The report explores the experiences of young disabled people who are using, or have used, apprenticeship schemes into employment. It shares what works well:

If you want to attract, support, and keep Disabled apprentices, here’s some of the things you can do.

Training providers

• Develop and change your curriculum to make it easier for Disabled apprentices to get the training they need
• Create networking opportunities for apprentices so they gain insight into other jobs and different departments
• Allocate a ‘go to’ person for the entire apprenticeship journey so individuals know who to approach for support and have someone they can confide in
• Ensure staff understand the principles and requirements of reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act (2010)
• Ensure training schedules are clear and whether learning and training sessions are online or face to face
• Familiarise yourselves with the additional learning support funding available for apprentices with learning
  difficulties or disabilities.

Employers

• Have a mentor or dedicated support person for apprentices, particularly at the start of an apprenticeship
• Offer flexible work arrangements tailored to individual needs, including part-time apprenticeships
• Be prepared to support Disabled apprentices with applications to the Access to Work scheme
• Have a streamlined process to put reasonable adjustments in place quickly, so Disabled apprentices can focus on getting on with the job
• Promote a culture where apprentices feel safe to talk about their disability and support needs, including conversations about mental health
• Make yourselves available for work experience placements to give Disabled young people an insight into
  the workplace

Read more here.

Unpaid work trials refer to the practice of asking job applicants to carry out a trial shift or other unpaid work, as part of the recruitment process. All workers are entitled to be paid at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for any hour worked, under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998.

A person is only entitled to be paid the NMW if they are a ‘worker’. The concept of a work trial is not defined anywhere in statute. With work trials the question is therefore whether a person qualifies as a ‘worker’ or not, which will depend heavily on the facts of any case.

An unpaid trial lasting more than one day is highly likely to be illegal in all but very exceptional circumstances.

Read more here.

We are living through an unparalleled and enduring crisis in living standards. With inflation outpacing pay increases, workers are materially worse off than a year ago. In response, the Government has launched a large package of support with household energy bills. However, many workers are still struggling with their finances, and we are currently experiencing the largest-scale industrial action since the winter of discontent in 1978-79.

In this context, what it means to be a progressive and supportive employer is changing. Based on mixed-methods research, this briefing examines how the cost-of-living crisis is shaping the way employers approach financial wellbeing at work, analysing support available for workers, and outlining practical steps to improve it beyond periods of crisis.

As a society, our views on employer responsibilities are evolving, staff wellbeing is a priority for many employers during the cost-of-living crisis and worker expectations vary with the nature of their employment relationship. Engagement is key to ensuring measures are valued by staff and avoid negative unintended consequences and employers should remove the stigma that prevents workers from seeking financial wellbeing support at work.

Work Foundation highlight the Government and employers have a pivotal role to play – they suggest that the government needs to strengthen employment rights ensuring everyone has access to good, secure work and that employers review job security and develop a strategic approach to financial wellbeing.

Read more here.

A report exploring labour force participation in the UK from the Covid 19 pandemic to a decade ahead.

In 2023, almost three years on from the advent of Covid-19, economists and policymakers are trying to understand the lasting impacts of the pandemic.

One area of focus in recent months has been labour supply: despite unemployment reaching historic lows, a rise in economic inactivity means that the UK employment rate remains one percentage point lower than pre-pandemic (the employment rate for 16-64-year-olds is down from 76.6 per cent in December-February 2020 to 75.6 per cent in the final three months of 2022). This is now a key focus for policymakers, and so it is crucial to understand the causes properly.

The legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK has not been high unemployment as was feared in 2020, but an increase in economic inactivity of over half a million workers, concentrated among older workers and those with long-term health conditions.

Read more here.

The employers’ organisation, the CBI is launching and co-chairing a new Health and Work Taskforce – backed by industry CEOs alongside the TUC and the Health Foundation – to recommend and implement near-term actions which will lead to long-term benefits.

The Taskforce will identify what UK industry can do to improve the health of their workforces and the working age population more broadly. It will also identify where government can provide signals, framework, and incentives to help the whole economy to value health investment more proactively.

With economic inactivity historically high, ill health costing the UK economy £180bn in lost output, and millions of lost working days annually, the need to find solutions driven by employers and supported by the government is critical.

Read more here.

Bosses from top firms including the Co-op, Greggs, Iceland, and Oliver Bonas have now been appointed as Employment Advisory Board chairs in 92 prisons, which help prepare prisoners nearing the end of their sentence for release into the community.

The Boards link prisons to leading business figures who can offer their expertise on the skills, qualifications and training needed to help prisoners re-enter the workforce.

Using these insights, prisons can tailor their training and workshops to match local labour market demands so ex-offenders are job-ready when they walk out the prison gate.

The initiative was launched in March 2022 and will play a crucial role in boosting the UK economy while tackling the £18 billion annual cost of reoffending, with ex-prisoners in steady employment being nine percentage points less likely to re-offend.

Read more here.

Youth clubs, mental health charities and social enterprises are among the organisations to benefit from up to £30 million to create volunteering opportunities and help reduce loneliness.

27 disadvantaged areas, from Wakefield to Wolverhampton, will be supported to create new volunteering opportunities for residents to help their communities.

The new Know Your Neighbourhood Fund will support charitable projects to connect communities backed by up to £30 million. Projects set to benefit include initiative to help parent carers take part in volunteering, and training for young people to become accredited sports coaches.

*Areas of higher rates of unemployment tend to have higher rates of loneliness

Read more here.

World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) aims to put a spotlight on the hurdles that people with autism and others living with autism face every day.

As a growing global health issue owing to its increasing exposure in the press and common knowledge, autism is an issue that is only gaining more understanding.

Read more here.

A report developed by FutureDotNow and Lloyds Bank reveals the full scale of the basic tech skills gap in the UK labour force.

• Digital technology has and will continue to transform the workplace. The importance of ensuring the UKs workforce is equipped with relevant digital skills cannot be overstated.
• Almost 60% cannot complete the 20 digital tasks that make up the Essential Digital Skills for Work as defined by industry and government.
• 59% of the UK workforce is not meeting its full potential.

Read the full report here.