Huw asks Work and Pensions Minister to use apprenticeship levy to fund supported internships

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In Parliament, Huw asked the Work and Pensions Minister what steps the department was taking to help people with disabilities enter work.

The Minister, Justin Tomlinson, said the department had a range of initiatives to help those with disabilities into work including the work and health programme, the personal support package and the new intensive personal employment support programme as well as engaging with employers through the disability confident scheme.

Later, Huw highlighted that employment prospects were much lower on average for young people with hidden disabilities or with special educational needs. He said supported internships, where young people with learning disabilities are placed in companies where they are provided with the necessary skills they need to work through learning in the workplace, could help boost their employability but take-up rates amongst employers were low.

He urged the department to work across government to ensure that the apprenticeship levy could be used to fund employers, so they could take up opportunities to provide supported internships.

The Minister thanked Huw for his continued support for apprenticeships and traineeships and said he would continue to work alongside the Business and Education departments to increase awareness amongst employers.

Watch the exchange below:

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