Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help provide skills training opportunities for adults with disabilities.

The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), which was £1.34 billion in the 2022/23 financial year. The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and neurodivergent adults, from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship, or further learning.

The AEB includes learning support funding to enable colleges and training providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and meet the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010. Learning Support can cover a range of needs including an assessment for dyslexia, funding to pay for specialist equipment or helpers, and arranging signers or note takers.

The department is working to ensure that a learning difficulty or disability is not a barrier to people who want to realise the benefits of an apprenticeship. To ensure that employers are supported to create new apprenticeship opportunities, we provide targeted financial support directly to training providers to help remove barriers for people with a learning difficulty or disability.

Providers can access learning support funding of £150 per month where a reasonable adjustment is delivered and evidenced. Employers can access the Department for Work and Pensions’ Access to Work scheme to better support apprentices with disabilities.

The department has also improved the Find an Apprenticeship service to allow people to identify Disability Confident Employers offering opportunities. The department has launched a Disabled Apprentice Network in partnership with Disability Rights UK to provide valuable insight and evidence on how to attract and retain people with disabilities into apprenticeships.

Additionally, the department’s skills offers include Skills Bootcamps and Free Courses for Jobs. Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion.

There are now hundreds of Skills Bootcamps available across the country, offering training in digital, technical (including engineering and manufacturing), construction, logistics (HGV driving), and skills that support the green economy, including heat pump engineer and electric vehicle maintenance and repair and zero carbon construction.

The Free Courses for Jobs offer gives eligible adults the chance to access high value level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. The courses available offer good wage outcomes and address skills needs in the economy, empowering adults with the tools they need to secure a better job.

Adults in England without a full level 3 are eligible for these qualifications. In addition, adults in England are also eligible if they are earning under the National Living Wage annually, or £18,525 from April 2022, or are unemployed, regardless of their prior qualification level. There are over 400 qualifications on offer in areas such as engineering, social care and accounting, alongside many others. These qualifications have been identified for their strong wage outcomes and ability to meet key skills needs.

Both of these offers are open to all eligible learners, including adults with a disability or for neurodiverse adults.

Neurodiverse adults and those with disabilities can access free, up-to-date, and impartial information, advice and guidance on the full range of skills training opportunities through the National Careers Service. Discussions are tailored to meet the individual needs and circumstances of each customer. Adults with special educational needs and/or disabilities are one of six priority groups who are eligible for more targeted support from careers advisers. The website https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ is regularly updated, with a programme of continuous improvement. The content currently includes around 800 job profiles, a course directory and information on how to find a job, build a CV, and interview techniques.