2026 European Supported Employment Conference
2026 European Employment Conference
2026 European Supported Employment Conference
2026 European Employment Conference
Inclusive apprenticeships open the door to paid, skilled work for disabled and neurodivergent people. If you’re a large employer, your unused apprenticeship levy could be the key that unlocks those doors.
An inclusive apprenticeship follows the same earn-while-you-learn model as any standard apprenticeship — a real job, a real wage, real skills — but with adaptations built in from the start. They’re designed for individuals with a recognised learning difficulty or disability, and particularly well-suited to those with an Education, Health & Care (EHC) Plan.
The Department for Education has updated English and maths requirements specifically to open apprenticeship routes to more disabled and neurodivergent people. End-point assessments are also required to accommodate reasonable adjustments in line with equality legislation — meaning the system has to flex around the learner, not reject them.
Anyone aged 16 or over, entitled to live in England and no longer in full-time education, can apply for an apprenticeship. Inclusive routes make that access meaningful in practice, not just in principle.
The Access to Work scheme can provide additional grants towards job coaching, specialist support, or workplace adjustments — removing financial barriers that might otherwise prevent an employer from saying yes.
BASE works directly with the Department for Education on policy and guidance in this space. We’re members of the National SEND Employment Forum, the Inclusive Apprenticeship Provider Hub, and the Access to Work Supported Internship Forum — ensuring the voice of supported employment is heard where it matters.
Disabled and neurodivergent people aged 16+, especially those with an EHC Plan or recognised learning difficulty. Also open to those who want to upskill while already in employment.
Apprenticeship end-point assessors are legally required to offer reasonable adjustments. The Institute for Apprenticeships sets this as a mandatory standard across all frameworks.
Where a learner has a recognised SEN/SEND need and meets specific DfE criteria, English and maths requirements can be adjusted from Level 2 down to Entry Level 3. The goal is achievement and occupation — not gatekeeping.
We work with DfE, employers, and providers to improve the quality and quantity of inclusive apprenticeships across England.
An unpaid, structured work placement — usually 6–12 months — that builds real workplace skills with job coach support.
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Where needed, English and maths skills are developed during the internship — preparing the learner for the adjusted apprenticeship requirements.
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A formal, paid position on an apprenticeship wage. Real training, a qualification, and employer-backed progression — with reasonable adjustments throughout.
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A career — not just a job. Access to Work can continue to fund support, and supported employment providers remain a resource for both employer and employee.
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Whether you're looking for work, or creating it for others.
If you're a disabled or neurodivergent person looking for a career route that works for you, not against you, this is your starting point.
What's available
Whether you're a large levy-paying employer, a small business, or a supported employment provider — there's a role for you in building inclusive apprenticeship routes.
What's available
Every large employer in England contributes to the Apprenticeship Levy. Most don't use all of it. The funds that aren't spent don't carry forward, they go back to the Treasury. Here's how to change that.
Gift it. Grow something real.
If your organisation has an annual payroll over £3 million, you have a digital apprenticeship account loaded with funds you've already paid. Those funds must be spent on apprenticeship training, or they expire.
The levy gifting transfer mechanism lets you allocate up to 50% of your unused funds to another employer, such as a smaller business, a charity, or a supported employment provider, to fund apprenticeship training costs they couldn't otherwise afford.
That means your levy can directly fund inclusive apprenticeships for disabled and neurodivergent people. You choose the sector, skills area, or cause. The training provider and receiving employer handle delivery. The cost to you is zero, because the funds are already in your account.
There's also the option to pledge funds publicly through the government's apprenticeship service, letting eligible organisations apply for a transfer. This is useful for employers who want to support a cause without a pre-existing relationship.
Time-limited from 2026: Levy funds now expire after 12 months, reduced from 24. If your account balance is building up unused, gifting is the only way to ensure it creates value rather than returning to HMRC.
Talk to BASE about where your levy could go. We work with supported employment providers and employers across the UK to match levy funds with inclusive apprenticeship opportunities. If you're a large employer with unused levy, or a provider looking for levy transfer funding, we can help broker the conversation.
Sometimes, the most inclusive career path is the one you build yourself. The Purple Socks Day Fund supports disabled and neurodivergent individuals who are doing exactly that.
Run in partnership with Parallel opens in a new tab, the fund raises money through Purple Sock Day, held every year on 3rd December, the International Day of Disabled People. Parallel donates a significant share of purple sock sales to BASE, which then distributes the funds as small grants to disabled entrepreneurs and self-employed people.
Research consistently shows that self-employment and entrepreneurship are powerful routes to inclusive working for disabled and neurodivergent people, because they allow individuals to structure work around their strengths.
18% of self-employed people in the UK identify as neurodiverse, compared to 15% of the general population.
63% of neurodiverse freelancers say self-employment actively supports their strengths and working style.
Source: IPSE research, cited in BASE Purple Socks Day Fund 2026.
Purple Sock Day: Every 3rd December, Parallel sells purple socks and donates proceeds to BASE. Wearing purple is a visible act of solidarity with disability inclusion, and the money raised funds real grants for disabled entrepreneurs. Find out more about Parallel opens in a new tab.
