Sir Richard Branson, Virgin and Made by Dyslexia Launch the World’s First University of Dyslexic Thinking

Sir Richard Branson and global charity, Made By Dyslexia, have joined forces to launch a free online university, dubbed ‘DyslexicU’, that teaches the world how dyslexics think.

Built in partnership with The Open University and available worldwide, the pioneering and innovative online course has been created in response to new era-defining research by the charity and the world’s largest recruiter, Randstad Enterprise. It finds the intelligence the world needs now is changing, and the skills inherent to dyslexics are the most sought-after skills in every sector, globally.

Made By Dyslexia’s ground-breaking ‘Intelligence 5.0’ report concluded 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.

Led by DDB, the University of Dyslexic Thinking launched during the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday the 24th. DDB Melbourne conceived the idea of the University and began developing it with the charity over two years ago. As more partners and incredible dyslexic thinkers have contributed to the course content, the scale of the idea has grown to become truly global, with adam&eveDDB bringing the PR and social event to life, Collider producing a global commencement speech, and TikTok scaling the content globally.

Speaking at the DyslexicU launch event, Richard Branson said, “I’m proud that Dyslexic Thinking has made Virgin the disruptive brand that it is today. Thinking differently has always been an asset, but in this new world, it’s essential. We need more innovators, problem-solvers, storytellers and unconventional thinking. I’m delighted to join forces with Made By Dyslexia to launch DyslexicU which is free to access from all around the world.”