Making work experience more accessible: a practical starting checklist

Ask the person what helps, agree the changes before the first day, write them down and check how they are working after the first week. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers and job applicants. Access to Work can help pay for support in paid work, including paid work experience and work trials, but it does not replace the employer’s duty. This checklist is a practical starting point, not legal advice.

What the official guidance says

Whether a placement is covered depends on its status

GOV.UK lists work experience, work trials, internships, work placements and apprenticeships among the kinds of paid work Access to Work can support, for people aged 16 or over. It does not cover voluntary work.

Whether the reasonable adjustments duty applies to a particular placement depends on the person’s status, for example as a worker, a trainee or a job applicant. If you are unsure, ask Acas or a qualified adviser. Making a change because it helps is always open to you, whatever the legal position.

Before the placement

1. Ask the person, or their referrer with their agreement, what would make the placement work. Do not ask for a diagnosis.
2. Send the joining information in the format they ask for, such as large print, plain text or easy read.
3. Hold any interview or first meeting in an accessible room, and offer extra time for any written task.
4. Check the route in: entrances, lifts, toilets, lighting, noise and where to wait.
5. Agree hours, start time and breaks. Spreading breaks more evenly is an adjustment Acas gives as an example.
6. Name one contact for the person to go to with questions, and tell them who it is before day one.
7. If equipment, software or a support worker is needed, check whether the person can apply for Access to Work, and start early.
8. Write down what you have agreed and give the person a copy.

On the first day

1. Meet the person at the agreed time and place.
2. Show them the route around the building, including exits and quiet spaces.
3. Explain the tasks in more than one way, for example in writing and by showing.
4. Check that each agreed adjustment is in place on the day.

During and after

1. Ask how it is going after the first week, and change what is not working.
2. Keep the record of adjustments up to date. Acas advises the person to keep their own record too.
3. At the end, ask what helped and what did not, and give the person a written reference or summary of what they did.

Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a voluntary government scheme with three levels: Disability Confident Committed, Disability Confident Employer and Disability Confident Leader. The guidance and resources are free, and each level must be completed before the next. Signing up is a set of commitments. It does not tell you whether a particular placement is accessible, and it is not a substitute for the legal duty.

Examples are not assurance

The examples on this page come from Acas and GOV.UK. They show what employers commonly do. They do not tell you whether a specific adjustment is reasonable for your organisation, which depends on things such as its size, resources and the cost and effect of the change. For a decision about your own situation, take advice.

For referrers

If you refer a young person or an adult to a placement, ask them first what they want the employer to know, and share only that. Send the employer this checklist with your referral, and agree who the person contacts if something is not working.

Working with IT’S POSSIBLE NOW

WORK is our route into genuine paid employment, and SHAPE pays people with lived experience to test and improve workplaces, services and spaces. If you want to offer work experience or make your workplace easier to work in, talk to us as an employer.