Recruit autistic talent

Are you looking to benefit from a more diverse workforce?

Our Employ Autism programme can help you hire talented autistic candidates with the potential to transform your workplace culture and productivity.

We support employers to offer paid experiences of work to autistic candidates by providing access to our expert-led training, advice, tools, and resources.

Working closely together, we will review your recruitment and retention practices, benefiting not just autistic young people that participate in the programme, but inclusivity more broadly.

Find out more about our Employ Autism programme

What does the programme involve?

Employ Autism is a programme developed by Ambitious about Autism to help autistic people join the workforce by increasing employers’ confidence in autism and neurodiversity in the workplace. By signing up to our programme you will commit to offering autistic young people paid experiences of work.

What training is provided?

We provide expert-led training to employers taking part in our programme. Members of staff who will directly support autistic candidates will be required to complete our Understanding autism in the workplace training, co-designed with autistic people and delivered by our experienced professionals.

The style and length of the training will depend on the number of placements being offered, the number of employees involved and the overall needs of your business.

What is the time commitment?

We recommend that paid work experience placements are at least eight weeks long. We will support you at every step of the journey, from the recruitment and selection process to the completion of the placement. Our advice and support will help you make adjustments that will support autistic individuals taking part in the programme, and will also benefit your entire workforce.

How many work placements should be offered and over what period?

This is decided on a case-by-case basis and depends on the size and capacity of your organisation, and the range of opportunities available.

What is the financial commitment?

We offer different tiers of support based on your business needs. We will work with you to tailor the support you need to meet your requirements. We expect employers to pay the interns a salary for the duration of the placement.

What types of roles can be offered?

Autistic people have ambitions to work in all sectors and in all different types of roles. The team can help you understand how any role can be suitable for an autistic person and ensure we recruit in a suitable way to match skill sets and interests.

What other benefits does Employ Autism bring?

By taking part in Employ Autism your organisation is a step nearer to achieving Autism Confidence status. This recognise employers who are committed to creating workplaces where autistic people are included, accepted, and understood. Offering paid work experience to autistic candidates is one of five areas that contributes to Autism Confidence status.

Who do you partner with?

We work with a wide range of employers across multiple industries. This includes technology, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, construction, engineering, creative and media and entertainment industries. See our current list of employment opportunities.