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New investment into neurodivergent talent start-up
The Growth Impact Fund , a social impact investment fund developed by Big Issue Invest ( BII ) and UnLtd , has made its first investment aimed at tackling the underrepresentation in the workplace of people from neurodivergent backgrounds .
The fund has invested £ 300,000 in neurodivergent talent platform , Neuropool , which aims to get more than 10,000 neurodivergent people into employment by 2030 .
The company was established by Jack Dyrhauge , an autistic / ADHD entrepreneur . The tech-for-good organisation builds neurodivergent talent pools for leading brands like Universal Music Group , the Financial Times and universities like Bath and Bristol .
Dyrhauge said : “ There are over half a million adults with autism in the UK who are unemployed and if you extrapolate that to people with a much broader range of neurodivergent challenges you realise both the scale of the problem but also the massive pool of untapped potential that UK businesses could be accessing . Only 4 % of FTSE100 firms have neurodivergent hiring initiatives and Neuropool aims to change that .”
Meet the ‘ quiet critic ’: relative of the ‘ quiet quitter ’ costing brands a fortune
Despite half of consumers ( 50 %) being frustrated by the experiences they receive online , 43 % say they will never share any feedback so brands can address their shortcomings . That ’ s according to a new report from FullStory , a market and technology leader in Digital Experience Intelligence ( DXI ).
The Quiet Critics report , based on a survey of 7,000 consumers across Asia , Europe and North America , also found that twothirds ( 65 %) of consumers will simply abandon a website or app when confronted with a digital frustration – and only 16 % are ‘ very likely ’ to give a brand a second chance .
This influential group of silent but dissatisfied customers – ‘ quiet critics ’ – mirror the workplace trend ‘ quiet quitting ’, where disgruntled or ambivalent employees do not inform their bosses of their dissatisfaction and instead do the bare minimum work required to not get fired .
The findings highlight the importance of flawless firsttime digital experiences , while also demonstrating the incompleteness of traditional customer feedback mechanisms .
UMi welcomes Engineering and Manufacturing Network to growing partnership network
North East England-based business support consultancy , UMi , has welcomed Engineering Manufacturing Network ( EMN ) to its growing network of partners delivering the best support for small businesses in the region .
The partnership aims to deepen support for engineering and manufacturing businesses in North East England by bringing together EMN ’ s sector knowledge and expertise with UMi ’ s expert business support and guidance . EMN ’ s passion for championing engineering and manufacturing in the region while offering support to its community across all aspects of business growth and success aligns closely with UMi ’ s ambitions to make doing business easier for small business owners across the UK .
EMN will also join a selection of other high profile partners supporting this year ’ s Northern Powerhouse Export Awards , taking place in June to recognise the very best export businesses in the region .
EMN ’ s support comes at a time when many engineering and manufacturing businesses are facing a challenging trading environment and UMi has been working closely with them to offer support .
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