From Forklift Driver Apprenticeship to Data Lead
What Neurodiversity Taught One Construction Firm About Hidden Talent
By Alexander Church.
The UK construction industry employs over two million people and contributes a significant proportion to national GDP. At the same time, it faces well-known challenges: skills shortages, slow productivity growth, and increasing pressure to digitise. Across the sector, boards are discussing artificial intelligence, data systems, automation, and digital transformation. Consultants are hired. New platforms are purchased. Strategies are written.
Yet I found one question is rarely asked:
'Do we already have some of the digital capability we are looking for within our workforce?'
Estimates suggest that around 15-20% of the UK population is neurodivergent. In technical sectors such as engineering and construction, that proportion may be higher. Many neurodivergent individuals have strong analytical skills, pattern recognition ability, and deep interest areas.
However, these strengths are not always visible through traditional job roles.
Uncovering Hidden Talents
Recently, during organisational development work within a construction company, I conducted a series of interviews using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The purpose was to understand how people experience their roles and how they think about their work. The aim was not to label anyone, but to explore any hidden skills. One interview stood out.
The individual was a forklift truck apprentice who identified as Autistic. He described his working day in straightforward terms. He drove the forklift. He did not socialise much. He went home. When I asked what he did outside work, he mentioned that in the evenings, he taught himself coding. He experimented with large language models. He built data models for fun. He had created an algorithm using 30 years of historical football results and had generated over £30,000 using probability modelling and statistical analysis.
When I asked whether he had ever mentioned these skills at work, he said no. In his words, it had “nothing to do with driving a forklift.”
At the same time, the organisation’s leadership team was discussing how to improve its internal data capability. They were considering external hires and consultancy support. They believed they lacked the internal skills to move forward and were looking to hire externally. They did not realise that someone with advanced analytical ability was already employed on site. This situation was not about a lack of talent. It was about how talent is defined and recognised.
The apprentice did not see himself as someone with business value beyond his job title. The organisation did not have systems that encouraged people to share strengths outside their formal role. There was no clear route for someone in an operational position to demonstrate digital capability. Through further conversations, it became clear that this was not an isolated case. Other employees also described skills and interests outside work that were not known internally. Coding. Automation. Data analysis. Systems thinking.
Business Psychology played a practical role at this point. First, I reframed the apprentice’s coding hobby as a potential organisational asset. Instead of viewing it as unrelated to his role, we explored how those skills might contribute to live business challenges. He was supported to prepare a short, structured pitch to the board. This involved translating technical enthusiasm into clear business language. Rather than talking about algorithms in abstract terms, he linked his skills to productivity, forecasting, and data accuracy. The board were engaged in a conversation about internal capability, not from an equality and diversity standpoint, but a strategic advantage.
He was offered a role within the data team. His salary increased. He is now contributing directly to digital projects within the organisation.
The Role Business Psychologists Can Play
Construction firms are investing heavily in new technologies: digital twins, AI scheduling systems, predictive analytics, and automated reporting. Yet, in my opinion, technology alone does not create innovation. People do.
Neurodivergent individuals often develop deep expertise in areas of strong personal interest. Research in occupational psychology consistently shows that when individuals are able to work in alignment with their cognitive strengths, engagement, productivity, and innovation increase. However, without psychologically safe environments and appropriate workplace adjustments, those abilities may remain separate from their formal job role.
In many organisations, neurodiversity policies focus primarily on compliance and reasonable adjustments. These adjustments are essential. Clear communication, predictable routines, quiet working spaces, flexible structures, and transparent expectations can make a significant difference.
But Business Psychology offers something beyond compliance. It provides evidence-based frameworks that help organisations understand how cognitive differences influence performance, learning, motivation, and problem-solving. Rather than viewing neurodiversity solely through a support lens, Business Psychology allows leaders to ask a more strategic question:
'How can different cognitive profiles strengthen our response to technological and market change?'
As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in business systems, the nature of work is shifting rapidly. Automation is reducing repetitive tasks. Data is becoming central to decision-making. Complex problem-solving and systems thinking are increasingly valuable. Research in industrial and organisational psychology highlights that diverse cognitive styles improve decision quality, reduce groupthink, and enhance innovation under uncertainty.
Neurodivergent thinkers often demonstrate strengths that are particularly relevant in this context: pattern recognition, tolerance for complexity, sustained concentration, detailed error detection, and independent systems learning. When these strengths are recognised and aligned to strategic priorities, they can accelerate digital adoption rather than hinder it.
The Way Forward
Through structured qualitative work, reflective interviews, and strength-based development conversations, organisations can begin to map cognitive diversity within their workforce. This does not require complex frameworks. It requires asking better questions.
Neurodiversity-reasonable adjustments plans can move beyond disclosure and accommodation toward talent identification and strategic deployment. This might include:
- Internal innovation forums
- Cross-functional problem-solving projects
- Alternative career pathways
- Strength-mapping exercises that sit alongside traditional role descriptions
When organisations create psychologically safe environments where employees feel able to share strengths without fear of judgement and when reasonable adjustments are combined with strength-based opportunity structures, neurodiversity can be utilised as a strategic advantage.
Technology will continue to evolve. The question is whether organisations evolve in how they understand the minds within their workforce.
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About the Author
Alexander Church is a Business Psychologist and Psychological Therapist who works across both the public and private sectors. He specialises in preparing organisations for future workforce change, with a focus on AI and digital adoption. His work centres on assessing workforce maturity and supporting organisations to take bottom-up approaches to change, helping businesses plan for tomorrow while navigating the pressures of today. A key part of his work involves helping organisations harness neurodiverse thinking within their workforce to support innovation, problem-solving, and the successful implementation of change. Alongside his organisational work, Alexander supports individuals through psychological therapy, mentoring, and Neurodiversity coaching, with a focus on emotional wellbeing, self-understanding, and complex trauma. Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience as a neurodivergent individual, he aims to bring a practical and human-centred approach to his work.
References
Birkbeck, University of London, & Neurodiversity in Business. (2024). Neurodiversity in business and work report: The perspective of workers, colleagues and employers. Neurodiversity in Business.
Bewley, H., & George, A. (2016). Neurodiversity at work (Research Paper No. 09/16). Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).
Skills Development Scotland. (2020). Neurodiversity in digital technology: Summary report. Skills Development Scotland.
Sir Robert Buckland Review. (2024). The Buckland Review of Autism Employment: Report and recommendations. Department for Work and Pensions.