are ready, willing, and able to contribute to the growth and success of our industry."

The NEC Foundation of America started in 1991 with a $10 million endowment. It makes grants to nonprofit organizations with national reach and impact in assistive technology for people with disabilities. Its philosophy holds that technology can advance society and enable people to realize their full potential.