At the start of 2025, Digital Innovators, commissioned by Birmingham Council, delivered their Transition to Work programme to Special Educational Needs (SEN) colleges across the West Midlands.
This programme focuses on developing core skills like communication, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration to bridge the gap between education and employment. Recognising the need to tailor the programme, Digital Innovators partnered with National Neurodiversity Training to ensure it is inclusive, accessible, and engaging for neurodivergent and disabled learners.
For SEN students, accessing work can come with additional barriers, including communication, anxiety about new environments, and a lack of tailored support. The Transition to Work programme addressed these challenges by teaching practical skills through a hands-on, project-based learning approach.
Key challenges included coaches lacking knowledge about neurodiversity and supporting neurodivergent and disabled students, and they were uncertain about using appropriate, inclusive, and engaging language.
Recognising that generic awareness training wouldn’t be enough, Digital Innovators Partnered with National Neurodiversity Training for a program that combined real-life insights with practical, immersive activities.
This partnership began with an in-depth consultation with Peter Cripps, Design and Technology Director at Digital Innovators, and John Snape, Coach, to understand their pain points and align the training to the Transition to Work programme’s objectives.
Leveraging the Neuro-Inclusion Maturity Diagnostic – a unique tool designed to assess the current understanding of neurodiversity and SEN within Digital Innovators – National Neurodiversity Training designed bespoke learning pathways for Digital Innovators, focusing on practical strategies and tailored content. This included modules such as:
- Understanding Neurodiversity and SEN.
- Inclusive Communication Strategies.
- Implementing Reasonable Adjustments.
- Project-Based Learning for SEN Students.
The training was delivered in person to ensure maximum engagement and effectiveness. To make the content relatable, Rosemary Burningham, the team’s lived experience expert who had previously been in SEN education, shared her journey.
The approach was not just about sharing knowledge but equipping learners with practical tools and techniques to apply immediately. Participation rates were exceptional, with 100% of learners completing the training and providing overwhelmingly positive feedback, highlighting both the effectiveness of the training and the relevance of the content to their daily roles.
John Matty, Student Coach, said, “The way National Neurodiversity Training delivered the session was THE way to do it. This training isn’t something that we’ll just finish today, and that’s it…it’s something I’ll be thinking about all the time”.
Key Results Achieved:
- 41% increase in understanding of neurodiversity.
- 56% increase in knowledge of SEN.
- 67% improvement in using inclusive language.
- 64% increase in ability to support SEN students.
With more inclusive communication and better understanding, Digital Innovator’s coaches created a more welcoming and engaging learning environment for SEN students in Birmingham, directly aligning with their mission of making education accessible and empowering for all.
Iveta Pudilova, CEO of National Neurodiversity Training, says: “It was fantastic working with the Digital Innovators team on such an important topic. At National Neurodiversity Training, our mission is to make inclusion the standard, not the exception. Working with Digital Innovators allowed us to demonstrate how tailored, lived-experience and expert-led training can transform how SEN students access education and thrive in the workplace.”
Want to create an inclusive learning environment like Digital Innovators?
Reach out to National Neurodiversity Training today.
For more information on National Neurodiversity Training and Digital Innovators, please visit: www.nationalneurodiversitytraining.com and www.digitalinnovators.co.uk.
