Microsoft UK has announced that it will be hiring ten people with neurodiverse conditions - such as autism or Asperger"s syndrome. All ten jobs on offer will be full-time and UK based positions. The initiative will be based on a similar programme that has been piloted in Microsoft"s head office in Redmond, where 11 new employees with autism joined the company.
The UK programme, being based on Microsoft US"s initiative, will likely see it adopt the same interview process. Rather than a typical face-to-face interview, Microsoft selects its new hires via a multi-week academy which puts job candidates at ease and allows them to better demonstrate their skills.
Michel Van der Bel, Microsoft UK CEO, stated that "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.”
By hiring people with autism, Microsoft believes that it can better connect to its customers, many of whom, will themselves have autism. With all the new hires, Microsoft believes it will be able to design and build more inclusive products.
For details on how to apply for the pilot programme, or to find out more about the Autism program in the US, see the last but one paragraph of the announcement.