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Irish autistic workers to get helping hand from US company’s move to Cork

27 May 2022

Rangam is bringing its SourceAbled recruitment programme for autistic people to Ireland in the next phase of its EMEA expansion.

US-based recruitment platform Rangam is opening an office in Cork as part of its plan to meet the growing global demand for greater diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

Rangam is a minority, woman and disability-owned company that focuses on attracting and retaining talent for the IT, engineering, scientific, clinical, healthcare, administrative, finance and business sectors.

It specialises in integrating veterans and individuals with disabilities into the workforce. It works with neurodiverse and autistic people who are looking for jobs, based on the philosophy that ‘empathy drives innovation’.

Following its launch in the UK, Rangam is bringing its SourceAbled programme, aimed at recruiting and supporting autistic individuals, to Ireland.

“I’m excited to welcome Ireland into the fold as part of our mission to bring inclusive and accessible employment to the EMEA region,” said Emma Kearns, solutions manager at Rangam EMEA.

Kearns noted that unemployment levels among autistic people in Ireland are particularly high. Research last year by Irish non-profit AsIAm found that as many as nine in 10 autistic people believed their autism was a barrier for them to get a job.

Recently, AsIAm launched a pledge containing a series of recommendations for employers to sign and adhere to. The Same Chance Commitment offers guidance to employers on making workplaces more comfortable for autistic staff members.

Rangam president and co-founder, Hetal Parikh, said the feedback the company has received in the EMEA region so far has been “phenomenal”.

“We have signed up over 40 candidates, talked to 48 service providers, onboarded two employers, advertised 10 roles, attended eight events, and hosted two webinars — all while learning and developing new skills, knowledge, and a resource base for our community,” Parikh said.

“With the opening of a new office in Ireland, we hope to not only sustain this great momentum but also build on a promising start to further innovate and scale our SourceAbled programme beyond North America.”

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Blathnaid O’Dea
By Blathnaid O’Dea

Blathnaid O’Dea joined Silicon Republic in 2021 as Careers reporter, coming from a background in the Humanities. She likes people, pranking, pictures of puffins – and apparently alliteration.

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