The government are planning to bring in a new Adjustment Passport system that will help support disabled university students heading into the workplace.

The department of work and pensions (DWP) have created a new Access to work Adjustment Passport system that will help ease the transition from university study to workplace life. This passport is designed to help give a comprehensive health assessment along with any special requirements ultimately reducing the need for repeated assessments when starting a new role.

The pilot scheme for this new adjustments passport was announced as part of the National disability Strategy and is already being implemented at two Universities in the UK. (Wolverhampton and Manchester Metropolitan)

The Adjustment  Passport is being offered to students who already receive extra support while studying at university, capturing the current information about any conditions they may have, or any adjustments already being provided by the university.

This information can then be saved, tracked, and amended when needed giving the student a more seamless transition into the workplace. Up to 100 students are being supported with this during the trial period but thousands more would benefit when this scheme rolls out country wide.

Minister for Disabled People Chloe Smith said:

Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to thrive at work, starting from the moment they take their first steps on the career ladder.

By working with University of Wolverhampton and Manchester Metropolitan University on this trial, we can find the best way to for these new passports to support their students into employment.

Access to Work is a fantastic scheme offering financial support to those people that need extra help. Programmes like this, alongside Disability Confident and the over 100 commitments in our National Disability Strategy, will help us get one million more disabled people in work by 2027.

The benefits of this new Passport can be creating the confidence and the ease of going from a university setting into the workplace without the need for several needs assessments and health.

After the trial period has ended there will be more information to follow on how you apply for the scheme. We will update you on this when more information becomes available.

Additional information

  • To support the transition from education into work, the DWP will be piloting an Adjustments Passport.
  • The Adjustments Passport will provide students with a disability or health condition with an up-to-date record of the adjustments they are currently using, and any future in-work support needs they may have. The passport will reduce the need for the student to repeat details of their disability and how it could affect them in work.
  • The passport will also help to raise awareness of Access to Work and the support it can provide and when the student applies for Access to Work the passport can be used to reduce the need for holistic assessment where the needs are documented.
  • The passport will also support potential employers by documenting the in-work support the student requires and raising awareness of Access to Work and the possibility of support the student could receive.
  • We recognise that talking about workplace adjustments can be difficult, to support and empower the student the passport can be used as a communication tool to enable the student to have a more structured and confidence conversation about their disability and the adjustments they need with employers.
  • Students who graduate in 2022 will be the first to benefits from the Adjustments Passports.
  • The pilot will be completed by March 2023, but if it’s successful we will consider rolling it out before it ends.
  • We will also be piloting Adjustments Passports with disabled youngsters on a supported internship, apprenticeship, or a traineeship, in March 2022.

All quotes and excerpts taken from .Gov.uk article: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-government-passport-to-help-disabled-graduates-get-in-to-employment#history