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The Public Sector Apprenticeship Targets Regulations 2017

S.I. 2017/513 · Made 30 March 2017 · Extends to England and Wales

Up to date with all changes known to legislation.gov.uk, revised to 1 April 2021.

Employment And Training

Made 30th March 2017

Coming into force 31st March 2017

The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections A9(1), (5)(c) and (d) and (6), and A10(1)(b), (3) and (7) of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009f1.

In accordance with sections 262(6)(za) and (zb) of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, a draft of these Regulations has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

Annotations to the whole text

Footnotes

f1

2009 c. 22; sections A9 and A10 were inserted by section 24(1) of the Enterprise Act 2016 (c. 12).

Contents

  1. 1Citation, commencement and interpretation
  2. 2Headcount
  3. 3Prescribed public bodies
  4. 4Reporting period
  5. 5Target period
  6. 6Public sector apprenticeship targets
  7. 7Public sector apprenticeship target: Group A and Group B
  8. 8Public sector apprenticeship target: other public bodies
  9. 9Prescribed information
  10. Signature
  11. Schedule 1
  12. 1Paragraph 1
  13. 2Paragraph 2
  14. 3Paragraph 3
  15. 4Paragraph 4
  16. Schedule 2
  17. 1Paragraph 1
  18. 2Paragraph 2
  19. 3Paragraph 3
  20. 4Paragraph 4
  21. 5Paragraph 5
  22. 6Paragraph 6
  23. 7Paragraph 7
  24. 8Paragraph 8
  25. 9Paragraph 9
  26. 10Paragraph 10
  27. 11Paragraph 11
  28. 12Paragraph 12
  29. Explanatory note

1Citation, commencement and interpretationI1

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Public Sector Apprenticeship Targets Regulations 2017 and come into force on 31st March 2017.

(2)

In these Regulations—

  • “the 2009 Act” means the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009;

  • “Group A” has the meaning given by regulation 3(2);

  • “Group B” has the meaning given by regulation 3(3);

  • “headcount” has the meaning given by regulation 2;

  • “target period” has the meaning given by regulation 5.

2HeadcountI1

(1)

A public body’s headcount is equal to the number of persons who work for that public body in England.

(2)

A person works for a public body if the person—

(a)

works for the public body as a worker within the meaning given by section 230(3) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (employees and other workers)f1;

(b)

is an apprentice working for the public body, whether the apprenticeship agreement is with the public body itself or with an apprenticeship training agencyf2; F1...

(c)

works for the public body in the course of Crown employment or of service as a member of the naval, military or air forces of the Crown F2; or

(d)

is a member of a police force.

(3)

But a person coming within any of paragraphs (4) to (6) does not, for the purposes of these Regulations, work for that public body.

(4)

A person comes within this paragraph if the person works for the public body under a zero hours contract.

(5)

A person comes within this paragraph if the person works for the public body on behalf of a contractor.

(6)

A person comes within this paragraph if the person works under an apprenticeship agreement with a public body which is an apprenticeship training agency with a view to being supplied to another public body.

(7)

In this regulation—

  • “Crown employment” has the meaning given by section A7(6) of the 2009 Actf3;

  • “zero hours contract” has the same meaning as in section 27A of the Employment Rights Act 1996f4.

3Prescribed public bodiesI1

(1)

The following are prescribed for the purposes of section A9(1) of the 2009 Act—

(a)

Group A; and

(b)

Group B.

(2)

Group A is the group of public bodies which comprises—

(a)

government departments, other than the Government Communications Headquarters; and

(b)

those public bodies listed in Schedule 1.

(3)

Group B comprises Transport for Londonf1 and those of its subsidiaries which are public bodies.

(4)

In addition, a public body is prescribed for the purposes of section A9(1) of the 2009 Act if on F131st March 2021 the body—

(a)

is not a constituent part of Group A or Group B;

(b)

is not described in Schedule 2; and

(c)

has a headcount equal to, or greater than 250.

4Reporting periodF10I1

For the purposes of section A10(5) of the 2009 Act (reporting periods) the financial year of—

(a)

the Department for Education, which begins with 1st April F12021 and ends with 31st March F22022, is to be used to determine the reporting F3period for all the prescribed public bodies within Group A;

(b)

Transport for London, which begins with 1st April F42021 and ends with 31st March F52022, is to be used to determine the reporting F6period for all the prescribed public bodies within Group B;

(c)

Westminster City Council, which begins with 1st April F72021 and ends with 31st March F82022, is to be used to determine the reporting F9period for all the prescribed public bodies coming within regulation 3(4).

