New Project Aims to Help Yorkshire Employers Recruit and Retain Neurodivergent Talent

A ground-breaking project designed to help employers to support neurodivergent people in finding and sustaining meaningful employment has been launched in Leeds with funding from the Communities Innovating Yorkshire Fund.

Led by Leeds-based neurodiversity consultancy ThinkND in partnership with specialist college Lighthouse Futures Trust, ‘Harnessing the Power of Neurodivergence in the Workplace’ is a Yorkshire-wide research project bringing together jobseekers, employees and employers. The project will explore the key barriers facing neurodivergent people at every stage of employment, from recruitment and onboarding to ongoing workplace support.

The research will inform the creation of practical tools and guidance by ThinkND, helping Yorkshire employers to harness neurodiversity as a competitive advantage and strengthen inclusive employment practices. The project will focus on improving recruitment, onboarding and retention practices for neurodivergent employees, with learning and impact designed to benefit employers and communities across Yorkshire and beyond.

Founder and CEO of Lighthouse Futures Trust, Katie Parlett MBE, said: “We know that more employers are recognising the benefits of having a workforce that think differently, which is precisely what neurodivergent employees bring to the table. Our project will give them the practical tools and confidence to enable them to create an environment in which their employees can thrive.”

Co-founder of ThinkND, business and coaching psychologist Paula Louise Dixon, said: “Neurodivergent people are a vital part of our workforce, yet remain one of the most under-supported groups in employment. Too much talent is being lost because workplaces aren’t designed with neuroinclusion in mind, and this project is about changing that both practically and at policy level.”

Kate Dean, neuroinclusion consultant and ThinkND co-founder, added: “Most employers want to do the right thing but don’t always know where to start. By working with employers and employees across Yorkshire, this project will turn good intentions into practical action and show how embracing neurodiversity can strengthen people, profit and planet.”

‘Harnessing the Power of Neurodivergence in the Workplace’ is one of just 22 projects selected from more than 200 applications across Yorkshire to receive funding through the Communities Innovating Yorkshire Fund, a commissioning programme delivered by the Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP). YPIP is a regional initiative bringing together academic, policy and community expertise to support place-based inclusive growth and sustainable living through collaborative research.

YPIP’s aim is to use the findings to help influence and share future government policies. By gathering lived experiences and employer perspectives, the project will create practical tools that can be scaled across Yorkshire and beyond, while informing how national policy develops on good work and inclusive employment.

The project team will work with Sheffield Hallam University to conduct a review of existing research and best practices as well as considering practical insights from industry.

Rich Crisp, associate professor, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) Sheffield Hallam University, said: “The Yorkshire Policy Innovation (YPIP) team is delighted to be working with ThinkND and the Lighthouse Futures Trust who received funding through YPIP’s Communities Innovating Yorkshire Fund to explore how neurodiversity can be harnessed as a competitive advantage in business.

“This ambition aligns squarely with YPIP’s goal to test and scale innovative ways of working to promote more inclusive business practices and expand opportunities for groups to overcome the challenges and barriers to good jobs they face.”

The project team is recruiting neurodivergent individuals, either in work or seeking work, as well as employers of different sizes and sectors, to help the team to understand current approaches to neuroinclusion. The project will run until June 2026.