The article below is copied from the ABC News website ... it was brought to my attention by Margaret Forrest in Qld. Kaylia's future employment prospects are a concern.
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Piggery seeks employees on
autism spectrum for animal husbandry and welfare roles
What was
seen as a hurdle is now a prerequisite as companies see the benefits of
employing workers who are on the autism spectrum.
Information
technology and cyber security organisations have discovered employees with
autism are perfect for high attention to detail roles.
And in
what is believed to be a world-first for the agricultural industry, Sunpork
Farms has advertised for eight animal husbandry and welfare positions — but as
a prerequisite, applicants must provide medical proof that they are on the
autism spectrum.
Autism at a glance
- ASD is a group of neurobiological disorders affecting a person's communication and social abilities
- ASD affects about one in 160 children, with boys four times more likely to be affected than girls
- Symptoms are different in each person affected but can include repetitive behaviours, difficulty relating to people, and sensitivity to stimulation including touch, sounds and sight
- Symptoms can appear as early as the first year of life
- There is no cure but can be managed with appropriate and early intervention
- Genetic and environmental factors are being investigated as the cause which as yet is undetermined
- The rates of ASD are the
same in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated populations
ABC Health and Wellbeing
Dr Robert
van Barneveld, managing director and group CEO for Sunpork Farms, said this
unusual recruitment decision was made after seeing the success of other
Specialisterne projects.
Dr van
Barneveld consulted with the Autism Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and then
developed the Autism and Agriculture CRC.
"Prior
to embarking on this program we'd had a number of industry workshops about
priorities, and investing in people with a high attention to detail was
one," Dr van Barneveld said.
"We've
found a way that we might be able to accommodate that in quite an innovative
way."
Tech giants already on board
Technology
companies Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and Google currently seek out employees on
the spectrum for IT and software testing positions.
The
Department of Immigration and Border Protection has also sought out people with
autism for specific roles in the past.
But Dr
van Barneveld said to his knowledge this type of targeted recruitment for
animal husbandry roles had not been done anywhere else in the world.
"These
are specialist positions that we are putting in place — they'll be filled by
the best candidates and paid a full wage for the job they have been employed to
do," Dr van Barneveld said.
Dr van
Barneveld said it made good business sense to seek out employees who were
focussed, comfortable with routine and eager to work.
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