Learner support software for apprenticeship providers

Inclusion Studio is learner support software for apprenticeship providers. An apprentice is both a learner and an employee. Support depends on two parties: the training provider, who teaches and assesses, and the employer, who controls the workplace. Inclusion Studio is built so both can do their part without the employer seeing more than they need to.

What duties and rules apply to apprenticeship providers?

Apprentices are protected by the Equality Act 2010, and reasonable adjustments are part of that. Under section 20, the duty involves changing provision, criteria or practices, removing physical barriers and providing auxiliary aids where a disabled person would otherwise be at a substantial disadvantage. Who owes the duty for which adjustment depends on the situation: the provider for teaching and assessment, the employer for the workplace. Our guide on reasonable adjustments for apprentices explains the split.

Funding rules add conditions. DfE guidance on support for apprentices with learning difficulties and disabilities says that, for apprenticeships, providers can claim a fixed £150 for each month the apprentice needs reasonable adjustments, the provider has made them and they have cost money. Higher costs can be claimed as excess support, and exceptional support has a separate process. The guidance sets out conditions including a qualifying need, written agreement from the learner to the arrangements, evidence of costs, and reviews at least every three months with the first review one month after adjustments start. It also says workplace adjustments are the employer’s responsibility and that Access to Work may help. Funding rules are published each funding year, so check the current rules before relying on any amount. See learning support funding for apprenticeships and Access to Work for apprentices.

Ofsted inspects apprenticeship provision within its FE and skills framework, which was renewed from 10 November 2025 and includes an inclusion evaluation area. Providers should be able to explain how they support all learners, including those with SEND.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

What is difficult about supporting apprentices?

• The learner is rarely on site with the tutor or assessor. Support often depends on a short visit or remote session.
• The employer needs to know what to change at work, but should not learn about diagnoses or personal history.
• Agreements made at induction fade. Reviews fall behind the three-monthly rhythm that funding conditions describe.
• Apprentices may be reluctant to disclose a need to an employer, so consent and sharing need care.
• Adjustments for the end-point assessment must be considered early. See end-point assessment reasonable adjustments.

What should apprenticeship learning support software do for providers?

Apprenticeship learning support software has to work for people who are rarely in the same room. For a provider, that means:

• a support plan the apprentice has seen, that the tutor or assessor can open before a visit or remote session;
• a separate, short view for the employer that shows only the workplace adjustments and their actions;
• a quick record of support delivered and missed, including support at work, so progress reviews rest on facts;
• prompts to review support at the rhythm your progress reviews already follow;
• early notes on assessment adjustments, so they are not left to the last month;
• a controlled export when you need to show how learning support was used.

See learning support funding for apprenticeships for the funding side and employer collaboration for how the employer view works.

How does Understand, Agree, Deliver, Review work for apprentices?

How does the employer fit in?

Employers get a narrow view. An employer contact sees the workplace adjustments they are responsible for and their own actions, nothing else. Full support histories, notes, documents and learner feedback stay with the provider. This is enforced on the server by organisation, relationship and field. See employers and working with employers on adjustments.

Who uses it in an apprenticeship provider?

• Inclusion or learning support leads manage triage, plans and reviews.
• Assessors and tutors record delivery and see the adjustments for their apprentices. See tutors and assessors.
• Apprentices see their own plan and give feedback. See learners.
• Employer contacts handle workplace adjustments.
• Quality and compliance staff produce evidence. See quality and compliance.

What does the pilot cover?

The pilot starts with FE colleges and apprenticeship providers in England. For apprenticeship providers it focuses on the full journey, role-based employer access, review reminders and evidence export. It is pre-pilot: the production application is in development on synthetic data, and there are no customers or certifications yet. Launch prices are on the pricing page. Real learner data will not be used until data protection and security checks are complete. See the pilot page and roadmap. If you are a smaller independent provider, see also independent training providers.

What might a fictional example look like?

This is a fictional example, not a real provider. An apprentice tells his coach at onboarding that he works best when tasks are explained in writing and that he does not want his manager to know about his dyslexia diagnosis. The plan records his words. The provider will supply written task summaries after each visit. The only item shared with the employer is a workplace adjustment, written without the diagnosis: written instructions for new tasks. The employer sees that adjustment and their own action. At review the apprentice says the written summaries help and the instructions are sometimes late. The late item is recorded and recovered.

How does Inclusion Studio support this process?

It helps you keep the agreed arrangements, the learner’s written agreement to them, delivery and reviews in one auditable place, and it limits what employers see. Agreeing a plan is recorded separately from data protection consent and sharing choices, so a signature never acts as blanket permission. It does not calculate funding claims, decide eligibility, or guarantee that a claim or inspection will succeed. Your organisation remains responsible. Learn more about employer collaboration, or contact us to take part in the pilot. For colleges see FE colleges.