There are a number of colleges within Worcestershire and the surrounding areas that provide many different courses for students with a range of abilities:

• HOW College (Worcester, Redditch, Bromsgrove, Malvern)
• Kidderminster College
• Warwickshire College Group (Evesham, Pershore, Malvern, Morton Morrell)
• South and City College (Bourneville)
• Halesowen College
• Hartpury College
• Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMET) (Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Brierley Hill)
• Worcester Sixth Form College

Other small providers are available such as:

• SCL: Sports BTEC

In addition to this, in Worcestershire there are a number of 6th form schools, both mainstream and specialist, that may be able to accommodate students with SEND. For more information, please contact the school directly.

• Post 16 SEND support in colleges

In the vast majority of cases students will be able to find a suitable course at an educational provider within their local area. Very occasionally, if a student has very complex needs, they may need to consider an Independent Specialist Placement (ISP) which may be further away. The student must have an EHCP to access one of these placements and the Local Authority will only consider funding an ISP once all local options have been exhausted. Please note that the Local Authority cannot agree to place a pupil at an ISP if there is an equivalent course/provision available locally.

For those young people requesting residential specialist college placements the Local Authority will require evidence demonstrating that the proposal for a placement has been made as a result of appropriate assessment and guidance involving collaboration between relevant agencies, including adult social care and health.

• Gov. UK independent special schools and colleges
• Special Schools in Britain | schools for children with special needs

An apprenticeship is a job with a high level of training leading to a range of qualifications. Apprenticeships are available at Levels 2 (Intermediate), 3 (Advanced) and 4 (Higher) in a wide range of career frameworks such as agriculture, administration, construction, engineering, hospitality, sport and travel.

Apprentices usually spend 80% of their time in the workplace and 20% in off-the-job training. Young people have the opportunity to earn while they learn. Apprenticeships are competitive and employers often usually require Maths and English GCSEs at C/4 or above.

Young people interested in apprenticeships in Worcestershire should visit:

• Their Local College
• The Worcestershire Apprenticeship website
• The Gov.uk find an apprenticeship page
• Nova Training

Both employers and colleges have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. Colleges and training providers should be able to offer additional support during apprenticeship training. The Access to Work scheme can provide grants to pay for any specialist equipment and support costs in the workplace.

Into Apprenticeships: The guide for disabled people

Traineeships are work experience placements to help young people gain practical experience and skills for the workplace. During the placement skills will be gained to help secure an apprenticeship placement or to find full time employment. Part of the programme is the offer of an exit interview and reference from the employer. Traineeships are aimed at young people almost 'work ready' and can last for up to six months.

Traineeships are also provided through NOVA Training

The supported internships scheme help young people aged 16 to 24 with complex learning difficulties or disabilities to find work. These courses run at Level 1.

The scheme is run by Further Education Colleges who work with employers to:

• Find a job that suits the abilities of each intern
• Create a unique study programme so all interns can learn the necessary skills to do the job

Study programmes include on-the-job training with expert coaches responsible for supporting both interns and their employers.

Supported Internships are provided by:

• HOW College Redditch and Worcester
• MENCAP

If a young person requires travel assistance in order to get to their further education provider, a Seve7n Card or additional support may be available. For further information on this please visit the Special Education Needs and Disabilities travel assistance page.