An open letter calling on a more neuro-inclusive Apprenticeship Levy
For many people, the controversial Apprenticeship Levy and subsequent apprenticeship programmes have been vital in their route to employment. Yet a significant portion of people in the UK of working age are being left out – people with disabilities, and in particular, those with neurodiverse conditions.
We welcomed the Government’s recent change to allow businesses to transfer up to 50% of their unused levy to one or more different employers. It was our plan to donate a portion of our levy to support a charity providing education and employment support for young people who are neurodivergent. However, the rules of the Levy make it unfeasible to support certain types of programmes.
Under the rules, this means that many organisations cannot take full advantage of funding available and so an apprenticeship programme is unattainable and impractical for many people with neurodiverse conditions. For example, the charity to which we hoped to gift our levy helps young people with autism into work via Supported Internships – a structured, work-based study programme for 16 to 24-year-olds with SEND, which has an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The core aim of a supported internship study programme is a substantial work placement, facilitated by the support of an expert job coach, but as it is not classed as an apprenticeship, the Apprenticeship Levy cannot be used to fund it. Similarly, traineeships and many more diverse routes into training are excluded from the funding.
In this open letter to the Government, we call on a change to the funding rules so that more people with neurodiverse conditions can boost their skills, gain work experience and successfully enter the UK workforce.
Why neurodiversity needs greater focus
The UK economy hinges on productivity and the optimum number of people being in work. Government departments, charities and businesses are working together to close the unemployment gap. It is important that supporting people with disabilities into the workforce is part of the solution, and efforts need to reflect people who are neurodivergent too.
In Q2 of 2023, the UK disability employment rate was 56.3% compared to 82.5% for non-disabled people[1]. For people with neurodiverse conditions, the employment rate is even lower. For example, just 3 in 10 (approx. 33%) of autistic people of working age are in employment[2].
The Buckland Review of Autism Employment, backed by the government and published in February 2024, called for businesses and government to work together over the next five years on initiatives aimed at “significantly improving” the autism employment rate. Adapting the rules of the Apprenticeship Levy could help to train autistic people and those with other neurodiverse conditions for skilled jobs, helping to shrink the disability unemployment gap.
Changes we would like to see to the Apprenticeship Levy
The Buckland Review found that autistic people receive a third less pay than non-disabled people, on average, and face a wide range of barriers to work. These barriers include unfair hiring practices, unclear processes and outdated attitudes by employers. We see similar challenges in the Apprenticeship Levy rules.
The minimum entry requirements vary depending on the level of apprenticeship but often reflect general education attainments, typically (A-C GCSE grades) in English or Maths, which are often not attained by people with neurodiverse conditions, stemming from a lack of targeted support, an unsuitable learning environment and incompatible assessments.
Funding from the Levy must be used for an apprenticeship programme only, many of which are delivered over 12 or 18 months, often not conducive to learning for people with neurodiverse conditions. They may need greater flexibility in their schedule, meaning less time or additional time to adapt to learning and working environments, and more support in managing their tasks to meet deadlines.
Restricting the funding to apprenticeships alone could mean that people in more mature age brackets miss out from support to build their skills for the workforce, particularly those with neurodiverse conditions. An estimated 15–20% of the world’s population presents a form of neurodivergence, but many people are undiagnosed, including mature unemployed people who have experienced challenges in many work environments[3]. Mature adults would benefit from the upskilling and support to employment from programmes such as traineeships, Supported Internships and Adult Education Budget courses that appeal to their learning and lifestyle needs. Widening the Apprenticeship Levy Gifting rules to these types of courses will help to reach people of all ages with neurodiverse conditions, further spreading the value of the Levy.
We are calling on the Government to address these three areas so that businesses can draw on the funding to design neurodivergent-friendly apprenticeships. Fundamentally, the Levy programme needs to be designed more strategically to align with national skills shortages, rather than local needs, and in collaboration with charities and interest groups that represent the communities struggling to gain access to work. Doing so will increase the impact of the Levy on both communities and the UK employment rate.
Benefits of apprenticeships for neurodivergent-inclusion
Between 2014 and 2022, disabled workers left the workforce at nearly twice the rate (8.9%) of non-disabled workers (5%)[4]. As well as supporting more people with neurodivergent conditions into employment, apprenticeships can help them stay employed by offering a more supportive and holistic transition into the workforce.
A rethinking of what constitutes an apprenticeship could result in programmes being tailored to people’s differing learning requirements and provide a structured way to balance learning, working and relaxation, helping people develop skills in time management and understand their own needs.
Opportunities for businesses through inclusion
Having a neurodiverse condition is classified as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, meaning employers are required by law to make reasonable adjustments within the workplace. Despite the law, a recent CIPD report highlighted that only 60% of those surveyed say that neuro-inclusion is a focus for their organisation[5].
Apprenticeships are only one way for businesses to widen opportunities for people with neurodiverse conditions.
