We believe every Neurodiverse person should have a fair, equal chance to find a meaningful, fairly-paid job they love.
We work with Neurodiverse people, supportive employers, and partner organisations in the space of Neurodiversity to battle the inequities that many face in the workplace of today for Tech Firms around the UK and beyond.
Brilliant Minds is building a network of people who are passionate about helping organisations in the Tech Sector make the workplace more engaging, accommodating, and accessible for every employee, regardless of how they think, perceive the world around them, or work most effectively.
Who We Support
We support anyone who identifies as Neurodiverse and has an interest in the Technology sector. We’re not hung-up on labels, and we don’t require any formal diagnosis for someone to access our services. We recognise that finding meaningful work can already be surprisingly difficult in the Neurodiverse community, and we don’t believe in creating even more barriers.
We also know that within the Neurodiverse community, everyone is different. Our aim is to find the right balance, engagement and approach for you as a person – as unique, individual and independent as you are.
Why We Exist
In the UK, the overall employment rate is about 75% of people who are of working age. For Autistic adults, the employment rate is just 16%. That means 5 out of every 6 autistic adults who could be enjoying meaningful employment are currently out of work.
There are many fantastic charities, social enterprises, businesses and local or central government schemes to help under-served communities find work, but these services are mainly built around the traditional work environment, often within a local community and with a small group of potential employers.
In a post-COVID world, employers have seen that alternative ways of working and providing an inclusive, flexible, and equitable workplace unlocks a huge pool of untapped talent. This goes not only for Neurodivergent people, but for all members of the workforce. This fact reinforces one of our core beliefs – most accommodations that help Neurodivergent people can help everyone in the workforce too – whether Neurodivergent or not.
Our goal is to work with both employers and those seeing employment in the Tech sector to craft the workplace of tomorrow – helping build open, accessible and progressive opportunities for Neurodivergent people to shine, and see their full potential. A key part of this is our Neurodiversity in Tech Network – click the link below to learn more.
Why We Exist
In the UK, the overall employment rate is about 75% of people who are of working age. For Autistic adults, the employment rate is just 16%. That means 5 out of every 6 autistic adults who could be enjoying meaningful employment are currently out of work.
There are many fantastic charities, social enterprises, businesses and local or central government schemes to help under-served communities find work, but these services are mainly built around the traditional work environment, often within a local community and with a small group of potential employers.
When the pandemic hit at the start of 2020, businesses were forced to change – to be more flexible, support remote workers and adjust their working practices. Almost overnight, home–working became normal for millions of workers, and this has created new opportunities for the Neurodiverse community. Many of the barriers to traditional employment have disappeared and a whole new world of freelancing, open talent and the gig economy has opened up.
The open talent model has grown steadily over the last 10 years, but in 2020 has seen rapid growth as jobseekers and employers alike recognise the future of work has suddenly become the present. As a freelancer it doesn’t matter where you live, where you work or where your employer is based in the world.
Brilliant Minds will bring the world of open talent to the UK employability sector and will offer a safe, secure and supported environment for neurodiverse talent to thrive. We will help Neurodiverse people navigate this new and exciting world of work and provide the necessary support through our network of partners.
Our Story
Gary, Neil and Josh are fathers of children and young adults on the autism spectrum, who were frustrated at the lack of employment opportunities for people with autism and the wider Neurodiverse community and decided to do something about it. Many autistic people are disadvantaged, either through having left education with little or no qualifications, by having to cope with the daily challenges of their condition, or through how they are perceived by others – especially employers and co-workers.
Through their successful careers in IT, our founders know that with the right support there are many fantastic opportunities within the IT industry that would suit Neurodiverse people working from home with flexible hours. They have built strong connections with many major global IT service providers who can offer the training, opportunities and support that will help Neurodiverse people build successful careers within the IT industry.
We believe everybody deserves an opportunity to find a meaningful, fairly-paid job they truly want to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
We understand that Neurodivergent people face inequities in all industries and professions. However, our focus at the moment is to help those interested in careers in the Tech industry, as this is where our experience and focus is mostly aligned.
At the moment, we only work with people, organisations and partners in the UK, but we may explore working with partners overseas. If you’re working with Brilliant Minds already, and need to move overseas or spend a long time abroad, we may be able to help find equivalent organisations to provide similar support in another country.
We’ve found many of our visitors may read parts of our website and think “That sounds really familiar – am I Neurodiverse?”. Brilliant Minds isn’t here to help you diagnose a Neurodiverse condition, but we are there to help find meaningful employment for anyone who identifies as Neurodiverse, anyone who thinks they might be Neurodiverse, or anyone who has been diagnosed as Neurodiverse. We don’t require you to have a formal diagnosis – simply personally identifying as Neurodiverse is enough for us.
If you think you might be Neurodiverse, and want to get a professional opinion or a formal diagnosis, it’s best to talk to your GP or or the NHS 111 phone service – both of which can help refer you to the right teams to provide expert guidance.
No, Our organisation (Brilliant Minds Open Talent CIC) is not affiliated with brilliantminds.com or brilliantminds.co.uk.
No, we’re not a charity. We’re a “Community Interest Company” (CIC). That means we’re a limited company with special additional features that make sure we conduct business for community benefit, not purely for private profit. Our company is legally founded on the principle that we want to make a positive change in the world around us, not just make a profit.
If you identify as neurodiverse, and you’re looking for work,
get in touch today to find out what we can do to help you begin your journey.
If you identify as neurodiverse, and you’re looking for work,
get in touch today to find out what we can do to help you begin your journey.
If you identify as neurodiverse, and you’re looking for work, get in touch today
to find out what we can do to help you begin your journey.