NDCS helps win concession on apprenticeships as new law passed

The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill has now passed into law. NDCS worked with a range of other charities to ensure key changes were made to the Bill that will benefit deaf young people. 

The new laws makes changes to the education system for young people over 16. For example, it shifts responsibility for post-16 learning from the Learning and Skills Council to local authorities and creates an important new entitlement to access apprenticeships for young people.

Initially, the Government proposed that all young people be required to have GCSEs in Maths and English to be eligible for a government scheme on apprenticeships. NDCS argued that this could discriminate against deaf young people who do not hold these GCSEs, was unfair in light of the educational under achievement of deaf children and that a blanket requirement on GCSEs may not be necessary for all apprenticeships.  

In an important concession, the Government has agreed that disabled young people will be able to demonstrate their abilities in other ways, through a portfolio of evidence. 

NDCS worked hard with a range of other organisations, including the Special Educational Consortium (SEC) to win other key concessions. For example, the provision of post-16 education for disabled young people and young people with special educational needs will now not be affected by the need for local authorities to avoid ‘disproportionate expenditure’. This followed concerns that this clause could have been used by local authorities as a 'get out clause' for not investing in support for deaf young people. 

More information:

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act (external website)