IPC Mouldings is proud to have recently received the Impact Award from Autism NI in recognition of our commitment to inclusion in our workplace.
Autism is a lifelong condition that affects how a person communicates and interacts with others and how they experience their environment. With over 35,000 autistic people in Northern Ireland (www.autismni.org) only 3 in 10 are in full time employment and of that just 35% of those who are working are fully open about their condition at work for fear of discrimination or lack of understanding (Buckland Review of Autism Employment 2024).
At IPC Mouldings we are determined to help address this by increasing our staff knowledge of autism and how to better support neurodivergent employees and build a diverse and talented workforce that recognises and celebrates diversity.
Our staff undertook the CPD-certified Autism NI Impact Award training course which helped us to better understand the needs of our neurodiverse community both from our employees’ perspectives and also from our customers to build confidence and skills in supporting neurodivergent people.
By undertaking the training, we were able to assess our workplace and make relevant changes to create a truly autism-accessible environment. With the support of Autism NI, we developed an action plan to make IPC Mouldings more accessible for our customers and employees.
We have appointed two Impact Champions, Wendy Brown and Alan Welsh who have made IPC Mouldings a welcoming and autism-friendly place to work and who will continue to ensure our employees are supported as we continue our journey of inclusion.
Positive takeaways from our training included:
- Building a neuro-inclusive workplace makes good business sense
- Employees feel valued and supported which reduces stress and improves motivation
- Enables employees to perform their duties effectively, increasing productivity
- Creates a dynamic and resilient organisation
- Widens talent pool of prospective employees
- Ensures our organisation is compliant with all equality and disability legislation
As a leading supplier of injection-moulded parts to the aerospace industry; a sector whose continued growth highlights the need for us to have an increased skilled workforce to undertake new orders, there is opportunity for neurodiverse applicants to come on the journey with us.
Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our business, we are firm believers that every employee should be valued and supported here at IPC Mouldings. By receiving the Impact Award, this affirms our commitment to providing a workplace where autistic people can reach their full potential.
We would encourage other companies to join us and take part in the Impact Award training scheme.
To find more out contact Autism NI https://autismni.org/training-courses/training-for-organisations/impact-award-for-businesses
