Hidden talent pool of neurodivergent employees changing UK trades

The last decade has seen a struggle in workforce recruitment in the skills and construction industries. An electrical training specialist comments on how the sectors are not redesigning training and recruitment models for neurodivergent individuals who often excel in practical professions. 

Director of Elec Training, Charanjit Mannu, said: “Often, employers in technical industries are not tapping into the underutilised workforce of neurodivergent individuals. These individuals with diagnoses like ADHD, dyslexia and autism bring valuable skills and individual perspectives to businesses. Whilst so many skills industries are dealing with shortages of appropriately trained individuals, they’re not enticing neurodivergent individuals to apply because of the non-accessible recruitment and training models.” 

Elec Training, a West Midlands based electrical training provider, has first-hand experience of neurodivergent learners and their exceptional ability with problem solving, systematic thinking and task precision. 

Mannu continues: “We have seen many individuals with neurodivergent diagnoses show amazing attention to detail and methodical thinking, which is invaluable in this line of work, and these innate abilities make them perfect for technical trades. All we needed to do was make some reasonable adjustments to our course design to support them.” 

Karen Mills, Business Psychologist from KPF Services, explained: “Neurodivergence is often perceived in terms of an individual’s barriers or difficulties in daily life, however, with these diagnoses comes astounding cognitive strengths such as pattern recognition, problem solving ability and hyper-focus on desirable tasks.” 

Despite these desirable qualities, those diagnosed with autism have the lowest employment opportunities out of all neurodiversity groups. UK government data show that around 3 in 10 people with a diagnosis of autism are in paid employment, in comparison to 5 in 10 for all other disabled diagnoses. 

Mannu states: “The usual process of recruitment through sending a CV, attending a face-to-face interview with complete strangers just does not work for those diagnosed with autism. On top of this, in this sector and with similar trades, word-of-mouth opportunities and informal interviews are very common.” 

Karen Mills went into more detail: “The traditional model for recruitment is built for those with confidence or ability to perform, rather than taking into consideration the individual’s ability and capability to do the role. For neurodivergent individuals this causes a barrier at the first steps of recruitment, often leaving them disadvantaged.” 

Mannu suggests several practical steps that could support recruitment in this sector, specifically for neurodivergent individuals: “Firstly, create clear job descriptions that focus on skills that are truly needed for the role, not desirable or a tick list of potential. Secondly, offer workplace visits prior to the interview so the candidate can get familiar with the environment and the opportunity to meet key individuals in the recruitment decisions. And thirdly, provide several ways to assess the individual’s skill set beyond a simple interview; let people show what they can do, this is their strength!” 

The specialist training provider has identified that these small adjustments in the recruitment environment can improve outcomes for neurodivergent students. By creating an environment that works for them, such as having clear written instructions along with verbal instructions, or by breaking more complex tasks down into bite size chunks. 

Mannu states: “The reasonable adjustments cost little to no money, and they can be easily implemented. They can make all the difference to help neurodivergent individuals thrive in their learner journey and into the world of work.” 

The Buckland Review of Autism Employment, published in 2024, stated that neurodivergent individuals in the workplace can introduce alternative ways of thinking, can support team performance and contribute a wider range of ideas for difficult problems. The Review identified that some of the world’s largest organisations are specifically altering their recruitment models to encourage and support neurodivergent applicants as they see the benefit within the business. 

Karen Mills explained: “The psychological wellbeing of individuals often improves when they are working in a role that suits how their brain is designed to function and at tasks that bring them cognitive joy. Structured roles, that require routine and strict rules, can reduce dysregulation for the neurodivergent workforce. Also, with sensory sensitivities they become a real asset as they often notice subtle sounds, cues or smells that others may miss and potentially identify any problems before they become serious.” 

One common misconception that Mannu wants to dismiss is the common concern of a lack of social skills for those with a neurodivergent diagnosis. Mannu explains: “Many have excellent communication skills, particularly if they are discussing a topic that they have a lot of knowledge and passion for, giving them the added advantage of being able to explain technical matters to customers in a way that is concise.” 

For employers concerned about these workplace adjustments, Mannu suggests that government support is available through the Access to Work Scheme: “The challenges facing the neurodivergent workforce isn’t because of a lack of skill, it is poorly designed workplace processes. By making small changes to recruitment and practices within the workplace, trade employers would have access to an untapped talent pool whilst simultaneously addressing a skills shortage.”