The following criteria MUST be met in order to participate in this pilot:

• 18+ yrs old
• Independent in daily activities
• Minimum education: high school diploma
• Able to handle a 20 – 40hr work week
• Enjoy working with hands and building
• Good with repetitive aspects of work
• Able to work with little supervision

All participants must commit to the full eight month timeframe. This ends up being about 10 hours of your time over the six months. The sessions include:

1. The preliminary information session
2. A phone interview with an autism employment specialist from Spero Careers Canada
3. The vetting tools:  this includes 2 assessments from Spero Careers Canada and the reports will be shared with you to use as you’d like and 2 from WBLC which are given to you online to do in the privacy of your home.
4. Access to job overview videos where you can learn about CNC Machinist, CNC Operator and Mold Maintenance Technician.
5. Debrief and Roundtable sessions so you can share your experiences with others who are also in the group.
6. End of pilot Networking Session to meet with employers and Advanced Manufacturing organizations from across Halton.

Networking Event

The Autism and Advanced Manufacturing Partnership

There is an 85% unemployment rate for the members of the autism community who are willing and able to work. While the stereotypical roles for autistic individuals includes IT roles and data entry, we believe the advanced manufacturing sector (AMS) could benefit from accessing this talent pool. The employment gap in the AMS has been growing for the past 20 or more years for many reasons but this doesn’t change the fact that businesses need many roles to keep running.  For the purpose of this project, we’re focusing on Mold Maintenance Technicians, CNC operators and CNC machinists. Is that all? No! We’ve got one more role but that will depend on you! 

Why focus on the autism community to solve this problem? Many members of the ASD community possess certain characteristics which would make them prime candidates for roles in advanced manufacturing such as:

• Good with repetitive aspects of work
• Desire to deliver high quality service
• Problem solving skills
• Interpersonal skills: able to work on a team
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