Employer Training & Business Skills
Accessible Workplace Training: Planning Adjustments and Flexible Delivery
Plan accessible workplace training through individual discussions, suitable formats, clear responsibilities and support during practical application.
At a glance
Identify the task and the individual's participation barriers.
Confirm practical arrangements with managers and providers.
Review learning and maintain support when work or needs change.
On this page
Accessible workplace training starts with the activity employees need to learn and the barriers that may prevent them taking part. A room can be physically accessible while the materials, software or assessment remain difficult to use. Plan the whole experience, from the invitation and preparation to practice, feedback and follow-up.
This guide uses Great Britain employment guidance from Acas and practical training examples. Reasonable adjustments are individual and depend on the circumstances. Flexible delivery can also help a wider group of employees, but a generally convenient course format is not a substitute for considering a disabled person’s specific needs.
Define the learning outcome before the format
Write down what the employee needs to understand or do after the training. Then examine how the proposed activity tests that outcome. If the aim is to learn a process, an unnecessarily fast reading task may test something different from the intended skill.
Ask whether the same essential learning can be supported through another format, timing or method. Keep genuine occupational and assessment requirements clear, especially where a regulated qualification or safety-critical activity is involved. Discuss formal assessment adjustments with the relevant provider or awarding organisation rather than making unsupported promises.
Our guide to classroom, online and workplace training helps compare delivery options. No single method is accessible to everyone: online learning can remove a travel barrier while introducing a software, captioning or concentration barrier for someone else.
Discuss barriers with the employee
Provide a clear private contact route before the course. Ask about the activities and arrangements that would help, and listen to what has worked previously. Avoid assumptions based on a diagnosis or the fact that another employee used a particular adjustment.
Acas describes reasonable adjustments as changes that remove or reduce disability-related disadvantage and says employers must make them where the legal duty applies. It gives examples involving accessible information and different ways of training. The employer should consider the individual situation and discuss the proposed change with the person concerned. (Acas: reasonable adjustments at work)
Record practical actions, owners and dates rather than circulating unnecessary personal details. Agree what the trainer needs to know and how that information will be shared. If further specialist advice is needed, explain the purpose and process to the employee and keep the discussion focused on enabling participation.
Check each part of the training experience
| Stage | Possible barrier | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Materials arrive too late or in an unusable format | Can suitable information be supplied in advance? |
| Venue | Access, seating, lighting or noise | Does the actual room and route meet the person’s needs? |
| Online delivery | Unusable controls, audio or shared content | Has the platform and material been checked? |
| Activities | Timing or instructions create a barrier | Can the method change while preserving the outcome? |
| Assessment | The format prevents a fair demonstration | Which adjustments can the responsible body approve? |
| Follow-up | Support disappears during workplace practice | Who maintains and reviews the arrangement? |
Check the actual venue and platform, not a generic statement that they are accessible. A lift may not serve the booked room, or captions may be available but not enabled in the planned session. Test the practical arrangement with enough time to correct a problem.
Use clear instructions, meaningful document headings and readable layouts as routine preparation. These choices can help many learners, but do not assume they meet every individual need. Ask for feedback on whether the proposed format works and provide a route to request changes.
Coordinate managers, trainers and providers
Name someone to coordinate the arrangements. The line manager may control release time, the trainer may control materials and the venue operator may control physical access. Without a clear owner, each person can assume that another has dealt with an important requirement.
Include accessibility questions in the purchasing brief. Our guide to writing a training brief helps describe the required outcome and delivery conditions. Ask a provider for concrete information about formats, support and assessment processes rather than accepting a broad assurance that its course suits everyone.
Confirm arrangements before the session and check again if the room, timetable, trainer or software changes. Tell the employee who to contact on the day. A substitute trainer should receive the necessary practical information so that a previously agreed adjustment is not lost during a handover.
Budget for support without shifting the duty
Acas states that employers are responsible for paying for reasonable adjustments. Include the relevant time, services or equipment in planning rather than treating access as an unexpected optional extra. Consider effective alternatives where needed, while obtaining appropriate advice about a disputed or complex request.
Access to Work can provide eligible people with certain additional support, but GOV.UK makes clear that it does not pay for adjustments the employer is legally required to make. Do not delay considering the employer’s duty on the assumption that an external scheme will cover everything. (GOV.UK: Access to Work)
Keep normal delivery costs, adjustment costs and any pending external support decision distinct in the budget. This makes the arrangement easier to manage and avoids promising equipment or a service before the responsible organisation has confirmed it.
Review participation and workplace application
Ask whether the arrangement enabled the employee to engage with the learning and demonstrate the intended skill. Attendance is not enough evidence. Use a suitable discussion, practice activity or assessment, and listen to feedback about barriers that were not apparent during planning.
In a fictional example, an employee learning a reporting process receives accessible written steps in advance and practises in two shorter sessions. The manager then checks whether the employee can complete the required report with the agreed support. The relevant question is whether the method works for that person and task, not whether everyone followed an identical timetable.
Our guide to staff development plans helps record the next practice opportunity and review date. Update arrangements when the role, technology or employee’s needs change. Treat access as part of ongoing learning rather than a form completed once at enrolment.
- Understand the task and barrier
Discuss the individual experience and intended learning.
- Agree and prepare support
Assign owners and check the actual delivery arrangements.
- Review what worked
Check participation, learning and support during workplace practice.
Common questions
Is online training always more accessible?
No. It can reduce some barriers, such as travel, while introducing others involving software, audio, concentration or digital materials. Discuss the actual needs and test the platform and activities. The relevant question is whether the chosen arrangement works for the person and learning outcome, not whether it is online.
Should everyone receive exactly the same training format?
The learning outcome may be shared while the way people access learning differs. A different format or timing can help someone demonstrate the same required skill. Consider individual barriers and genuine assessment requirements rather than assuming that identical conditions automatically provide an equal opportunity to participate.
What should we ask an employee before training?
Explain the planned activities and offer a private route to discuss access needs. Ask what arrangements would help and what has worked before. Focus on practical participation, agree the information that needs to reach the trainer and avoid asking the employee to disclose unnecessary personal details to the whole group.
Can we rely on the provider’s accessibility statement?
Use it as a starting point, then check the actual room, materials, platform and assessment process. Ask specific questions about the arrangement required. A general statement may not address a particular barrier, and even available features can be ineffective if they are not enabled or prepared for the session.
Does Access to Work replace employer-funded adjustments?
No. GOV.UK distinguishes possible additional support from adjustments that an employer is legally required to provide. Consider the employer’s responsibilities directly and check scheme eligibility separately. Do not assume an application guarantees funding or use a pending decision as the only plan for an employee’s access to training.
What if a formal assessment needs an adjustment?
Contact the provider or awarding organisation early to establish its process, evidence requirements and available arrangements. Preserve the essential competence being assessed while addressing the access barrier. Do not promise a particular change before the responsible body has confirmed it, especially where professional or safety requirements apply.
Who should know about the agreed support?
Share the practical information needed with the people responsible for implementing the arrangement, through an appropriate process agreed with the employee. A trainer may need to know which format to provide without receiving an unnecessary medical history. Keep ownership clear and update the handover if staff or delivery arrangements change.
How do we know an adjustment has worked?
Ask the employee and review whether the arrangement enabled participation and the intended learning. Use suitable evidence from practice or assessment rather than attendance alone. If a barrier remains, discuss what needs to change and set a review date, including support when the person applies the skill at work.
Sources and further reading
- Acas: reasonable adjustments at work — individual adjustments, training examples and employer responsibilities in Great Britain.
- GOV.UK: Access to Work — additional support and the distinction from employer-required adjustments.
