Inclusiveness in Apprenticeships at Kent Business College

What does inclusiveness in an apprenticeship mean?

Inclusiveness in an apprenticeship means making it possible for people with different backgrounds, circumstances and support needs to participate meaningfully in learning and work. It involves the quality of the welcome, the accessibility of the materials, the opportunity to ask questions and the response when something becomes difficult. A learner should be able to discuss a barrier without feeling that they have to apologise for it. The practical question is: what would help this person develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours their occupation requires?

At Kent Business College, you can begin that conversation through the learning support planner and use the Apprentice Charter & Learning Journey to understand the wider programme. The planner creates a draft you can download and discuss; it does not automatically submit a support request. These resources are starting points for a discussion with KBC. A suggested plan becomes useful when the learner, college and relevant employer agree who will do what, when it will happen and how they will know it is helping. You do not have to arrive with a perfect explanation of every difficulty.

Different starting points can belong in the same classroom

Picture an online lesson about stakeholder communication. One apprentice has spent twenty years handling difficult customers but has not written an academic assignment since school. Another writes confidently but has never challenged a senior colleague. A third understands the discussion but needs longer to organise an answer. Each brings something useful; each also has something to learn. An inclusive conversation makes those strengths visible while giving people a workable route through the unfamiliar parts.

The same principle applies across Marketing, Project Controls and Project Management. A polished presentation should not become a shortcut for judging someone's whole potential. Equally, relevant experience should be explored carefully rather than assumed from a job title. Try asking yourself three questions before your next coaching meeting: which parts of my work can I explain confidently, where do I hesitate, and what prevents me from showing what I understand? Concrete answers help turn a general statement such as “I am not academic” into a task that can be tackled.

Reasonable adjustments: fair access to work and learning

Education and training providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled learners who would otherwise be substantially disadvantaged. Current government guidance also requires providers to consider support needs individually and to consider adjustments for apprenticeship assessment. A support need can be identified after a programme has begun. [1]

Employers have their own responsibilities to make reasonable adjustments at work; the government explicitly includes apprentices in this protection. [2] The college and employer therefore need to understand the particular barrier in their respective settings. A change that helps during a lesson may need a different equivalent in a busy office or on a project site.

Acas explains that adjustments depend on the person and circumstances. [3] For a useful conversation, describe a real task, its difficulty and the change you would like to explore. For example: “When the brief changes during a meeting, I miss the final actions. Could we confirm them in writing?” That is much easier to act on than a vague request for more support.

Talking about neurodiversity without making assumptions

Neurodivergent apprentices are individuals, with different strengths and different barriers. It is unhelpful to assume that every autistic learner prefers the same communication style, every learner with ADHD needs the same timetable, or every dyslexic learner has the same reading experience. Acas advises employers to offer support whether or not a person has a diagnosis and to explore adjustments with the individual. Its examples include clearer instructions, changes to the working environment and technology that supports reading or writing. [4]

You can start by explaining what happens during a specific activity: “I understand the lesson, but I lose my place when I try to listen and take detailed notes together.” Ask which available format or working method could help you engage with that task. A conversation about possible neurodivergence is not a diagnosis, and a questionnaire does not decide your capabilities. For particular funded support or formal assessment arrangements, further evidence may be needed. The purpose of asking is to understand the barrier accurately, not to assign you a fixed identity.

Build a support plan that changes the next learning activity

A useful support plan connects a difficulty to an action. It should be specific enough that you can look at the next lesson or assignment and know what will happen differently. Use the KBC planner to prepare your ideas, then discuss the draft with your coach. Keep an agreed copy somewhere you can find before a review. If a proposed change is unavailable or unsuitable, ask what other approach could address the same barrier.

A review should include your experience, not simply whether a deadline was met. Did the action make the task clearer? Did it create another difficulty? Would the same approach work next month? Government learning-support guidance requires evidence of needs, agreed support and review where funding is claimed. [1]

A fictional example: strong marketing ideas, difficult written submissions

Fictional illustration — this is not a KBC learner case study. A marketing apprentice can explain why a campaign underperformed, identify the wrong audience and suggest a better message. Yet their written reflection jumps between ideas. They spend an evening rewriting the introduction, feel embarrassed and stop sending drafts. A response focused only on lateness misses an opportunity to understand the task.

