Specialisterne Northern Ireland

What Specialisterne Northern Ireland does

Specialisterne Northern Ireland is a Belfast-based Community Interest Company (CIC) and not-for-profit social enterprise, founded in 2014 by Sharon Didrichsen and operating as the Northern Ireland affiliate of the international Specialisterne network, which spans 15 countries and 32 cities. The organisation supports autistic and neurodivergent individuals to prepare for, secure, and progress in employment, with programmes spanning an unusually wide age range from roughly 8 years old through to adulthood and beyond, including Connect4, Dot to Dot, www.work, Count Me IN, Empower, ReNEW, Consider IT, Digital Skills Academy, ALL2gether@work, and In This Together.

Its core service offer comprises four building blocks: a proprietary Lego Mindstorms Robot-based assessment methodology used to evaluate candidates, communication coaching, employer training, and recruitment consultancy. Programme operations are run from Belfast by a team of approximately 15 staff that includes specialists holding MSc qualifications in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The Digital Skills Academy, launched in July 2024 with Belfast Metropolitan College, added a formal vocational-training product line.

The business model is a hybrid grant-plus-fee structure typical of UK social enterprises. Revenue is drawn from institutional grant funding — PEACEPLUS, UK Government, the National Lottery, Bank of America, and the Department of Health — alongside fee-based employer services delivered to a customer base concentrated in the technology and cybersecurity sectors, including Rapid7, Puppet, Kainos, Version 1, Thales UK, and Loquerion Security. The inter-company employer network ALL2gether@work, launched in 2022, represents a structural shift from single-employer engagements toward a multi-employer ecosystem distribution model.

Name

Specialisterne Northern Ireland

Legal name

Specialisterne Northern Ireland

Website

https://specialisterneni.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Specialisterne Northern Ireland is a Belfast-based Community Interest Company (founded 2014) that supports autistic and neurodivergent people to prepare for, secure, and progress in employment, delivering assessment, coaching, training, and recruitment services to individuals aged 8 and above across Northern Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability and Neurodiversity Employment Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Spectrum (ASD) Academic & Social-Communication Support Tutoring (EDANAFAD), Autism Executive Functioning & Academic Skills Intervention (EDAKAKAI)

Keywords

• Neurodiversity employment services
• Autism recruitment consultancy
• Neurodivergent career coaching
• Employer neurodiversity training
• Inclusive workforce programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Programme Funding and Grants: As a not-for-private-profit Community Interest Company, Specialisterne NI operates primarily through grant funding from government programmes including PEACEPLUS, UK Community Renewal Fund, Dormant Accounts NI, Bank of America, National Lottery Community Fund, and Department of Health Mental Health Fund.
2. Employer Services (Recruitment, Training, Assessment, Coaching): Provides paid services to employers including recruitment consultancy, team-working assessments, behavioural profiles, interview training, management training, and individual communication coaching for employees.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Specialisterne Northern Ireland is a social enterprise that supports autistic and neurodivergent people to prepare for, secure, and progress in rewarding careers. It delivers a portfolio of recruitment consultancy, Lego Mindstorms-based skills assessment, communication and interview coaching, employer training on neurodiversity, and community-led employability programmes such as www.work, Count Me IN, ALL2gether@work, and the Digital Skills Academy.

