EDI Talk On Careers For Students With Autism With Dr Jonathan Vincent

International research suggests that increasing numbers of autistic people are entering higher education. Currently, very little is known about the demographics of this population, the academic programmes that they study and, particularly, their graduate employment outcomes. The first part of this presentation will draw on a large population study (Vincent and Ralston, 2023) which compares autistic graduates to their peers who report other disabilities and those who report no disability; in the first part of this talk, Dr Jonathan Vincent will address the gaps in knowledge and, where possible, offer insight in relation to the trends for those who complete STEM subjects and Physics in particular. The second part of this talk will draw on qualitative data to provide more nuanced understanding of the constraints and enablements that affect autistic graduates’ transition to the labour market (Cheriyan et al, 2021; Vincent 2020; Vincent and Fabri, 2022). The final part of the presentation will outline a range of practical recommendations that might support academic and support staff working with autistic students and graduates as they move from higher education into, and progress within, competitive graduate employment.
Speaker Bio:
Dr Jonathan Vincent is a lecturer in higher education in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University and is co-director of the Centre for Higher Education Research and Evaluation. His research focuses broadly on life course transitions for autistic people, including stages of schooling, the progression into higher education, and the transition from university to employment. Jonathan has published widely in the field and has provided expert evidence and guidance to the Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom, the Ministry of Education and Employment in Malta, and the Department of Health and Human Services, Australia. Alongside his academic role, Jonathan provides training to employers and coaching to autistic individuals in the workplace.

Host or Publisher School of Physics, University of Bristol