Pathways Academy

Pathways Academy is CAE’s award winning training programme created in 2020 to give disabled people in London the confidence, skills and support needed to kick start a career in inclusive design and access. Since its start over 70% of trainees are working in inclusion and access related roles.

Learning with Pathways Academy

We know that disabled people face a number of complex barriers to employment, the Pathways Academy seeks to help trainees overcome those barriers by giving the technical knowledge you need to develop a career in inclusive design. On the course, trainees will receive 22 days of training over 9 months.

The course covers a different topic each month including:

• Principles of Inclusive design
• Access Auditing
• Website Accessibility
• Design and Neurodiversity
• Accessible Housing
• Accessibility and Historic Environments
• Reading and Understanding Plans

Trainees also develop the all-important communications skills to help them use their new technical knowledge, through topics like presentation and training skills and how to write reports.

Watch our video to find out more about the course.

Applications

Are you a disabled person living in London and interested in pursuing a career in access and inclusion?

If so, apply now for Pathways Academy 2026! To apply, please fill in the online application form.

If you need the application form in a different format, please email pathways@cae.org.uk.

Applications close on Sunday 28th June 2026.

Please note that to be eligible, you must be disabled and based in London.

Free Taster Session

We will have a free taster session via Zoom at 1pm on the 11th of June 2026 – to sign up, please email: pathways@cae.org.uk

Please note, you do not have to attend the taster in order to apply.

Pathways Outcomes

Five years on from its 2020 launch, on completion of the programme 100% of students have gained a good understanding of inclusive design, with 61% reporting a strong knowledge of inclusive design.

Pathways has trained 59 disabled people from 28 different London boroughs, giving them the confidence, skills and support to kick start a career in inclusion or access roles.

A groundbreaking project in the inclusion sector, Pathways Academy has won Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) Innovator of the Year at the Inspiring Change Awards 2025, and Inside Housing’s Women in Housing Awards, and has been nominated for the Housing Heroes Awards.

Read the report to learn what else the evaluation has found.

Find out more about our trainers

Our trainers all have decades of experience and currently work in the inclusive design and access field. They are:

• Vin Goodwin
• Caroline Lewis
• Ann Sawyer
• Dr Neil Rogers
• Carol Thomas

What do past Pathways Academy trainees have to say?

“One of my teaching assistants at school found the course through a Google search when looking for courses around architecture, inclusion and accessibility. I thought it sounded perfect to build some specialist knowledge around inclusion in the built environment.

“I didn’t realise how many modifications that really benefit people with hearing loss also overlap with what benefits other people with their disabilities. Pathways has taught me to see beyond my own disability.” Josephine Mason,  Pathways Student.

 

For more information about Pathways Academy, email the team via pathways@cae.org.uk .

Our funder

The CAE Pathways Academy is part of the City Bridge Foundation’s Bridge to Work programme which aims to tackle the disproportionately high level of young unemployed disabled Londoners. The City Bridge Foundation invests in a range of activities to break down the barriers to employment for young people.