Product overview

Specialisterne NI is a social enterprise providing a unified service portfolio focused on supporting autistic and neurodivergent people to get ready for, secure, and progress in rewarding careers. The core service model consists of Assessment (using Lego Mindstorms Robot methodology to identify skills and support needs), Coaching (communication and interview coaching for employees with social communication differences), Training (employer education programmes), and Recruitment Services (placing autistic and neurodivergent candidates). Additional programmes include the Digital Skills Academy (in partnership with Belfast Met, funded by Bank of America), ALL2gether@work (inter-company autistic employee network), www.work (community employability model), Count Me IN, Empower, Connect4, Dot to Dot, ReNEW, Consider IT, Rediscover, and In This Together (I.T.T.) - a PEACEPLUS-supported 4-year programme. These programmes collectively form a community-based approach to employability support spanning ages 8-60+.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Assessment (Lego Mindstorms Robot Assessment)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2000 people to be supported across N Ireland through empower programme
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Belfast Metropolitan CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2024Digital Skills Academy partnership with Belfast Met and Specialisterne NI, funded by Bank of America. Academy designed to support neurodivergent people to develop digital skills, explore career pathways, and boost employability potential.
• Allstate Northern IrelandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with Allstate Northern Ireland who have produced the Specialisterne NI website. Active participant in Digital Skills Academy and other employer initiatives.
• Rapid7majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Employer Experience Day at Rapid7 Belfast offices, providing company overview, office tour, and Q&A with Rapid7 Diversability and Neurodiversity Network for Specialisterne NI participants.
• Specialisterne IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the same Specialisterne international network. Co-organising events like Q-Con Belfast trip. Sharon Didrichsen joined Specialisterne Ireland before bringing the model to Belfast in 2014.
• Middlesex UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 'Arriving at Thriving' programme supporting autistic students at Middlesex University.
• Specialisterne GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent international network spanning 15 countries and 32 cities, founded by Thorkil Sonne in Denmark in 2004. Specialisterne NI contributes to the global goal of 1 million careers for autistic and neurodivergent people.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Specialisterne UK: The UK arm of the same Specialisterne international network, providing neurodiversity employment services, assessments, and employer training across Great Britain. It is the closest comparable in mission, methodology (Lego-based assessment), and service portfolio, operating in an adjacent UK geography rather than NI specifically.
• Specialisterne Ireland: The Republic of Ireland sister organisation within the Specialisterne network, founded earlier and serving autistic and neurodivergent job seekers and employers in ROI. Direct peer in product, methodology, and target population, with founder Sharon Didrichsen having previously served as Autism Consultant there.
• Auticon UK: An international consultancy that employs autistic adults as technology consultants and supports employers on neurodiversity-inclusive workplaces. Directly comparable as a competitor in neurodiversity-focused employment services and employer consulting, though operating at larger scale across multiple countries.
• Exceptional Individuals: A UK-based social enterprise recruiting and supporting autistic and neurodivergent candidates into technology and office roles, with employer training and coaching services. Closely comparable in target candidates, employer customer base, and service mix to Specialisterne NI's recruitment and coaching offerings.
• Untapped Talent: A UK recruitment and training firm specialising in placing neurodivergent candidates with employers and providing neurodiversity awareness training. Comparable as a neurodiversity-focused recruitment consultancy serving both candidates and employers with assessment and training services.

Broad incumbents

• The National Autistic Society: The UK's largest autism charity, providing employment programmes, employer training, and broader autism services. While not exclusively focused on employment, it is a significant incumbent offering overlapping employment support, employer education, and candidate development services across the UK.
• Ambitious about Autism: A UK national charity supporting autistic children and young people through education, transition, and employment-readiness services. Comparable as an autism-focused nonprofit with overlapping employment preparation and employer engagement objectives, though with broader educational remit.
• Autistica: A UK autism research and advocacy charity that influences policy, employer practice, and employment outcomes for autistic people. Comparable as a national autism organisation whose employment-focused work overlaps with Specialisterne NI's mission, though primarily research and policy rather than direct service delivery.
• Leonard Cheshire: A major UK disability charity providing employment support, skills training, and employer engagement programmes for disabled people including those with autism and neurodivergent conditions. Comparable as a broad disability employment services incumbent with overlapping target population and employer-facing services across the UK.

Regional players

• Ultranova (Northern Ireland): A Northern Ireland-focused disability and autism services organisation supporting employment, education, and family outcomes. Direct regional comparable in NI geography and disability services scope, with overlapping employer engagement and candidate support objectives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/specialistsni
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/specialisterne
• Facebookfacebook.com/specialisterneni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/9312089

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Specialisterne Northern Ireland