What if ‘work ready’ is the wrong question?
For many young people with SEND or who are neurodivergent, the journey towards employment can be full of messages about what they cannot do yet.
- They might be told they need more qualifications.
- More confidence.
- Better communication skills.
- More independence.
- More work experience.
- Better behaviour.
- To be more employable – like what does that even mean?
And sometimes, of course, a young person genuinely needs support to develop skills before taking on a particular role.
But there is an important question we should ask alongside this: Are we expecting young people to be ready for work before giving them meaningful opportunities to learn how to work?
What does ‘work ready’ actually mean?
The phrase ‘work ready’ sounds straightforward. But ready for what?
A young person might not be ready to work in a particular environment, at a particular pace, or in a particular role. That doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t capable of employment.
- Someone may struggle with a traditional interview but thrive when shown a practical task.
- Someone may find a busy workplace overwhelming but perform exceptionally well in a quieter environment.
- Someone may need instructions presented differently.
- Someone may need additional time to learn a task.
- Someone may communicate differently from the employer’s expectations.
None of these things automatically tell us whether someone can become a successful employee. They tell us something about the conditions in which that person is most likely to succeed. That is a very different question.
The evidence tells us we need to do better
The disability employment gap remains substantial. In Q2 2025, the disability employment gap in the UK was 29.7 percentage points. The same government statistics also show that disabled people are more likely to experience underemployment, low pay and fewer opportunities for career progression.
For young people with SEND, the challenge can begin much earlier.
Government guidance on supported internships states that, with the right preparation, the overwhelming majority of young people with SEND are capable of sustainable paid employment. It also recognises that young people with SEND have historically been less likely than their peers to move into sustained employment.
That distinction matters. The question shouldn’t simply be: Is this young person ready for work?
It should also be: What support, opportunity and environment would enable this young person to succeed at work?
Supported employment starts from a different place. This is one of the reasons supported employment is so important.
The supported employment approach does not begin with the assumption that a person has to become ‘ready’ before they can look for a job. Instead, it starts from the belief that people who want to work can work, with the right job and the right support.
BASE describes supported employment as an evidence-based model with a practical focus on real jobs rather than work readiness. Its underpinning values include the principle that people with disabilities and/or disadvantages can make a positive contribution in the workplace, and that people should have access to real, paid jobs that fit their aspirations.
That changes the conversation
Instead of spending an indefinite amount of time preparing someone for work, we can support them to explore real employment opportunities and develop skills in the context where those skills actually matter.
Place. Train. Maintain.
Not: Train. Train. Train. And maybe, one day, work.
Learning through doing.
Think about learning to drive
You can spend hours learning the Highway Code | You can talk about road safety | You can watch other people drive | You can practise manoeuvres | But eventually, you need to get into the car.
Employment can be similar.
A young person can develop employability skills in a classroom, but there are things that can only really be learned through experiencing a workplace.
- What does a particular working environment feel like?
- How does the morning routine work?
- What happens when something unexpected changes?
- What does a colleague actually mean when they say something?
- How do you ask for help?
- How do you know when a task is finished?
- What kind of work do you enjoy?
- What kind of environment suits you?
- And perhaps most importantly:
- What are you good at?
Real workplace experiences can answer questions that a classroom or qualification sometimes cannot.
We also need to look at the workplace
This isn’t about saying that every young person can do every job. They can’t. None of us can!
It is about recognising that employment is a relationship between an individual and a workplace.
Sometimes the barrier isn’t simply within the person.
- It might be the recruitment process.
- It might be the interview.
- It might be unclear instructions.
- It might be sensory demands.
- It might be an inflexible working pattern.
- It might be an employer making assumptions about what disability means.
And sometimes a relatively small adjustment can make a significant difference.
Employers have legal duties to make reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants and employees where required. Government guidance gives examples including adjustments to recruitment processes, working patterns, equipment, information and selection tests.
The recruitment process itself therefore deserves scrutiny. If someone cannot demonstrate their ability through a conventional interview, does that mean they cannot do the job? Or does it mean the recruitment process isn’t measuring what we think it is measuring?
What about EHCPs and Preparing for Adulthood?
This conversation should begin well before a young person leaves education.
Preparing for Adulthood is one of the key elements of SEND planning, with employment, education and training forming one of the four recognised pathways.
The SEND Code of Practice sets out the expectation that planning for adulthood should support young people towards employment and other adult outcomes. And current careers guidance for education and training providers specifically highlights supported employment, job coaching, reasonable adjustments and Access to Work as areas that should be considered within transition planning for young people with SEND.
So perhaps we need to ask ourselves:
Are we preparing young people for adulthood, not preparing them for their next placement?
There is a difference.
A successful transition isn’t just about finding somewhere for a young person to go when their current education ends. It should be about understanding what they want their adult life to look like and building a pathway towards it. That includes employment.
What if we changed the question?
Instead of: Is this young person ready for work?
What if we asked: What would make work possible for this young person?
Suddenly, the conversation becomes much more constructive. It becomes about possibility rather than deficit.
‘Not ready’ shouldn’t become a destination
There is a danger that not ready for work’ becomes a label rather than a starting point. A young person is told they aren’t ready. So they do another course. Then another placement. Then more preparation. Then another assessment. And eventually they may find themselves further away from employment rather than closer to it.
This is particularly concerning when the young person has already demonstrated that they want to work.
Of course, preparation matters. Skills matter. Education matters. Support matters. But so does opportunity.
And sometimes the best way to develop someone’s employability is to help them experience employment.
Future Ready means thinking differently
At Future Ready SEND, I believe we should have high aspirations for young people with SEND.
Not unrealistic expectations.
Not promises that every person will find work immediately.
But genuine opportunities to explore what is possible.
That means starting with the individual rather than the label.
It means recognising strengths alongside support needs.
It means working with employers rather than simply expecting young people to fit existing systems.
And it means understanding that inclusive employment is not about lowering expectations.
It is about removing unnecessary barriers so that people have a fair opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.
So perhaps it is time to stop asking: Are they ready for work?
And start asking: What would make work possible?
Because sometimes the young person isn’t the thing that needs to change. Sometimes the opportunity does.
References and further reading
Department for Education. Supported internships for young people with learning difficulties. Government guidance, updated 2025. (GOV.UK)
Department for Education & Department of Health and Social Care. Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years. (GOV.UK)
The employment of disabled people 2025. (GOV.UK)
Recruitment and disabled people: Reasonable adjustments. (GOV.UK)
Employing disabled people and people with health conditions. (GOV.UK)
Careers guidance and access for education and training providers. (GOV.UK)
BASE: What is Supported Employment? (BASE)
BASE: Underpinning values in supported employment. (BASE)
