Mental Health Awareness Week: Supporting learners through positive action

Taking action to support good mental health is the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week. (May 11 to May 17, 2026).

Led by the Mental Health Foundation, the campaign calls for us all to take practical steps to address mental wellbeing, prioritising it to bring about real and lasting change.

Very few people feel mentally well all of the time, but for young people starting out, trying to cope alone with poor mental health can seriously harm their life chances.

Common problems such as low mood and anxiety can weigh heavily on apprentices and other learners, preventing them from pursuing their career goals or causing them to withdraw from education, work and training.

According to mental health charity Mind, one in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England, with one in five having an issue such as anxiety and depression in any given week in England. Mind’s recent survey also found that one in five children and young people aged eight to 25 in England have a probable mental health problem.

Acting on poor mental health issues in the workplace

As well as raising awareness among staff, team leaders and managers, there are several ways employers can actively assist learners with their mental health at work.

Some young people can be reluctant to open up about their problems, so let them know that it is ok to come and talk to you or a colleague in confidence.

Young people, especially, worry that admitting to anxiety, depression, a phobia or other mental health condition might go against them when securing training, employment or promotion. They might also fear there’s stigma attached to having a mental health disorder.

Open conversations in a quiet place with someone the learner trusts can be the first step towards getting them the right help. It could mean you giving them more time and flexibility to complete their work or, with their consent, providing a referral to services such as professional counselling.

How Onefile helps support learners with mental health issues

Apprentices have a lot to deal with. On top of their workplace training, off the job training and studying, they might well be facing other background challenges such as a lack of money or family and relationship problems.

As their provider or employer, you’ll have regular one-to-one contact with your learners, so you’re ideally placed to check in with them and see, if and how well they’re coping.

You can play a pivotal role in identifying mental health issues early on so young people can access the help they need.

And as the leading learner management platform, we at Onefile have the tools, experience and knowledge to help you support them. If a learner is struggling in any way, time is of the essence. The sooner a problem is identified, the sooner tutors, trainers and employers can intervene. That’s just one of the many reasons why our smart, sophisticated user-friendly software is a must-have.

With our onboarding, enrolling and engagement tools, you can see where learners might need that additional support, right from application stage, through onboarding and beyond.

Onefile Engage, our AI-powered application lets you analyse apprenticeship data and predict outcomes around which learners might need extra help. Similarly, its real time monitoring function allows you to track key indicators such as login frequency and session attendance.

These tools provide you with a clearer view of how engaged each apprentice is, allowing for timely interventions where a learner might be at risk of dropping out.

For more information on how Onefile can assist you to identify issues such as poor mental health – and help you take positive action – contact us for a discovery call.