Access to Work for apprentices

Access to Work is one of the most valuable sources of support for disabled apprentices, and one of the least used. Many apprentices have never heard of it. Many employers think it is the provider’s job. Many providers think it is the employer’s job. Meanwhile the apprentice starts work without the equipment, support worker or travel help that would let them do the job well.

This guide explains what Access to Work is, how it applies to apprentices, how it fits with an employer’s legal duties and with learning support funding, and what a training provider can do to help. Details change, so check GOV.UK before advising an individual apprentice.

What is Access to Work?

Access to Work is support from the Department for Work and Pensions for people with a physical or mental health condition or disability to get or stay in work. It can provide:

• grants for practical support at work
• mental health support at work
• money for communication support at job interviews

GOV.UK says a grant does not affect other benefits and does not have to be paid back. The apprentice or employer may need to pay some costs upfront and claim them back.

Can apprentices get Access to Work?

Yes. The eligibility page lists an apprenticeship as paid work, alongside employment, work trials, work experience, internships and work placements. To be eligible, a person must:

• be 16 or over
• be in paid work, or about to start or return to paid work in the next 12 weeks
• live and work in England, Scotland or Wales (Northern Ireland has a different system)
• have a disability, illness or health condition that means they need support to do their job

A formal diagnosis is not needed to apply. Employed people can get support whatever they earn or have in savings. Voluntary work is not covered.

What can Access to Work pay for?

It pays for support in the workplace that goes beyond what the employer must provide as reasonable adjustments. GOV.UK lists:

• specialist equipment and assistive software
• support workers, such as British Sign Language interpreters, job coaches or travel buddies
• travel costs if the person cannot use public transport
• adaptations to a vehicle used to get to work
• physical changes to the workplace, which can include the home if the person works there some or all of the time

Mental health support is provided through specialist providers. GOV.UK says people apply directly to one of them and that mental health support can only be claimed once.

How does Access to Work fit with reasonable adjustments?

Access to Work does not replace the employer’s legal duty. GOV.UK says it will not pay for reasonable adjustments, which are changes the employer must legally make, and that it advises the employer on what changes should be made. The employer factsheet says the same, and that Access to Work will advise whether a change should be treated as a reasonable adjustment.

In practice, think of three layers of workplace support:

The boundary between the first two layers is not always obvious, and Access to Work makes that call. The boundary with the third is clearer: workplace support is not a training provider cost. The DWP guidance on support for apprentices says employers should not use learning support funding to make or fund workplace adjustments, and that apprentices who need help in the workplace may get it from Access to Work. See learning support funding for apprenticeships.

Do employers have to pay anything?

Sometimes, for equipment and adaptations. The employer factsheet says employers share the cost of special aids and equipment and adaptations to premises or equipment only where the employee had worked for them for more than 6 weeks when they applied. The share depends on headcount:

The employer pays costs up to the threshold and 20% of costs between the threshold and £10,000. Access to Work normally covers costs above £10,000. These figures come from the factsheet last updated in October 2025; check it before quoting to an employer.

The practical lesson for apprentices: apply before starting, or within the first 6 weeks, and equipment costs are less likely to fall on the employer. That is a strong reason to raise Access to Work at recruitment, not after the first review.

How does an apprentice apply?

The apprentice applies online or by phone. The apply page says they will need:

• their contact details
• their workplace address and postcode
• information about how their condition affects their work
• a workplace contact, who will not be contacted without their permission
• their National Insurance number, if they have one

Forms are available in other formats, such as braille or large print, through the Access to Work helpline. After applying, an assessor may call or view the workplace by video or in person to find out what might help, and may ask permission to speak to the employer. The apprentice then receives a decision letter setting out the grant and what it should pay for.

Grants are time-limited. The employer factsheet says people have 9 months to claim costs, and Access to Work contacts them 12 weeks before support ends to discuss renewal. If the apprentice’s needs or job change, they should tell Access to Work.

How can a training provider help?

The provider often knows first. At initial assessment an apprentice may tell you about a condition they have not mentioned to their employer. You cannot apply for them, but you can make it easy.

1. Raise it early. At sign-up, explain Access to Work to every apprentice who declares a disability or health condition, and to employers in your employer induction pack.
2. Help the apprentice describe their needs. Many apprentices find it hard to explain how their condition affects work. The DWP Health Adjustment Passport is a form that helps people work out what changes and support they may need, including for an apprenticeship, and can be used when applying for Access to Work.
3. Share what helps in training, with consent. If the apprentice agrees, give them a short summary of the adjustments that work in their off-the-job training. That is often useful evidence for the workplace too.
4. Agree who does what. With the apprentice’s agreement, agree with the employer which adjustments the employer will make, what Access to Work may cover, and what the provider will do in training.
5. Follow up. At the first progress review, ask whether the application went in and whether support has arrived. Delays are common, and an apprentice waiting for equipment is at risk of falling behind.

Fictional example. Leah, 22, has a visual impairment and is starting a level 3 digital marketing apprenticeship with a 30-person agency. At sign-up, her provider explains Access to Work and gives her the Health Adjustment Passport. With Leah’s consent, the provider’s employer contact talks to the agency about reasonable adjustments, such as a desk near natural light and larger monitors. Leah applies for Access to Work before her start date. Her assessor recommends screen magnification software and a taxi for the winter months when she cannot travel safely after dark. The provider separately supplies accessible versions of its own training materials, which is the provider’s responsibility.

What should happen when circumstances change?

An Access to Work grant is based on a particular job, workplace and set of needs. Apprenticeships change more than most jobs: apprentices rotate between sites, move from a classroom-heavy start to more time on the job, change employer, or progress to a new apprenticeship. Each change can affect what support is needed.

GOV.UK asks people to contact the Access to Work helpline if their circumstances change. Build a prompt into your reviews:

• Has the apprentice moved site, team or working pattern?
• Have their needs changed, for example a fluctuating condition getting worse?
• Is the grant end date coming up?
• Is the apprentice about to finish and move into a new role, where support will need to continue?

If the apprentice disagrees with an Access to Work decision, they can also contact the helpline. A provider can help them set out what they need, but the conversation is between the apprentice and Access to Work.

What problems come up most often?

• Nobody tells the apprentice about it. Make Access to Work part of your standard information.
• The apprentice does not want the employer to know. Respect that. Explain that Access to Work will not contact the workplace without permission, but that workplace support usually requires the employer’s involvement.
• The employer expects the provider to pay. Explain the three layers. Learning support is for training, not the job.
• Delays. Support can take time to arrive. Agree interim adjustments with the employer while the application is processed.
• Support stops at the end of the grant. Diary the renewal date and raise it in reviews.

How does Inclusion Studio support this process?

Inclusion Studio is learner support software being built for FE colleges and apprenticeship providers in England, currently pre-pilot with a prototype using fictional learners. It does not apply for Access to Work. It is designed to help providers record what the apprentice says helps, agree a support plan with them, and share only workplace adjustments and the employer’s own actions through employer collaboration, never the full history. Actions such as “Access to Work application submitted” can be tracked and reviewed alongside other support.