HSBC visits Bredon School

HSBC's Elliott Morrison, Senior Manager and Co-Neurodiversity Lead for the bank has been working closely with Cavendish Education in recent months. Both organisations share a passion and commitment to help to raise awareness of the untapped potential of neurodiverse people in the workplace.

As well as arranging for some of our students to visit the HSBC Headquarters in Birmingham earlier in the summer, HSBC also hosted a workshop at Bredon School at the end of last month, for pupils studying towards Level 2 and 3 qualifications in business studies and CISCO.

The workshop explored the unique skills and talents that the pupils felt they had to offer to an employer, as well as exploring possible barriers that they may face when trying to enter the workplace, such as an over-reliance on written application forms.

The pupils split into small groups and worked with an HSBC representative to suggest simple adjustments that employers could consider to 'level up' the application and recruitment process for neurodiverse individuals.

Alongside Elliott at Bredon was Peter McIntyre, Managing Director of HSBC Commercial Banking, their Early Careers Lead, Joanne Reynolds and People Engagement Manager, Lisa Swain. The workshop also included a session on interview skills and how to present the best version of yourself at an interview.

We are so very grateful to the team at HSBC for giving their time so generously. It was an inspirational and uplifting session.

CavendishWORKS is our most ambitious project yet. It has a single world-changing aim: to secure long-term, meaningful employment for all our students when they leave us.

The percentage of neurodiverse adults in meaningful jobs is woefully low at a time when some employers are struggling to recruit. This seems, in part, due to a lack of confidence shown by employers.

By providing awareness, and dispelling myths around neurodiversity, CavendishWORKS is challenging the status quo.

To read more about our project or to get involved as a partner-employer, visit: www.cavendisheducation.com/about-cavendishworks