The NCoE is designed to create a supportive working environment for individuals with cognitive differences
EY has selected Manchester to launch its first Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence in the UK. Manchester joins one of thirteen locations around the world to have an EY Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence (NCoE), alongside Philadelphia and Boston.
The drive to diversify workplaces across all industries continues to gather pace. But while progress is being made to better include employees on grounds of race, gender, sexuality, or class, less ‘visible’ forms of diversity commonly fall by the wayside.
Neurodiversity refers to variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions in a non-pathological sense. ADHD, Autism, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Tourette’s syndrome are all examples of neurodiverse conditions.
Despite neurodivergent individuals often being typically highly proficient in some ‘in-demand’ skills of right now, efforts to accommodate their needs in many workplaces have been muted at best – and so just 22% of autistic adults are in any kind of employment in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics.
In a bid to help the representation and inclusion of neurodiversity in the workplace, Big Four firm EY has announced it will launch its first UK Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence (NCoE), in Manchester.
The NCoE is designed to create a supportive working environment for individuals with cognitive differences; fuelling innovation in technology, bringing a new dimension of creativity, and driving greater diversity and inclusion in the UK workplace.
Stephen Church, Manchester Office Managing Partner and North Markets Leader said: I couldn’t be prouder that EY has selected Manchester and the North of England to locate the NCoE, recognising the innovative spirit in the city and the strength of the community we have locally. We have joined cities around the globe that are opening-up the world of work to neurodiverse individuals, whilst offering local businesses largely untapped talent to help fuel their growth in ways they haven’t imagined before.
Manchester was selected as the first location in the UK based on the quality of local tech talent and the level of community engagement in the North of England.
Globally, EY already has six NCoEs in the US, three in Canada, one in India, one in Poland and one in Spain, with further expansion plans into Europe, South America and Asia Pacific.