As ADHD Awareness Month brings neurodiversity into focus, a new partnership between logistics business GXO and disability employment charity DFN Project SEARCH highlights how employers can make workplaces more accessible to young people with a learning disability and/or autism.
The organisations are launching seven supported internship programmes, designed to help young adults develop the skills, confidence and experience needed to secure meaningful, paid employment.
The initiative comes against a stark employment gap. Fewer than 5% of people with a learning disability in England and Scotland secure paid work after completing their education, compared with around 80% of their peers.
Taking neuroinclusion beyond awareness
Raising awareness of neurodiversity is an important first step, but creating genuinely inclusive workplaces requires practical action to remove barriers to employment.
GXO’s partnership with DFN Project SEARCH offers one example of how employers can help. Rather than relying on traditional recruitment routes alone, the programme creates a structured pathway into work for young people aged 16–24 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The year-long supported internships take place entirely in the workplace, combining classroom instruction, career exploration and hands-on learning. Participants receive up to 800 hours of structured, on-the-job training, alongside ongoing support to develop employability and life skills.
This workplace-based approach gives young people the opportunity to learn in a real working environment, build confidence and explore potential career paths while receiving support tailored to their needs.
From internship to permanent employment
The partnership builds on a model that has already demonstrated encouraging results. More than 4,000 young people have graduated from DFN Project SEARCH programmes, with around 60% progressing into permanent, paid employment. The charity operates across more than 200 workplaces in the UK.
For employers, supported internships can provide a practical way to broaden access to talent while helping young people gain skills relevant to the workplace.
Mark Simmons, Senior Vice President of HR at GXO UK & Ireland, said: “We’re proud to be partnering with DFN Project SEARCH to help create opportunities for young people with learning disabilities to gain valuable workplace experience and develop the skills needed for lasting employment.”
He added that logistics offers a dynamic, supportive environment in which people can build confidence, learn transferable skills and explore a wide range of career paths.
Amy Mitchell, Interim CEO of DFN Project SEARCH, said young people with a learning disability, who are autistic, or both have much to offer, but too many continue to be shut out of the workplace.
She described the partnership as an example of what can happen when employers make disability inclusion a priority and create the right pathways into employment.
Building workplaces where more people can thrive
GXO’s initiative demonstrates how employers can turn inclusion commitments into practical opportunities. Creating a more neuroinclusive workplace is not simply about awareness campaigns or individual adjustments; it also means considering how people enter work, how they learn and develop, and what support enables them to succeed.
Supported internships offer one route towards that goal, providing structured learning and sustained support rather than expecting young people to navigate the transition into employment alone.
As employers continue to consider how best to support neurodivergent employees, initiatives such as this highlight the value of working with specialist organisations to develop pathways that recognise individual strengths and potential.
The wider challenge is to ensure that access to meaningful employment is not determined by whether someone fits a conventional recruitment model, but by whether employers are prepared to create the conditions in which a broader range of people can contribute and thrive.
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