National Museum of Computing's programme to support autistic people a success at Bletchley Park
The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes is running an annual programme to help people with autism develop employability skills.
It's hoped the programme will address the barriers many autistic people face when it comes to finding paid employment.
Staff at the museum also want to encourage other employers to become more welcoming.
James Walker is one of 20 people on the programme. After a year of volunteering, the museum are keen to recruit him into a paid role.
James says being on the scheme has given him enormous confidence.
Figures say somewhere between 1 in 60 and 1 in 100 people in the UK are currently diagnosed as autistic – and of this only 16% are currently in paid employment.
Many autistic people have a range of skills that enable them to thrive in a wide variety of roles, however, they are often disadvantaged when it comes to getting and keeping a job because of difficulties with social communication and interaction and employers’ lack of understanding.
This programme hopes to combat these issues.
It's especially fitting to run the placement at the museum because so many computing geniuses, like Alan Turing, are believed to have been neurodiverse themselves.
It's a sign of how much talent is being wasted with so many autistic people not given a chance
The programme is being sponsored by Dame Stephanie Shirley CH. Through her charitable Shirley Foundation, she's initiated a number of pioneering projects in autism, working to improve the lives of the autistic community.
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