NextStep UK

Accessibility statement

Our commitment to a service everyone can use.

Last updated: 29 July 2026

This statement applies to nextstepuk.org. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service, including people using screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, magnification and adaptive settings.

What we've built in

  • Semantic HTML, meaningful heading order and landmarks on every page.
  • Full keyboard operability with visible focus outlines on every interactive element.
  • Colour contrast that meets or exceeds WCAG 2.2 AA, and no reliance on colour alone to convey meaning.
  • An "♿ Accessibility" toggle in the site header that increases base text size across the whole site; the layout also reflows cleanly at 200% browser zoom.
  • Respect for the prefers-reduced-motion setting — decorative animation is disabled automatically.
  • Descriptive alt text on meaningful images, and accessible names on icon-only controls.
  • Forms with visible labels, clear error messages and no time limits.
  • A list view alongside the apprenticeship map, so map interaction is never the only way to reach a vacancy.

Compliance status

This service aims to be fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA.

Known limitations

  • The interactive vacancy map is inherently visual. Every vacancy shown on it is also available in the list view, which is fully accessible.
  • Vacancy descriptions come from the GOV.UK Find an apprenticeship service. We sanitise and re-style that content, but we can't control how the employer originally wrote it (for example heading order inside a description).
  • Generated CV PDFs use a clean, ATS-friendly text layout; if you need a different format, contact us and we'll help.

Reporting a problem

If you find something that isn't accessible, or you need content in another format, email accessibility@nextstepuk.org. Tell us the page and what happened. We aim to respond within 5 working days.

Enforcement

If you're not happy with our response, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) at equalityadvisoryservice.com.

How we test

We test with keyboard-only navigation, browser zoom, automated accessibility checks in our build process and manual screen reader spot-checks. This statement is reviewed at least annually.