Neurodiversity in the workplace

AMC Training & Consultancy Ltd, based in Lisburn, specialises in safety training, assessment, and workforce support services for the rail industry. They offer clients services, including training delivery, digital support systems, embedded train driver services, and consultancy support.

Matt Taylor, Managing Director, explains how AMC Training & Consultancy recruited Keith, a neurodivergent talent whose skills and strengths have driven the company's business growth.

Flexible recruitment process

"Our recruitment process is informal, but we always focus on finding the right person for the role and team fit. We don’t use rigid criteria in our recruitment process; instead, we take the time to understand what someone can bring to our team and whether they will thrive in the working environment we’ve built."

"We have learned and adapted as we’ve grown. Engaging with external advisers, like the Department for Communities, has opened our eyes to a much broader pool of talent that we might not have considered before. This has led us to become more open-minded and flexible in how we approach our hiring practices."

"We offer reasonable adjustments when recruiting, providing extra time to those who need it, offering different interview formats, and favouring a conversation over a formal interview process. We’re happy to accommodate any candidate who needs it. Our view is that if someone has the right mindset and something valuable to offer us, we’ll find a way to support them through the process."

Taking on neurodivergent talent

"We didn’t intentionally set out to attract neurodivergent talent. It happened by chance when we advertised for an administrative role. Keith had no background in the railway or training industry, but he quickly grasped the importance of training, competence, and safety in a highly regulated, safety-critical environment like rail."

"One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is not to make any assumptions about someone’s background, capability, or team fit. When Keith first joined us, we didn’t know he was neurodivergent, and we weren’t actively thinking in those terms. However, we realised that if we’d followed a rigid recruitment process or judged him only by his CV, we might have missed the opportunity to hire him. The key lesson for us has been to stay open-minded, flexible, and focused on potential, not just experience."

Supporting neurodivergent talent

"We’ve always run AMC Training & Consultancy as an inclusive, family-oriented organisation, so we needed no major changes to our management style. My own son is neurodivergent, with autism and dyspraxia, so creating a supportive and understanding environment is a priority for me."

"We didn’t have a formal induction process in place when Keith joined, as we were still a small, fast-moving team. Instead, we took a gradual, flexible approach to help him settle in. This worked well, as it gave Keith the space to find his feet and start contributing to the business in a way that suited his strengths."

"We focus on flexibility, open communication, and giving people the space to work in a way that suits them. That meant trusting Keith to manage his workload, supporting him where needed, and making sure he felt valued and listened to. That approach has worked well right across our company. This flexibility in our management style enabled Keith’s talents to come to the fore, and he took the lead on developing our content management system (CMS)."

The benefits of neurodivergent talent to our business

"What became clear very quickly was that Keith’s way of thinking brought real value. He saw things differently, worked with real focus, and produced outcomes that exceeded all expectations. We recognised his talent early on when we saw how naturally he started picking up on industry challenges and turning them into simple, functional design concepts."

"What really stood out was Keith’s ability to understand complex problems, visualise a practical solution, and then design and develop clean, user-friendly software to solve it. He brought strong software skills, but in addition to that, he brought curiosity, adaptability, and a genuine commitment to do things well."

"We encouraged him to take the lead on developing our new CMS software. We provided support, including a specialist tech partner, to create the optimal environment for his success. His contribution has been nothing short of transformational. The system he built is not only robust and intuitive but also highly scalable, and it's now a vital component of our service offering."

"Keith’s exceptional talent for problem-solving - processing complex information, spotting inefficiencies, and then engineering clean, intuitive software - has not only given us a distinct commercial edge but also paved the way for new business growth."

"Our CMS has been so successful, we're launching a separate software company to advance it. In recognition of his talent, commitment, and central role in its development, we've invited Keith to become a fellow shareholder."

"For Keith, the role has provided him with a sense of ownership and progression. He’s not just part of the business; he’s actively shaping its future. The wider team has also benefited. Having Keith onboard has broadened everyone’s perspective and reinforced the importance of leveraging individual strengths. This has made us more open, more flexible, and ultimately more effective as a team."