The committee is seeking views on the support available to disabled young people transitioning from education to employment, including on the accessibility of effective careers advice that meets their needs and aspirations.
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Respondents will be asked about the barriers facing disabled young people when leaving education and entering the jobs market, how well careers guidance in places of education meets the needs of those with disabilities, and about people’s experiences of the transition from education-based support to employment-related support.
The committee will also ask about the accessibility of careers in public services and how effective government programmes are in supporting employers to recruit disabled young people. The extent to which the rights of disabled people are upheld in the workplace will also be examined.
The call for written evidence will close on 21 September this year, with the committee saying it is keen to hear from young people with disabilities, carers, public services employers and organisations or businesses currently recruiting.
It will inform an inquiry, launched in June, to examine how to better prepare young people with disabilities for entering the job market, and remove barriers to employment. After taking oral and written evidence, the committee will publish a report with recommendations to the government, which it must respond to.
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities was seven per cent between July and September last year, compared with three per cent for non-disabled people, recent statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions show.
Baroness Morris of Yardley, chair of the public services committee, said: “A key transition in young disabled people’s lives is leaving education and entering the workforce. This at a time of significant change already: that from services aimed at young people to services geared towards adults. We want to establish how well this works, and how it can be improved. And we want to know about careers support, and how well that is working.
“We have produced this call for evidence so that it is as accessible as possible. We want to reach past the usual audience, and we hope that people – especially young disabled people - will tell us what they know.”
