Accessible Apprenticeships

At Dynamic Training, we recognise the social model of disability, the environment and society causes barriers not the individual who has a disability. We are dedicated to ensuring that apprenticeships are inclusive and accessible for everyone. We believe that diversity is a strength, and we're here to support learners with various learning disabilities, physical disabilities, neurodivergence, additional learning needs, mental health challenges, and autism throughout their apprenticeship experience.

At Dynamic everyone is treated as the unique individual that they are. Dynamic Training are committed to providing bespoke and accessible apprenticeships which helps our apprentices get the best out of their programme.

Lets take a look at accessible apprenticeships, their value and how they can benefit you, the employer and their organisations.

Accessible apprenticeships are apprenticeships which take into consideration the individual needs of the learner, allowing them to get the most out of their apprenticeship journey. These needs can include language barriers, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, neurodivergence, mental health challenges and autism.

Accessible apprenticeship providers such as Dynamic Training do not view these considerations as a hinderance to learning, and are proud to create an apprenticeship experience which is not simply respectful, but empowering to each and every learner. By supporting apprentices in this way, an employer not only helps empower an individual but their entire workforce by unlocking their full potential.

Ensuring Apprenticeships Are Accessible

There are flexibilities in place to support employers who want to ensure their apprenticeship offer is accessible to individuals who have a learning disability or a difference. 

A snapshot of some of the resources available to inform employers on accessible apprenticeships are available below.

• NHS Employers toolkit on how to recruit and support disabled staff in the NHS.
• A guide to recruit and manage individuals on accessible supported apprenticeships

In addition, Dynamic Training has hosted webinars on behalf of the Education and Training Foundation to empower and inform employers on accessible apprenticeships.

• Dynamic Training and Little Gate Supported Employment
• Dynamic Training and Ways into Work Supported Employment

A reasonable adjustment is a change or enhancement to a job role, so that the member of staff can be more efficient and comfortable within their working environment. At Dynamic Training, we aim to provide appropriate advice and guidance to ensure employers can bring the benefits of reasonable adjustments into their working environment.

An example is by providing an accessible recruitment process for a job applicant with a disability or long-term health condition.  Another example is enabling an employee who uses a wheelchair to work on the ground floor. Most adjustments are low-cost and straightforward to achieve, but can have a massive impact on the member of staff.

As well as benefiting the workforce, they also help the employer, by helping staff to be as productive and happy in their roles as possible, creating a motivated and valued culture of work based on mutual understanding and respect. 

We encourage employers to look around their workplace, considering factors such as the following.

• A learning difficulty.
• Difficulty navigating the working environment.
• A visual or auditory impairment.
• Autism.

Think about the changes which you could make which would immediately make the working environment more accessible.

Another important activity we encourage employers to engage with is listening to staff, as all employees will have their own unique needs and requirements. Their personality, likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses may call for their own adjustments, which can only be achieved by creating an open and honest working environment.

It is also worth considering that not all disabilities are visible, and it is only through open dialogue and an inclusive environment that some disabilities can be truly addressed.

Dynamic Training recognise that some learners may need additional support in order to complete their functional skills training, if they choose to undertake it as part of their apprenticeship or are required to depending on their circumstances. As a result, we provide dedicated functional skills support sessions to ensure that our learners receive the required assistance.

There are functional skills flexibilities available for individuals who have diagnosed learning difficulties, enabling them to undertake a higher level apprenticeship by achieving lower entry level 3 English and maths.

There are also new flexibilities for individuals who have undiagnosed learning difficulties. Dynamic Training will conduct initial assessments with the learner to identify what flexibilities are available to them.

Dynamic Training are not simply about getting our apprentices started. Apprentices only achieve after passing their End Point Assessment, and Dynamic Training look to make reasonable adjustments to this process as with everything else, ensuring that you have a fair opportunity to showcase your skills and knowledge.

• Extra Time for Assessments: If you require more time to complete assessments or exams, we can arrange for extended time to ensure you have a fair opportunity to demonstrate your abilities.
• Alternative Assessment Formats: We can provide assessments in different formats, such as audio or visual aids, to accommodate various learning preferences.

If you want to find out more about End Point Assessments during the apprenticeship process, you can find out more here.

The Apprenticeship Journey

• Mentor Support: Dynamic Training can assign a mentor to provide additional guidance and support throughout your apprenticeship. This mentor will be there to address your specific needs.
• Flexible Scheduling: If you have mental health challenges or need flexibility due to other reasons, we can work with employers to create a schedule that suits your well-being and productivity.
• Communication Support: For learners with communication difficulties, we can arrange for communication support, including visual aids, social stories, assistive technology, British sign language interrupters or specific communication strategies.

Did you know the government helps organisations to employ people with disabilities or long-term health conditions through their Access to Work scheme. The scheme is applied for by the employee. Please click this link to be redirected to the Government website to find out more and how to apply

Dynamic collaborates closely with supported employment services to offer individuals who require additional support in the workplace a tailored apprenticeship experience. Our partnership is centred around providing a job coach, who plays a pivotal role in guiding and assisting individuals as they strive to develop essential skills and excel in their apprenticeship roles. Through this collaboration, we ensure that everyone’s unique needs and challenges are addressed, fostering an inclusive and empowering work environment. By combining the expertise of Dynamic's team and the dedicated support from employment services, we create a platform for personal and professional growth, helping individuals achieve their full potential whilst undertaking an apprenticeship

One important way of helping employers to embrace the untapped potential of SEND individuals is to make use of job carving, a practice which Dynamic Training encourage with all employers we work with.

Job carving involves identifying roles and duties of existing employees which can be given to a new member of staff, allowing the existing member of staff to be more productive in their other duties whilst also welcoming a SEND individual into the workplace on an accessible apprenticeship programme.

Job carving is a fantastic solution to finding roles for SEND individuals, and accessible apprenticeships offer a great way to get the most out of them in their roles. We have helped many employers see the benefits of job carving, and would love to speak to you about how you can benefit from this.