Microsoft UK has announced that it’s going to be starting a new pilot program that’s going to make an effort to bring more individuals with Autism and Asperger’s syndrome into the fold. The new initiative is going to be based on something that was done in Microsoft’s Redmond offices last summer, where the company hired 11 people with Autism. Microsoft UK will be opening up 10 positions for this pilot program, structuring the “interview” as a multi-week academy to “help put job candidates at ease and allow them to more fully demonstrate their skills.”
Microsoft UK’s decision to replicate Redmond’s pilot program comes from its dedication to staying true to its mission statement of helping people do great things.
“Microsoft’s mission is to help everyone on the planet achieve more, and by everyone, we mean everyone,” noted Michael Van der Bel, CEO of Microsoft UK. “One of the challenges facing the UK economy is building a skilled future workforce. We can achieve this aim much better if we have a wider appreciation of the skills that are out there. While each individual is different, many people with neurodiverse conditions have skills which include a strong ability to retain information and analyse data, as well as in-depth and detailed computational thinking skills. The possibilities of what we could create together are limitless.”
On top of building an environment that enables those with unique talents to help make the world a better place, this pilot program helps Microsoft’s collection of workers better reflect the people that they’re working for. As the blog post points out, as long as Microsoft is only hiring neurotypical individuals, they can’t understand how to best develop for the over 1 billion people on this planet who live with disabilities. By bringing people with disabilities into Microsoft, the company can better understand how to truly help every person do great things.
If you’re interested in joining the program, you can email your CV to [email protected].
