Neurodivergent Graduates - the next wave in recruitment
An area that will rise in relevance and importance for many employers is tapping into neurodivergent graduates.
It’s well documented and most people would agree - there is a war for talent. Now for sure in some industries and for some skill sets the battles are more hard fought than others.
Companies are starting to explore collaborations with universities and colleges to create practical and real world relevant training programs. The idea is to help fuel the talent funnel of these organisations with people who fit their ideal candidate profile.
Of course, the more traditional approach to running graduate recruitment programs is still strong and attracts high levels of interest from graduates.
What I am hearing more and more though is the desire to create a more aligned intersection between the various graduate sourcing programs and broader organisational diversity targets.
Diversity is a core ingredient in the recipe for creativity. The more variation around the table, the wider the variability in potential solutions will generate.
A growing number of organisations globally realising real, meaningful gains in creativity and innovation by embracing a more cognitive diverse workforce.
This is the intersection that I believe will become a huge catalyst for growth in corporate and social innovation over the next decade. By getting the convergence of diversity programs and graduate sourcing nailed, organisations will create the workforce that will ultimately be the foundation of ongoing success in their respective industries.
Will it be hard to do this and get it right? Sure, if it were easy it would be done and we’d not have the level of conversation on the topic we’re having today.
Will it get easier in time? Absolutely! This, for me, is a certainty. I would be confident to say that in a decade diversity (across multiple cohorts) will be common place as the current wave of graduates mature in their careers and take up the mantle to lead these programs and businesses.
The question we should really be asking ourselves is how do we accelerate?
Is it enough to wait for 10 years? What about those who left school last year, this year? Those that will finish over the next 5 years? How are we serving them and what opportunities are employers missing out on now?
