"ASpireD" - a customised HR Management solution that assist with the recruitment and management of individuals with ' High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder' for blue- collar work within the apparel industry in Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Due to the corresponding correlation between the increase in the number of youth being educated and the level of turnover of skilled blue-collar workers in the Sri Lankan apparel industry, employers have been put in a perplexed situation in which they have limited opportunities to fill in the vacancies for blue-collar work that arise. ASD falls into the category of cognitive disabilities that share many of the same characteristics. The term ‘High Functioning’ is a widely used clinical diagnosis used to describe individuals on the autism spectrum who have had a history of language delay but do not possess the associated difficulties of intellectual impairments. Those with HFASD desire to be a part of the workforce yet, these individuals still face issues with employability and career success with only one in six individuals being employed at a time. This project looks to resolve the issues in regards to to the employability and career success of those with HFASD, as well as the employers in the apparel industry, by proposing an IS and management solution that will bridge the gap between them and create opportunities for those with HFASD to be successfully recruited. An inductive research approach was used to carry out a comprehensive study that assisted in the identification of the factors that influenced the employability and career success of those with HFASD, and an industrial survey was then carried out to validate these factors, as well as gathering more information on the subject matter. The various studies, best practices frameworks, models, and services obtained from these findings were then used to formulate the management solution and identify the requirements needed for the creation of the IS solution. These requirements were then used to design, develop and evaluate an effective IS solution that could be used to improve the employability and career success prospects of those with HFASD, all the while developing a management solution that assists with the successful integration of the IS solution into the recruitment and management process in the apparel industry. Which were highly rated by the evaluators of this project.