Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to (a) consult and (b) respond to disabled young people who have secured an apprenticeship.

Our Pacesetter project was established in 2017 with the aim of working with selected partners to test our policy approaches, and gain better understanding of the experiences of disabled apprentices. We work with organisations and individuals who have proven experience and success in this area, and can help us identify initiatives which work and can be scaled up, with a view to delivering tangible progress towards growing numbers of apprentices from this group. Pacesetters include local authorities, employment organisations, a special school and the learning disability charity Mencap.

As part of department's annual Apprenticeship Evaluation Surveys, information is routinely collected about the experiences and satisfaction levels of apprentices that identify as having a disability.

The Further Education Learner and Apprentices survey, which samples approximately 6,500 apprentices, collects detailed demographic and social mobility data along with information on barriers to learning.

To inform our new funding policy, published in May 2018, we commissioned the Learning and Work Institute to interview providers, employers and third party organisations providing additional support to apprentices with a range of disabilities- selected for their experience working with this group. The report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exploring-funding-for-apprentices-with-additional-needs.

We have recently produced a new apprenticeship learner support guide following requests from organisations who offer careers support to those seeking to apply for an apprenticeship. It contains information for those seeking an apprenticeship and for those already in an apprenticeship and includes the support and funding available for those people with disabilities and for those who might require mental health support: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-apprenticeships.