Employer joins new venture to help neurodivergent into work

Compare the Market among founders of organisation helping neurodiverse people into employment

A leading Peterborough employer is spearheading a national initiative to help neurodivergent people into work.

Price comparison website, Comparethemarket, based in Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, and which has 700 staff, has been named as a founding member of Neurodiversity in Business (NiB).

The organisation aims to help and support neurodivergent people - those with Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, ADHD, Dyspraxia or Dysgraphia, among other conditions - find and secure a job.

While just 15 to 20 per cent or 10 million to 13.5 million people in the UK are thought to be neurodivergent, only a

small proportion are in any employment.

Vic Self, chief product officer at comparethemarket.

com, which is renown for its popular marketing campaign fronted by the animated Russian meerkat characters named Aleksandr and Sergei, said: “We’re extremely proud to be a founding member of Neurodiversity in Business and we’re excited to see the positive change that the forum will bring to so many industries and individuals.

Mr Self added: “At comparethemarket.com we’re dedicated to developing and nurturing a diverse and inclusive workforce.

He said: “We recognise the enormous benefits that having a neurodiverse team can bring and hope that our involvement in NiB will help us to better understand, engage with as well as create more opportunities for neurodiverse individuals at Compare the Market.”

NiB draws upon the cumulative knowledge of neurodivergent experts and leading companies to share best practice and improve the employment and experience of the neurodiverse workforce.

Dan Harris, chief executive of NiB, said: “We are delighted that comparethemarket.com has become a founding member of NiB. It signals their commitment to ensuring a truly inclusive workplace and a desire to strive for the best in diversity and inclusion standards. We look forward to working with comparethemarket. com and all our members in delivering meaningful change for the neurodivergent across business.”

For more information visit: https://neurodiversityinbusiness.org/

Compare the Market is a founding member of the national Neurodiversity in Business.