dyslexia | The Silo

I’m so excited to join forces with charity Made By Dyslexia today to launch the free online University of Dyslexic Thinking, hosted by Open University and available to access from all around the world.

We decided to launch the university to teach the skills most relevant to today’s world – Dyslexic Thinking skills.

The courses are for anyone, at any stage of life; you might be a dyslexic looking to learn more about your Dyslexic Thinking skills and apply them to different industries, or someone who isn’t dyslexic but is curious to understand how this kind of thinking works in action, and why these skills are more valuable than ever before.

This morning, Made By Dyslexia revealed its new Intelligence 5.0 report, which includes research from Randstad Enterprise that shows the skills inherent to dyslexics are the most sought-after in every job, in every sector, globally.

The report clearly demonstrates that today’s AI-driven world needs a new kind of intelligence focused on human skills such as complex problem solving, adaptability, resilience, communication and creative thinking.

These are skills dyslexics naturally possess but aren’t measured by traditional education and workplace tests, which instead focus on dyslexic challenges. Based on this, it concludes the outdated systems that are designed to teach and measure intelligence need a rethink – it’s time for a new school of thought.

And this is where DyslexicU comes in! We’re shaking things up and teaching the skills the world needs. We need more innovators, problem-solvers, storytellers and unconventional thinking. The online course features many of the world’s greatest dyslexics talking about how Dyslexic Thinking skills like this have fuelled innovation and success, and the lessons we can gain from their experiences. They’re the kind of lessons I wish I was taught in the classroom.

I’m delighted to be joined by some of the incredible (dyslexic) course contributors today to launch DyslexicU at Virgin Hotels New York City, including HRH Princess Beatrice, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, and Jean Oelwang.

HRH Princess Beatrice

Courses in ‘Entrepreneurs & Start-Up Mentality’ (made in partnership with Virgin StartUp) and another on ‘Changemakers & Activism’ (made in partnership with Virgin Unite) are available on DyslexicU, hosted on Open University today, with lots more to come later this year (or next term, should I say?!) They cover subjects such as storytelling, sport, fashion, culinary arts, and music.

While ‘U’ might technically’ stand for ‘University’, I quite like the irony that it resembles the ‘U’ that myself and many dyslexics sometimes see scribbled on our report cards, because traditional education systems are not made for minds like ours. If you’re a dyslexic, I know how disheartening that can be. I hope the launch of DyslexicU today can be a reminder to you that thinking in a different way to everyone else is indispensable in this new world of work. It’s your superpower.

Enroll today and join this new school of thought. Sir Richard Branson.

The rise of AI is truly remarkable. It is transforming the way we work, live, and interact with each other, and with so many other touchpoints of our lives. However, while AI aggregates, dyslexic thinking skills innovate. If used in the right way, AI could be the perfect co-pilot for dyslexics to really move the world forward. In light of this, Virgin and Made By Dyslexia have launched a brilliant campaign to show what is possible if AI and dyslexic thinking come together. The film below says it all.

As the film shows, AI can’t replace the soft skills that index high in dyslexics – such as innovating, lateral thinking, complex problem solving, and communicating.

If you ask AI for advice on how to scale a brand that has a record company – it offers valuable insights, but the solution lacks creative instinct and spontaneous decision making. If I hadn’t relied on my intuition, lateral thinking and willingness to take a risk, I would have never jumped from scaling a record company to launching an airline – which was a move that scaled Virgin into the brand it is today.

Together, dyslexic thinkers and AI are an unstoppable force, so it’s great to see that 72% of dyslexics see AI tools (like ChatGPT) as a vital starting point for their projects and ideas – according to new research by Made By Dyslexia and Randstad Enterprise. With help from AI, dyslexics have limitless power to change the world, but we need everyone to welcome our dyslexic minds. If businesses fail to do this, they risk being left behind. As the Value of Dyslexia report highlighted, dyslexic skillsets will mirror the World Economic Forum’s future skills needs by 2025. Given the speed at which technology and AI have progressed, this cross-over has arrived two years earlier than predicted.

With all of this in mind, it’s concerning to see a big difference between how HR departments think they understand and support dyslexia in the workplace, versus the experience of dyslexic people themselves.

The new research also shows that 66% of HR professionals believe they have support structures in place for dyslexia, yet only 16% of dyslexics feel supported in the workplace. It’s even sadder to see that only 14% of dyslexic employees believe their workplace understands the value of dyslexic thinking. There is clearly work to be done here.

To empower dyslexic thinking in the workplace (which has the two-fold benefit of bringing out the best in your people and in your business), you need to understand dyslexic thinking skills. To help with this, Made By Dyslexia is launching a workplace training course later this year on LinkedIn Learning – and you can sign up for it now. The course will be free to access, and I’m delighted that Virgin companies from all across the world have signed up for it – from Virgin Australia, to Virgin Active Singapore, to Virgin Plus Canada and Virgin Voyages. It’s such an insightful course, designed by experts at Made By Dyslexia to educate people on how to understand, support, and empower dyslexic thinking in the workplace, and make sure businesses are ready for the future.

It’s always inspiring to see how Made By Dyslexia empowers dyslexics, and shows the world the limitless power of dyslexic thinking. If businesses can harness this power, and if dyslexics can harness the power of AI – we can really drive the future forward. Richard Branson, Founder at Virgin Group.

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Tag Archives: dyslexia

DyslexicU: World’s First ‘University Of Dyslexic Thinking’ & It’s Free

We decided to launch the university to teach the skills most relevant to today’s world – Dyslexic Thinking skills.

The report clearly demonstrates that today’s AI-driven world needs a new kind of intelligence focused on human skills such as complex problem solving, adaptability, resilience, communication and creative thinking.

AI Aggregates, But Dyslexia Innovates

As the film shows, AI can’t replace the soft skills that index high in dyslexics – such as innovating, lateral thinking, complex problem solving, and communicating.

With all of this in mind, it’s concerning to see a big difference between how HR departments think they understand and support dyslexia in the workplace, versus the experience of dyslexic people themselves.

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