A new report from Mencap lays out recommendations towards the current regulations around apprenticeships for people with a learning disability or learning difficulty. Mencap, the UK’s leading learning disability charity, is calling on the Department of Education to rethink their current regulations around apprenticeships.
Between April-June 2021, Mencap surveyed 141 apprenticeship employers and training providers on the current system of minimum requirements to understand the views of the sector and found that current regulation presents unnecessary barriers for people with a learning disability or learning difficulty to enter and complete apprenticeships.
Mencap have found that the majority of apprenticeship employers and training providers believe that the criteria for people with a learning disability or learning difficulty to qualify for flexibilities set out in the ‘Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England’ are too restrictive. Mencap have set out a series of recommendations in their report to expand the adjusted minimums to people with a learning disability or learning difficulty.
The vast majority (96% of respondents) agree that people with a learning disability or learning difficulty should qualify for adjusted minimum standards based on a cognitive assessment rather than evidence of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Mencap also suggest that where there is no industry-standard requirement for English and Maths qualifications that the practical English and Maths required for the job for people with a learning disability or learning difficulty are re-examined, such as the ability to talk to customers or identify correct weights and measurements.
71% of respondents to the survey described current English and Maths requirements as an ‘unnecessary barrier’ and 92% of employers would be willing to hire an apprentice with those practical adjusted minimums.
With many sectors currently struggling to recruit, the easing of these restrictions will allow businesses to enhance what they can offer by including people with different experiences and skills. If not, there is a worry that the current economic climate will worsen the barriers and widen inequalities that people with a learning disability already face.
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