More than 1 in 100 people and over 700,000 people in UK are autistic, and these people are some of the most talented people in our society who can be overlooked because they may experience challenges in social communication and interaction. I am very interested in how we ensure those with autism can use their skills and get the recognition in their careers that they deserve so it was great to hear from Anna Kennedy who has been a relentless campaign on autism awareness today at the UK Petfood event which was filled with manufacturing and retail businesses. Anna was there to talk about how we ensure the work environment supports those with autism and how we make sure job application processes work to bring out their skills. She has delivered training, provided legal advice and held roadshows to raising awareness of some of the challenges faced by the autistic community. I would strongly recommend having a look at her website and also signing her petition "Who will look after our children when we are no longer around?" which currently has 16,234 signatures.
What will I do to help? Well we do a lot of work around the autistic community at Surrey County Council but we can always do more and I will advocate that we do. I will also make the point that we need to include Anna Kennedy's thinking in our Surrey Skills Strategy work and with those businesses we work with to place apprenticeships so that the autistic community in Surrey is supported in their ambitions and their contribution to our businesses and society broadly.