College work experience placements and disability discrimination

[blinkybell]

DD is at college and her course requires her to complete a certain amount of work experience hours. She’s doing level 3, having completed level 2 over the last 2 years.

She had a work experience placement - she did her hours there for level 2, they then offered her a paid part time job over the summer, then she started the work experience again when she went back to college for level 3 in September. All disabilities were fully declared.

All has been fine, no concerns about her work, no problems mentioned, feed back has been good in all her reports from them.

In early December she had a little bit of a flare up of her disability which affected her mobility for a few days. It’s only ever temporary and she kept the work experience placement fully updated and the issue resolved itself pretty quickly. She ended up missing 2 sessions.

The work experience provider then froze her placement stating they wanted to do another risk assessment.

Then it all went quiet. DD chased the work experience placement and the college work experience team a few times but got no response.

DD returned to college yesterday following the Christmas break to be told that the work experience provider had cancelled her placement as they “couldn’t support her”. She’s also discovered that the work experience placement have taken on several other students so don’t have space for her anymore.

They haven’t done a new risk assessment, haven’t spoken to DD at all, haven’t suggested reasonable adjustments (which would just be duties where she could sit down on the rare occasion this happens) or anything.

DD is fuming. She obviously feels it’s directly related to her disability and they have discriminated against her.

It has massive implications for her passing her course - she can’t pass without completing the hours and this late in the course it’s virtually impossible for her to find a new placement as all providers are full with other students.

I’ve had a Google to see what rights she has and am finding conflicting information - basically, do work experience placements have the same protections as actually being employed by them. I’ve found some legislation that seems to say it does, and some that says it doesn’t.

I’m not really sure what she wants to do, whether she’s going to complain, have a good rant and then move on or what, so just trying to find out where she stands really.

Thanks.

God, that was so long sorry.

Cut a long story short, DD has been at a work experience placement for over a year with no issues. They’ve now cancelled her placement after a temporary flare up of her disability that affected her mobility for a few days.

DD is fuming and feels they are discriminating due to her disability but doesn’t know what rights she has. College isn’t much help.

Thank you!!

The employer (work experience provider) must adhere to the Equality Act. Is the employer large enough to have a work experience co-ordinator and HR department? Also, push the college to provide more support.

Thanks!

No, it’s a small company. No HR dept. One person there liaises with the college regarding work experience placements, but she doesn’t respond to emails and mainly works from home.

DD just really wants the placement back - finding a new one now will be virtually impossible.

I had found some legislation regarding the equality act and work experience placements so she’s going to forward it to the college work experience team and go from there

She’s in college this afternoon so is going to chase them and also speak to her course tutor.

Thanks!