1st Report - Think Work First: the transition from education to work for young disabled people
- HC No.
- —
- Published
- 15 Oct 2024
- Items
- 0
- Response
- Response document linked Read government response ↗
Select Committee · Public Services Committee
The transition from education to employment for young disabled people
Status: Closed
Opened: 26 May 2023
Closed: 4 Nov 2025
1 report
Inquiry scope
The inquiry will examine young disabled people’s experiences of the transition from education to employment. This will include: career and employment support and advice young disabled people receive throughout this transition; how far public services demonstrate best practice on employing young disabled people; support for employers; and enforcement of the rights of young disabled people in the workplace. Read the enhanced report summary: Think Work First: the transition from education to work for young disabled peopleReports
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Apr 2024 | Lorraine Jackson CBE · Department for Work and Pensions, Mims Davies MP · Department for Work and Pensions, Tammy Fevrier · Department for Work and Pensions | View ↗ |
| 20 Mar 2024 | Angela Matthews · Business Disability Forum, David Hale · Federation of Small Businesses, Hector Minto · Microsoft | View ↗ |
| 28 Feb 2024 | Alex Harrison · Disability Wales, Heather Hall · The Usual Place, Scott Richardson-Read · ARC Scotland and Scottish Transitions Forum | View ↗ |
| 7 Feb 2024 | Jane Taylor · Bristol City Council, Martin Tett · Local Government Association (LGA), Suzanne Davis · Essex County Council | View ↗ |
| 31 Jan 2024 | David Holloway · Association of Colleges, Ellen Atkinson · National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI), Gary Hyndman · Sense Colleges | View ↗ |
| 24 Jan 2024 | David Morgan · Career Development Institute, Henry Foulkes · Employment Related Services Association, Katherine Horler · Careers England, Laura Davis · BASE and Inclusive Trading CIC, Sam Everard · Support and Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship (SAMEE), Wayne Ingram · Support and Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship (SAMEE) | View ↗ |
| 17 Jan 2024 | Elizabeth Franey · Department for Education, Hannah Sheehan · Department for Education, Jennifer Heigham · Department for Work and Pensions, Keith Roberts · Department for Work and Pensions | View ↗ |
| 10 Jan 2024 | Dr Anne Murdoch OBE · Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), Dr Nicola Crossley · Liberty Trust, Peter Monaghan · Education Partnership North East | View ↗ |
| 13 Dec 2023 | Audrey Ludwig · Suffolk Law Centre, Catherine Casserley · Cloisters Chambers, Stephen Robson · Disability Law Service | View ↗ |
| 6 Dec 2023 | Amy Little · Leonard Cheshire, Bethany Bale · Disability Rights UK, Lynne Turnbull · Disability Positive | View ↗ |
| 29 Nov 2023 | Jane Lancastle · Prospect (trade union), Ms Deirdre Costigan · UNISON - the public service union | View ↗ |
| 8 Nov 2023 | Dr Stella Chatzitheochari · University of Warwick, Dr Stephen Beyer · University of Cardiff, Professor Kim Hoque · Disability@Work | View ↗ |
| 7 Jun 2023 | Alexandra Gowlland · Cabinet Office, Alison Ismail · Department for Education, Marcus Bell · Equality Hub | View ↗ |
Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Harrison · Disability Equality Officer | Disability Wales | 1 |
| Alexandra Gowlland · Deputy Director, Disability Unit | Cabinet Office | 1 |
| Alison Ismail · Director of SEND | Department for Education | 1 |
| Amy Little · Head of Advocacy | Leonard Cheshire | 1 |
| Angela Matthews · Head of Policy and Research | Business Disability Forum | 1 |
| Audrey Ludwig · Director | Suffolk Law Centre | 1 |
| Bethany Bale · Policy and Campaigns | Disability Rights UK | 1 |
| Catherine Casserley · Barrister | Cloisters Chambers | 1 |
| David Hale · Head of Public Affairs | Federation of Small Businesses | 1 |
| David Holloway · Senior Policy Manager - SEND | Association of Colleges | 1 |
| David Morgan · Chief Executive | Career Development Institute | 1 |
| Dr Anne Murdoch OBE · Senior Advisor for College Leadership | Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) | 1 |
| Dr Nicola Crossley · CEO | Liberty Trust | 1 |
| Dr Stella Chatzitheochari · Reader in Sociology | University of Warwick | 1 |
| Dr Stephen Beyer · Senior Research Fellow | University of Cardiff | 1 |
| Elizabeth Franey · Deputy Director, SEND and AP System Outcomes and Experiences Division | Department for Education | 1 |
| Ellen Atkinson · Regional Adviser - South and South East | National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI) | 1 |
| Gary Hyndman · Sense College Loughborough Principal | Sense Colleges | 1 |
| Hannah Sheehan · Director, Skills Journey Directorate | Department for Education | 1 |
| Heather Hall · Chief Executive Officer | The Usual Place | 1 |
| Hector Minto · Senior Technology Evangelist for Accessibility | Microsoft | 1 |
| Henry Foulkes · Policy and Public Affairs Lead | Employment Related Services Association | 1 |
| Jane Lancastle · Assistant Secretary | Prospect (trade union) | 1 |
| Jane Taylor · Head of Employment, Skills and Learning | Bristol City Council | 1 |
| Jennifer Heigham · Deputy Director for Strategy and Briefing for Work and Health Unit | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Katherine Horler · Executive DIrector | Careers England | 1 |
| Keith Roberts · Deputy Director, Disability & Work Opportunities, The Joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Directorate | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Laura Davis · Chief Executive | BASE and Inclusive Trading CIC | 1 |
| Lorraine Jackson CBE · Director, DWP and DHSC Joint Work & Health Directorate | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Lynne Turnbull · Chief Executive Officer | Disability Positive | 1 |
| Marcus Bell · Director | Equality Hub | 1 |
| Martin Tett · Chair of the People and Places Board | Local Government Association (LGA) | 1 |
| Mims Davies MP · Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Employment) | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Ms Deirdre Costigan · National Officer, Disability Equality | UNISON - the public service union | 1 |
| Peter Monaghan · Head of SEND and High Needs and Curriculum | Education Partnership North East | 1 |
| Professor Kim Hoque · Co-Founder | Disability@Work | 1 |
| Sam Everard · CEO and Founder | Support and Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship (SAMEE) | 1 |
| Scott Richardson-Read · Policy and Development Worker | ARC Scotland and Scottish Transitions Forum | 1 |
| Stephen Robson · Senior Solicitor, Employment and Discrimination | Disability Law Service | 1 |
| Suzanne Davis · SEND Strategy Lead: Preparing for Adulthood | Essex County Council | 1 |
| Tammy Fevrier · Deputy Director, Youth and Skills | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Wayne Ingram · Deputy CEO and Co-Founder | Support and Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship (SAMEE) | 1 |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Aug 2025 | To committee | Letter from Baroness Morris of Yardley, Chair, Public Services Committee to Catherine McKinnell, Minister of State, Department for Education, re Think work first report (21 August 2025) |
Meetings & visits
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| Date | Type | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Mar 2024 | Informal meeting | — · Virtual Meeting | |
| 13 Mar 2024 | Informal meeting | — · Virtual Meeting | |
| 12 Mar 2024 | Informal meeting | — · Virtual Meeting | |
| 12 Mar 2024 | Informal meeting | — · Virtual Meeting | |
| 12 Mar 2024 | Informal meeting | — · Virtual Meeting | |
| 5 Mar 2024 | Informal meeting | — · Virtual Meeting | |
| 15 Nov 2023 | Formal meeting (private meeting) | — · Fielden House |