Opening Doors

Opening Doors Events: Autumn 2026

Opening Doors is an inclusive recruitment campaign that identifies five keys to unlocking employment to ensure jobs are accessible to all. It is designed to change business behaviours and provide a programme of support for businesses committed to inclusive employment.

For more information please visit Opening Doors Inclusive Recruitment

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Opening Doors: Recruiting and Retaining Neurodivergent Talent | 10 September 2026 | 9.30 AM - 12.00 PM | Invest NI\, Bedford Street\, Belfast

This in-person event will bring together HR, line managers, and those interested in neurodivergent inclusion in the workplace and will offer practical ways that employers can attract, recruit, and support neurodivergent talent to thrive in the workplace.

Employers across Northern Ireland are operating in a challenging labour market, with historically low unemployment alongside persistently high levels of economic inactivity. To build a more sustainable workforce, there is a growing need to widen access to underrepresented talent pools and adopt more inclusive approaches.

Neurodivergent individuals represent a valuable and often underutilised group, bringing strengths such as problem-solving, creativity, attention to detail, and innovation. However, barriers remain within traditional recruitment practices and workplace environments.

Aligned with BITC NI’s Opening Doors campaign, this session will provide practical guidance and real-world examples to help employers take action towards more inclusive recruitment pathways and workplace practices.

This is an open session and we welcome non-signatories of Opening Doors and non-members of Business in the Community.

What Attendees Will Learn:

• Why inclusive recruitment is critical in Northern Ireland's current labour market and how it supports workforce sustainability.

• How widening access to underrepresented talent pools can help address skills shortages.

• How the Opening Doors campaign supports employers to access untapped talent through meaningful partnerships.

• What neurodivergent individuals want employers to know, based on insights from the neurodivergent community.

• The strengths neurodivergent talent brings, common barriers and misconceptions, and practical ways to address them.

• How neuroinclusive technology can improve productivity, retention, and employee success, supported by real-world case studies

Event Speakers:

• Jo McGinley, Director of Social Value, EY Northern Ireland

• Katie Shearer, Skills & Labour Solutions Executive, Invest NI

• Matthew McArthur, Business Manager, Hays

• Valencia Yeo, Inclusion Manager, Business in the Community

• Megan Currie, Empower Project Lead, SpecialisterneNI

• Russell Coates, Associate Financial Crime Risk Analyst, EY

• John Butler, Workplace Team, Everway

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For more information on Opening Doors, visit www.bitcni.org.uk/openingdoors or contact valencia.yeo@bitcni.org.uk.