A day in the life of a BBC Apprentice
Vicki is an apprentice at the BBC and has autism and dyslexia.
Being disabled shouldn’t limit your job or study choice, and apprenticeships can be a great route for you to get into your chosen career.
An apprenticeship is an opportunity to work and study at the same time. You spend most of your time doing on-the-job training and the rest working towards a nationally-recognised qualification.
The qualification could be the equivalent to GCSEs, up to a master’s degree, depending on the apprenticeship level you start at.
As an apprentice, you're paid a salary and get holiday allowance and sick pay, just like an employee.
Part-time options are available for most apprenticeships which can allow more flexibility for disabled candidates. If you take one part-time, the length of your apprenticeship will be extended to make sure you have enough time to complete the training.
Vicki is an apprentice at the BBC and has autism and dyslexia.
The first step in deciding whether an apprenticeship is the right choice for you is to do your research. There are two main parts to consider:
Some handy tips for researching an apprenticeship include:
Mental health conditions can also be classed as disabilities if they have a long term impact on your day-to-day life.
If this is the case, you can still access disability support at work.
Find out about Jess's journey as an apprentice with Fibromyalgia at GSK.
Disability information will never be used to make a decision on an application for an apprenticeship or a university place – this is protected under the Equality Act 2012. It’s only to make sure that you get the reasonable adjustments you are entitled to.
Some people choose not to share their disability because it doesn’t impact their day-to-day work, or they’re worried about being labelled.
However, there can be advantages to making people aware of your disability. It means you can access individual adjustments, funding, and initial support that can help with a smooth transition into the apprenticeship. It may also give you more protection under the Equality Act if any issues arise at work or with your training provider.
You may find this advice from Disability Rights UK about sharing your disability helpful.
If you do choose to share the information, you may need to answer some questions and potentially have an informal interview to discuss your needs – this isn’t anything to be worried about, it’s just a chance to discuss any adjustments you need put in place.
Sharing information about your disability early in the apprenticeship process, for example at application stage, can help with the transition into an apprenticeship. It allows university support services to discuss with you any support you may need on your course to make sure you can get the most out of the experience.
Reasonable adjustments allow disabled people to access the same opportunities and services as non-disabled people. Under the Equality Act (which covers England, Scotland and Wales), your employer and university or training provider must provide you with reasonable adjustments if you ask for them.
A reasonable adjustment could be anything from extra time on exams to a designated parking space, flexible working hours, or reading materials in a format suitable for you, such as Braille. However, adjustments are different for every person. This reasonable adjustments guide from Disability Rights UK lists some of the adjustments that could be put in place.
To provide you with these, your employer and training provider need to be aware of your impairment or condition. If you do choose to share the information, adjustments won't be put in place automatically – you must let the employer and university, or training provider, know what you need.
Most universities have networks and societies you can join, both generally around interests and hobbies and for those specifically with disabilities. For example, some universities have well-being groups and disability support groups.
Some employers have diversity and inclusion groups you may be interested in joining too, as well as social clubs and sports teams.
It’s worth understanding how frequently these groups meet and how. For example, if your apprenticeship structure means you’re on campus for a certain day each week, will that group fit around you? Or can you join virtually?
Disability Rights UK also has a group for apprentices called the Disabled Support Network which brings together those currently taking an apprenticeship and those who have completed one.
As an apprentice, you won't be eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) or student finance, but you are eligible for funding through the Access to Work scheme. This is a grant that can help you pay for work-related things that don’t fall under reasonable adjustments, like taxi fares if you can’t use public transport, for example. You need to apply for it directly unless your apprenticeship is with the Civil Service.
You may find this advice from Diversity and Ability about Access to Work helpful.
If you need adjustments for the study aspect of the apprenticeship, such as note-taking software or a recording device, you won’t need to apply for any funding to support these. However, you will need to let the training provider know what you need so they can put reasonable adjustments in place.
If you're a care leaver, you may also be entitled to an additional bursary. You can find details of the bursary and eligibility criteria here.
At Disability Rights UK, we run a Disabled Students Helpline which offers information and advice to disabled students, apprentices and trainees on a range of topics. This includes applying to apprenticeships, financial assistance, adjustments, resolving disagreements and disabled students’ rights.
The helpline supports disabled students, parents and carers and professionals supporting disabled students aged over 16 in England. In addition to the helpline, Disability Rights UK also produces a range of free guides for disabled students, trainees and apprentices.
Just create a UCAS account and fill in a quick form to tell us what you are interested in, where you live, and how far you want to travel.
Throughout an apprenticeship, you’re assessed through several assignments or exams. If there’s a specific reason you can’t complete an assignment or make it to an exam, for example, fatigue or a mental health challenge, you can usually apply for extenuating circumstances. These are sometimes called mitigating circumstances.
If you need to access them, you will usually have to submit medical evidence. When doing your research, look at the extenuating circumstances policy for the university or training provider, which should be available on their website.
At the end of your apprenticeship, you’ll be assessed with an end-point assessment (EPA). An EPA is carried out by an independent body separate from your training provider and employer. If you pass the assessment, you’ll gain your qualification and officially complete the apprenticeship.
Each apprenticeship will have an independent body who carries out the assessment, and this is organised by the university or training provider. You may want to find out who they are so you can research them. You can still access reasonable adjustments for your assessment just like you can for the rest of the apprenticeship, you just need to apply for them at least three months in advance.
On some apprenticeships, for example nursing and teaching, you may have to meet ‘fitness to practise’ rules set by professional bodies to make sure you are able to carry out the apprenticeship. The process involves a health questionnaire and occasionally an occupational health assessment.
No one should assume that having a disability makes you unfit to practise. Under the Equality Act 2010, both training providers and employers should consider all possible reasonable adjustments as part of the ‘fitness’ assessment and provide the support you need throughout the apprenticeship.
If you don’t feel your needs are being met, speak up. It’s always best to raise your concerns informally first, for example, speaking to your line manager in the workplace or your academic tutor from your university or training provider.
If you don’t feel your concerns have been taken seriously:
You can also find more advice about raising a complaint and getting support at: