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Skills Workshop - Neurodiversity 101: Thriving in Your Apprenticeship

Fri, Mar 20 • 12:00pm – 1:00pm GMT
 

During Neurodiversity Celebration Week we invite you to join this 60-minute interactive Skills Workshop, open to current and former apprentices to discover how embracing neurodiverse thinking can boost collaboration, creativity, and success in the workplace.

In this interactive 60-minute skills workshop, you will:

  • Understand neurodiversity, what it is (and isn’t) and why it matters in the workplace and in training.

  • Identify common strengths and challenges, such as executive function, memory, and sensory load, and explore simple, evidence-based strategies to support them.

  • Discover your “adjustments menu” for apprentices, including practical options like structured briefs, visual aids, quiet spaces, and flexible time and learn how to request them.

  • Build confident self-advocacy skills, how to communicate effectively with managers and mentors, and where to find support.

Meet your host: Nathanial Hawley – Founder of Divergent Thinking.

Nathaniel “Nat” Hawley, MSc, is a UK-based neurodiversity consultant and founder of Divergent Thinking. He helps organisations and early-career talent turn research into practical habits that reduce cognitive load and boost performance.

Nat has delivered 250+ programmes across corporate, public and non-profit sectors and speaks widely on inclusive practice; his TEDx talk challenges deficit-based narratives and focuses on the value of different minds. Drawing on applied neuroscience and lived experience, Nat’s sessions are fast-paced, interactive and action-oriented, with tools people can use the same day, from adjustments menus and conversation scripts to simple workload and sensory strategies.

Reserve your place today!

Click RSVP to secure your spot, add the event to your calendar 🗓, and take this opportunity to invest in yourself and your future. When it’s time to join, simply visit your meeting invite to access the livestream.

This session can also count towards your off-the-job training / continuing professional development.

Jan Richardson-Wilde

CEO, Occupational Awards Limited

Jan is the CEO of Occupational Awards Limited, a Director of the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink and an FE College Governor. She has over 35 years’ experience in the education sector in strategic and operational management of training programmes with colleges, private training providers, local authorities the voluntary sector and not for profit organisations. Jan has previously been a board member of the Learning and Skills Council, chair of the North Yorkshire Training Provider network and Vice-Chair of Yorkshire Coast College and a Governor of the Grimsby Institute for Further and Higher Education. She has extensive experience of education policy, apprenticeships, qualification, and curriculum development as well as business improvement.

Jan joined OAL in 2019, a leading non-profit industry-focused Awarding and End-Point Assessment Organisation, supporting a wide range of employers and of key stakeholders to succeed and surpass expectations. Jan is committed to continuous improvement and enthusiastic about improving the effectiveness, impact and quality of apprenticeships, education, and training in the UK and internationally. She has a wide range of experience of working in a collaborative context with employers and training providers to develop End Point Assessment, apprenticeships, and a wide range of vocational programmes.