Supporting disabled students in work-based opportunities and experience

Apprenticeships

Some young people will be interested in an apprenticeship, and it's important they understand the same legal protections apply in apprenticeships as in other education and employment settings. 

An apprenticeship includes both a work-based element (with an employer) and a training element (with a college or training provider). Both the employer and training provider have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to consider reasonable adjustments. 

Disabled apprentices may be eligible for support through Access to Work to pay for certain support costs. Access to Work does not replace an employers responsibility to consider reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. Instead it provides additional funding where needed.

Read Disability Rights UK’s factsheet about Access to Work. 

Local authorities must maintain statutory documents, such as the EHCP, where young people are continuing in education or training, and the programme is helping them progress towards agreed outcomes. This includes apprenticeships at further education level (e.g. up to and including Level 3). The training element of the apprenticeship forms part of the educational provision in the statutory document.

Ensure students know that part-time options are available for most apprenticeships. This can allow more flexibility for disabled candidates, but the length of the apprenticeship will be extended to make sure the student has enough time to complete the training.

Encourage and support young people to share a disability or condition so they can access the adjustments they need, and make sure they read UCAS’ guide for disabled apprentices. If you are supporting someone with a neurodiversity, our guide to neurodiversity support for apprenticeships will be a useful resource.

More information about apprenticeships from Disability Rights UK:

• Into Apprenticeships guide for students and their parents/carers, explains more about finding an apprenticeship and getting support.
• The Disabled Support Network brings together disabled apprentices and those who have recently completed one to provide a peer support network.

Inclusive apprenticeships

These flexible, bespoke programmes are designed for disabled people to learn valuable skills and gain qualifications with Disability Confident employers.

Work experience, internships, and placements

Students undertaking work experience placements, internships, course placements, and sandwich years are all protected from discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment under the Equality Act 2010 – and are also entitled to reasonable adjustments so they can access these opportunities.

Read Disability Rights UK’s guidance on the Equality Act and disabled people.

Virtual work experiences

If students are struggling to find work experience, facing challenges in completing a placement, or need more flexibility than an in-person opportunity provides, they may find Virtual Work Experiences helpful. 

UCAS has partnered with Springpod to offer immersive workplace activities with leading employers – including the NHS, Barclays, and Airbus. Students get the chance to speak with and hear from leading industry professionals, and they will receive a certificate on completion. These are real work experiences, so they can be included in students’ CVs and UCAS applications.

Supported internships

These are full-time study programmes designed specifically for young disabled people aged 16-24 in England with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who want to move into paid employment but need extra support to do so. Supported internships typically last 6-12 months.

Supported interns spend most of their time (around 70%) in a real workplace doing a meaningful job. They also follow a personalised study programme at college or with a training provider, which includes English, maths, and employability skills. Interns receives support from a job coach who helps them learn new tasks and make sure the employer understands how to best support them. 

Access to Work (see below) can be used for supported internships. This means there is government funding to help with extra disability-related support costs in the workplace, including the job coach and additional travel costs to get to the place of work. 

Read more about supported internships on the Gov.UK website.

Support for disabled employees

As well as knowing their rights, it’s important students know what support is available to access employment opportunities. Even if they're not planning to go into employment immediately, it will offer reassurance they'll be able to get support to move onwards through their chosen career. Knowing what initiatives and support are available may encourage them to think aspirationally, help them plan their careers effectively, and feel confident in their choices.

Read Disability Rights UK’s factsheet on Careers and Work for Disabled people.

Access to Work

This is a government-funded programme that helps disabled people into employment by paying towards the costs of certain support, such as:

• communication support at job interviews
• additional travel costs
• a support worker
• specialist equipment

Read full details about eligibility and applying for Access for Work on the Gov.uk website and Disability Rights UK’s guidance to Access to Work.

Interview support

Make sure students know they are entitled to reasonable adjustments to access interviews for courses and jobs. This might include Blue Badge parking, a BSL interpreter, or a copy of the questions in advance.

If they need to complete a test or assessment, they may need a screen reader or extra time, for example.

Employer support

We’ve already outlined disabled employees’ rights to reasonable adjustments, but employers may offer much more than this. 

Encourage students to check the employer’s website or contact the HR department to find out how they support disabled employees and ensure an inclusive work environment. Some offer employee-led initiatives such as a disabled staff group or neurodiversity support network, and some offer wellbeing groups or Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA). 

They should be able to give more information about their policies on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), absence related to illness and disability, and medical/hospital leave.

Read ACAS’ guidance on how employers might support disabled people.

Disability Confident scheme

Some employers make a public commitment to supporting disabled employees by signing up to the Disability Confident scheme. This allows them to display a badge to show which level they have achieved, so prospective employees can look out for when looking for employment:

Disability Confident employers commit to offering disabled people work experience and guaranteed interviews for roles where they meet the minimum criteria. The scheme also requires employers to follow a fair recruitment process and support employees to remain in their roles if they become disabled at any point.

Find a list of Disability Confident employers.