Inspiring neurodivergent people to work in tech

This week Roseagh Terrins-Hutchinson , Jessica McMillen and I were fortunate enough to join a virtual Kainos mentorship panel hosted by Specialisterne NI as part of their Consider IT programme , designed to inspire neurodivergent people, aged 18+ to start their career in the tech sector. Specialisterne NI is a specialist consultancy that recruits and supports talented autistic people with a diagnosis of Autism, Aspergers, or who have a communication difference in the workplace.

This was a chance for us to share our own stories and journeys into tech with a group of talented neurodivergent folks considering a tech career.

From career pathways to the challenges faced and skills learned, our audience was engaged and asked lots of questions, while others preferred to listen intently.

Discussion covered everything from Kainos apprenticeships, career switching to the day in a life as an RPA (Robotic Process Automation) specialist (I learnt a new term ‘low code/no code’). I personally loved hearing about everyone’s backgrounds - which was both uplifting and inspiring. The sentiment was echoed by Sharon Didrichsen , Specialisterne’s Managing Director.

Sharing some post session survey feedback below from attendees:

“Kainos sounds like an interesting place to work. Christina's story was encouraging and I felt like I could relate to what she was saying”

“A clearer picture of what kind of roles exist in the IT sphere and how they interact. The relationship there between seems a lot more organic and fluid than I expected. Also I got a better idea of the strengths used while employed in the fields occupied by the mentors. It was great to hear from a neurodivergent perspective how they perform their roles and the bilateral adaptations involved as both employee and employer seek to find the best ways of working together. It was a relief to hear that it's not a case of forcing oneself into a rigid mold.”

“(What did you take away from the session?) Opportunities aren't tied to having an IT degree”

?Attendees also reported:?

• Feeling more positive about securing a job
• Feeling more aware of the range of jobs available in IT
• Feeling more interested in and more confident to perform a job in IT
• Giving you the information you need to apply to more roles in IT, and/or undertake further study related to IT

Thanks again to Danielle Keenan for organising and identifying such a worthy organisation to work with. Engaging under-represented groups is a very important part to Kainos' Tech Outreach programme. I look forward to connecting and inspiring more neurodivergent people into considering tech careers in the future.