For the first three decades of his life, Matt Fitzpatrick lived with undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder and had what he called a “disastrous” experience finding work. He had trouble with the daily interactions that happen at an office, often struggling to understand what people were expecting from him unless it was clearly spelled out. Every new work environment quickly became overwhelming and stressful, and he was often terrified to go into work in the morning.

For autistic people like Fitzpatrick, finding and retaining employment can be a major hurdle. Only 58 percent of autistic people  have worked by the time they reach their early twenties, and multiple studies have indicated that autistic people are underemployed. Before his diagnosis, Fitzpatrick remembers he could only last a week or two at a new job, with one job in particular stressing him to the point of crying under his desk.

In 2019, after his diagnosis, Fitzpatrick began working at auticon—a German company that seeks to provide autistic people employment opportunities in technology roles—as an apprentice in its Los Angeles office. After completing a four-week training session and passing a final assessment, Fitzpatrick began work as a quality assurance analyst, a role where he tests mobile apps to make sure they function properly, while training and working with an assigned mentor.

“When I first decided to apply, I didn’t really know what I was getting into,” Fitzpatrick said. “I thought it was going to be a dull and repetitive, push-the-button kind of job. But it’s not. We really dig into these apps and try different things to see what makes them break. It’s almost sort of a creative destruction process. If I can find a way to break the app, that’s a good week for me.”

This apprenticeship model at auticon offered Fitzpatrick a new career opportunity with structure, mentorship, and educational resources. Studies show that for people living with disabilities, structure, mentorship, and other small accommodations can make a big difference (PDF) in the workplace but that many employers don’t hire people with disabilities because of accommodation concerns.

But auticon consistently made an effort to accommodate Fitzpatrick and create a productive working environment. When a noise at the office stressed him out, his job coach worked to get him noise canceling headphones. When he forgot to attend meetings, his job coach showed him how he could set multiple alarms to stay on time.

Registered apprenticeships can take many forms, but all focus on combining a supportive learning and working environment to provide apprentices with the skills necessary to facilitate a long-term career.

Read the full article about apprenticeships by Wesley Jenkins at Urban Institute.