Catherine West – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to increase inclusivity for disabled people of the Approved Apprenticeship programmes.

Nick Boles

Apprenticeships are paid jobs, and whilst we would not want to interfere in employers’ recruitment decisions, we believe there is more that can be done to ensure that people from a diverse range of backgrounds are in the best possible place to apply for and secure an apprenticeship. For instance, the availability of reasonable adjustments for disabled learners (who can apply for Access to Work funding) and the accessibility of online tests. Employers must fulfil their duties as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for apprentices as they would for other employees.

Government also fully funds apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan). Apprentices aged 19 to 24 without an EHC Plan, who have a learning difficulty and/or disability can benefit from additional funding through Learning Support.

Advice is also available to help employers and training providers understand disabilities and how to better support disabled apprentices. We have funded NIACE to produce an employer toolkit http://www.employer-toolkit.org.uk/ for employers that want to develop a more inclusive and accessible apprenticeship offer.

An Apprenticeships Equality and Diversity Advisory group helps government understand and address any apprenticeship equality and diversity issues in order to reduce barriers and make apprenticeships as inclusive as possible.

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