Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether if a participant is unable to obtain Level 1 English as a result of deafness, fluency in British Sign Language can be accepted as a qualification for completing an intermediate apprenticeship.

It is a minimum requirement of an intermediate apprenticeship that the apprentice complete Level 1 English and maths.

British Sign Language (BSL) is not currently recognised as an alternative for the purposes of completing an apprenticeship.

Apprentices can apply for Access to Work funding for reasonable adjustments. These will depend on the individual’s need and the qualification, but may include extra time, assistive technology and the use of a scribe. BSL is permitted as a reasonable adjustment for the oral element of functional skills.

We are considering whether BSL could be an acceptable alternative to qualifications in English for the purposes of completing an apprenticeship.