In this example, the apprentice and coach agree to try a simple outline: the business problem, the decision, the evidence and the next improvement. The apprentice talks through the argument first, then writes one section at a time. The coach checks whether the reasoning is clear and identifies where a claim needs evidence. The apprentice still produces their own work and remains responsible for its accuracy.

The useful question at the review is whether this approach helps the learner organise and explain their thinking. Ask the learner which stage became easier and whether they can now organise the next piece of work more independently. Use that feedback to refine the support. The teaching conversation can then lead to a repeatable approach for future assignments.

Inclusion also includes language, digital access and belonging

Some barriers have little to do with a diagnosed condition. An apprentice may be unfamiliar with professional vocabulary, share a laptop, work rotating shifts or feel uncomfortable interrupting a group. An experienced professional returning to study may worry that younger classmates understand every digital tool already. Ask about the actual difficulty before deciding that a quiet learner lacks motivation. “Were you able to open the brief and understand what it asked?” is a more useful starting question than “Why have you not engaged?”

For learners, make a short list of the terms, systems or routines that currently slow you down. For tutors and managers, explain unfamiliar abbreviations and make room for clarification. Invite contributions without making one person represent an entire age group, religion or culture. Agree respectful ways to challenge ideas and take concerns about exclusion seriously. Acas states that employers must not discriminate and should take complaints about discrimination and bullying seriously. [7] Everyday courtesy and clear teaching are practical parts of creating a place where people can contribute.

What employers can do this month

An apprentice's manager can make support easier to use by connecting it with real work. Start with the next assignment or development goal and identify an appropriate workplace opportunity. If the apprentice needs to practise stakeholder communication, who could they observe or work alongside? If they need quieter concentration for an agreed learning activity, when and where could that happen? Make the arrangement visible in the work schedule so that it does not depend on the apprentice renegotiating it every week.

Ask what information the learner is comfortable sharing and focus the working conversation on relevant actions. You rarely need an entire personal history to understand a practical request. Check that cover arrangements are realistic, that the apprentice knows whom to ask when a task changes and that feedback includes a usable next step. If additional workplace support may be appropriate, the government’s Access to Work scheme is worth exploring. Eligibility and awards are individual, and it does not pay for the reasonable adjustments an employer is legally required to make. [6]

Plan assessment support early and preserve the qualification's meaning

Learning support and assessment arrangements need to connect, but an adjustment used in a lesson does not automatically become an approved examination arrangement. Ofqual’s apprentice guidance explains that reasonable adjustments enable apprentices to demonstrate the required knowledge, skills and understanding, and that needs should be discussed with the relevant people before assessment. [5] The arrangements depend on the applicable assessment plan, individual evidence and the assessment organisation’s process.

Bring assessment questions to your coach early: what methods will be used, what evidence may be required for an adjustment, and who will confirm the decision? A useful preparation exercise is to practise the actual format using the arrangements that have been agreed. Avoid assuming that extra time, a different assessment method or a particular piece of software will be available before it has been confirmed. The aim is a fair opportunity to show occupational competence. It is also a chance to replace uncertainty with a clear preparation plan that you can use confidently.

Your next step at Kent Business College

You do not need to solve the whole apprenticeship in your first support conversation. Choose one task that feels harder than it needs to be and bring a recent example. Explain what you have already tried, what helped a little and what made the task harder. Then agree one practical action and a review point. If circumstances change later, return to the conversation. A plan is most useful when it reflects the person who is learning now.

Start with the KBC learning support planner, read the Apprentice Charter and explore the inclusion handbook for further learning. The inclusion policy and complaints policy explain the relevant routes, and the learner support page connects you with further help. You can contact learner support at student@kentbusinesscollege.org. If your concern involves harm, abuse or feeling unsafe, use the safeguarding reporting route. For everyday learning barriers, your next step can be small and concrete: one example, one conversation and one agreed change to try.

Common questions