Our event at The PTS Academy Stadium is getting closer, and it is something which we are delighted to be hosting. This is an opportunity for businesses and organisations from Northamptonshire and surrounding areas to find out more about autism in the workplace. The National Autistic Society findings that just 16% of autistic adults find themselves in full time employment, is something which we feel cannot continue, and we are actively seeking to work with businesses and individuals to create opportunities for people to access the workplace.
I will be very clear with this, and hopefully have been throughout – we believe that it is the environment which should change and not the person. The individuals we work with possess a huge range of skills, and with small changes at various aspects of the employment process will be able to help businesses achieve their goals. At the event we hope to look at some of the practical changes which can be made, and the ways in which you can support existing employees to fulfil their potential.
We are not looking at one particular industry, or one particular role which autistic employees can thrive in, but a complete spectrum of roles which would be suitable. We feel that by starting conversations we can support businesses in accessing people with a diverse range of skills.
The mentoring we are providing thanks to funding from Autism Forward is allowing us to support individuals to access employment, and we are seeing people interested in a range of roles. Alongside this we are also supporting individuals in various aspects of their employment search. We would love to hear from businesses who are open to a new way of doing things, and want to embrace the value of individuals.
Don’t forget to get your tickets here
On a slightly different note it was great to hear such positivity about the future of Northampton at the Northampton BID event on Wednesday evening. We cannot wait to open our café in the very centre of Northampton, and we believe that as a town and county we can help to highlight a national issue by addressing it at a local level.
We believe that with small changes the workplace can become so much more accessible to people who want to work. From my experience the majority of autistic people do not want charity, they want opportunity. Work with us to help a create spectrum of opportunities which will benefit all of those involved.