Summary

Despite the efforts of successive governments, the disability employment gap remains at around 30 per cent, and disabled people continue to face barriers to securing long-term employment. Our inquiry has found that this starts from the moment a young disabled person enters education, in early years, primary and secondary school, and through to how they are prepared for work and supported during their transition from education to employment both within and outside the education system. We have learned of excellent, innovative, and exceptional services achieving outstanding results in this area, but we have also heard about systems that lack resources, aspiration and expertise, and of employers who are frequently unwilling or who feel unable to bring disabled people into the workplace.

We believe that this can change. The new Government has shown a clear desire to get young disabled people working. To do this, it needs to focus on early support and intervention, helping young disabled people to access and stay in work when they leave education. It must also work with employers to give them the support they need to create inclusive workplaces. This report sets out the ways in which this can be achieved.

Our inquiry specifically focused on the experiences of young disabled people in the transition from education to work. We did not explore the wider public service environment—transport, health and social care, the wider education system, or the welfare system—but we acknowledge their fundamental role in determining whether disabled people can access work and we heard how, in many cases, they are failing. Chapter 1 sets out the scope of this report, as well as the context in which this report has been written.

The challenges are significant but, as shown in Chapter 2, not insurmountable. Throughout our inquiry we saw many effective ways of supporting young disabled people to succeed: suitable careers education, tailored support in schools and the workplace, and clear, accessible information about the transition to work. In many cases, however, these were isolated examples or were pilot schemes at risk of being scrapped. The new Government has an opportunity to draw on these examples and deliver effective services that fully support young disabled people into work.

Chapter 3 focuses on how the education system prepares young disabled people for the world of work. Too often, education and careers services do not provide the tailored, specialist support that young disabled people need, or set low expectations for young disabled people from a very early age. However, there are clear examples of where things can work—if a young disabled person can get a supported internship, an accessible apprenticeship, or simply good careers advice and work experience, they are much more likely to obtain fulfilling careers further down the line.

Chapter 4 examines the employment services that kick in once someone has left school. Many, particularly Jobcentre Plus, are simply not delivering. However, we heard how newer, supported employment programmes can be transformational and deliver real value for money. These form a strong foundation for rapid progress in this area for the new Government.

We then shift our focus to the workplace itself. Chapters 5 and 6 explore the challenges young disabled people can face from employers, and how their workplace rights are upheld. Many employers do a great job of supporting disabled job applicants and employees, but too many disabled people still face discrimination in recruitment and the workplace, and the current enforcement framework is simply inadequate. It can and must be fixed.

Employers are fundamental to creating inclusive workplaces. Chapter 7 explores how to support businesses in this. We celebrate businesses and public services that already create workplaces where young disabled people can flourish. But many employers remain scared of ‘doing the wrong thing’ and find it simpler to do nothing, missing out on a pool of talented people. With the right support, both from Government and from other employers, many more workplaces could welcome young disabled people.

There will, of course, always be some people who are not able to work due to their disability or health condition: they must receive appropriate support from the welfare system. However, many young disabled people yearn to work and to have a career. Too many are written off, told at every stage that ‘people like them’ will never thrive in work.

This has to change. The presumption has to be, at every stage of a young disabled person’s development, that they are fully capable of thriving in work, as long as they have the appropriate support. Aspiration has to be at the heart of support for young disabled people. We need to Think Work First.