A guide for young people with disabilities and their supporters on the school-to-work transition covering supported internships, apprenticeships, VR services, mentoring, and the Disability Confident scheme.
Young Workers with Disabilities: Navigating the Transition from Education to Employment
The Transition Gap
The transition from education to employment is one of the most critical and vulnerable periods for young people with disabilities:
UK: Only 5.1% of young people with learning disabilities are in paid employment at age 25 (NDTI, 2023)
US: Youth with disabilities are twice as likely to be neither in employment nor education compared to their non-disabled peers (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
EU: Young people with disabilities have a NEET rate 10 percentage points higher than their non-disabled peers (Eurofound, 2022)
Supported Internships (UK)
Supported internships are structured study programmes for young people aged 16–24 with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. Key features:
The student spends most of their time (typically 70%+) at a workplace placement
A job coach provides on-site support, gradually fading as the student develops independence
The goal is paid employment at the host employer or elsewhere upon completion
Conversion rates to paid employment reach 36%+ in well-run programmes (DfE, 2022) — dramatically higher than the general employment rate for this group
What Makes Them Work
Employer buy-in and genuine workplace integration
Qualified job coaches with employer relationship skills
Student-centred placement matching
Gradual fading of support as skills develop
Partnership between education providers, employers, and families
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships provide structured on-the-job training combined with formal learning:
UK Disabled Apprentices
Adjustments are available: Extra time for assessments, assistive technology, modified training materials
Access to Work can fund additional support during the apprenticeship
Flexible duration: Apprenticeships can be extended for disabled learners
No minimum English/maths requirement for learners with learning difficulties
Disability Confident employers are more likely to offer inclusive apprenticeships
US
Registered Apprenticeships through the Department of Labor are open to people with disabilities
State VR agencies can fund apprenticeship support costs
The Apprenticeship Inclusion Models initiative promotes disability-inclusive apprenticeship design
Vocational Rehabilitation (US)
State VR agencies provide comprehensive employment support for young people with disabilities:
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS): Job exploration, work-based learning, workplace readiness, self-advocacy instruction (available from age 14)
Job placement and coaching: VR counsellors coordinate employer connections and on-the-job support
Assistive technology funding: VR agencies fund AT needed for employment
Post-secondary education support: Tuition assistance and accommodations for further education
Mentoring Programmes
Mentoring is one of the highest-impact interventions for young disabled workers:
Formal mentoring: Structured programmes pairing young employees with experienced disabled professionals
Peer mentoring: Connecting with other young disabled workers for shared experience
Reverse mentoring: Young workers mentor senior leaders on disability and inclusion perspectives
Key Programmes
Leonard Cheshire Change 100 (UK): Paid summer internships and mentoring for disabled students and graduates
Disability:IN NextGen Leaders (US): Leadership and mentoring for disabled college students
Career Ready (UK): Employer mentoring for disadvantaged young people including those with disabilities
Resources
NDTI (National Development Team for Inclusion): [ndti.org.uk](https://www.ndti.org.uk)
Disability Rights UK: [disabilityrightsuk.org](https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org)
Preparation for Adulthood: [preparingforadulthood.org.uk](https://www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk)
US Department of Labor ODEP Youth: [dol.gov/odep](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep)
Leonard Cheshire Change 100: [leonardcheshire.org](https://www.leonardcheshire.org)