5Target periodF1I1

The target period is the period beginning with 1st April 2021 and ending with 31st March 2022.

6Public sector apprenticeship targetsI1

(1)

The apprenticeship target for each of Group A and Group B is to ensure that the total number of apprentices who —

(a)

begin working for the public bodies comprising those groups, and whose apprenticeship agreements began during the target period; and

(b)

ordinarily work in England,

is equal to figure Z.

(2)

The apprenticeship target for a public body referred to in regulation 3(4) is to ensure that the total number of apprentices who—

(a)

begin working for that public body during F1the target period, and whose apprenticeship agreements began during an active period; and

(b)

ordinarily work in England,

is equal to figure Z.

F2(3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7Public sector apprenticeship target: Group A and Group BI1

(1)

Figure Z in respect of Group A and Group B is calculated in accordance with the steps outlined in the following paragraphs.

(2)

Step 1 is to ascertain the total headcount of each of Group A and Group B on F131st March 2021 (“figure X”)

(a)

“W1” in relation to the reporting period beginning with 1st April 2017;

(b)

“W2” in relation to the reporting period beginning with 1st April 2018;

(c)

“W3” in relation to the reporting period beginning with 1st April 2019;

(d)

“W4” in relation to the reporting period beginning with 1st April 2020.

F2(3)

Step 2 is to multiply figure X in relation to that Group by 0.023 (“figure Y”).

F3(4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(5)

F4Step 3 is to round figure Y up or down to the nearest whole number (“figure Z”).

8Public sector apprenticeship target: other public bodiesI1

(1)

Figure Z in respect of a public body referred to in regulation 3(4) is calculated in accordance with the steps outlined in the following paragraphs.

(2)

Step 1 is to ascertain the total headcount of the public body on F131st March 2021.

(3)

Step 2 is to multiply F2the figure determined under Step 1 by 0.023.

F3(4)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F4(5)

Step 3 is to round up or down to the nearest whole number the figure calculated under Step 2, with the resulting rounded figure being figure Z.

(6)

Where the public body is an apprenticeship training agency, any apprentices which the agency supplies to another public body must not be taken into account when calculating figure Z.

F5(7)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9Prescribed informationI1

The information prescribed under section A10(1)(b) of the 2009 Act is—

(a)

the information described in paragraphs (a) to (d) of section A10(3) of the 2009 Act (information explaining steps taken to meet a target or reasons why a target has not or may not be met);

(b)

the figure determined under Step 1 in regulation 7(2) or 8(2) (as the case may be) F1...;

F2(c)

figure B (the number of apprentices who began to work for the body during the reporting period) expressed as a percentage of the figure described in paragraph (b).

Signature

Caroline Dinenage

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Education

30th March 2017

1I1

Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

2I1

Health and Safety Executive.

3I1

Office for Budget Responsibility.

4F1

The proprietor of a relevant academy, where—

  • “proprietor” has the meaning given by section 579(1) of the Education Act 1996;

  • “relevant academy” means any of—

    1. (a)

      an Academy school within the meaning of section 1A of the Academies Act 2010;

    2. (b)

      a 16 to 19 Academy within the meaning of section 1B of that Act; and

    3. (c)

      an alternative provision Academy within the meaning of section 1C of that Act.

1I1

The British Broadcasting Corporation and any of its subsidiaries.

2I1

Channel Four Television Corporation and any of its subsidiaries.

3I1

The House of Commons.

4I1

The House of Lords.

5I1

Post Office Ltdf1 and any of its subsidiaries.

6I1

A charity within the meaning of section 1(1) of the Charities Act 2011f1 which—

(a)

does not come within any other paragraph in this Schedule;

F1(b)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(c)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F2(d)

is not the governing body of any foundation, voluntary, or foundation special school; and

(e)

is not the proprietor of a relevant academy, and in this Schedule, “proprietor” and “relevant academy” have the meanings given F3in Schedule 1.

7I1

A further education corporation within the meaning of section 17 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992f1.

8I1

A housing association within the meaning of section 1 of the Housing Associations Act 1985f1.

9I1

A housing trust within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Associations Act 1985.

10F1

The proprietor of an independent school within the meaning of section 463 of the Education Act 1996, other than the proprietor of a relevant academy.

11I1

An institution incorporated in, or formed under the law of any part of the United Kingdom, which has permission under Part 4A of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000f1 to carry on any regulated activity within the meaning of section 22f2 of that Act.

12I1

A university, including any university college and any college, or institution in the nature of a college, in a university.

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations are made by the Secretary of State under powers in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (“the 2009 Act”). Those powers provide the Secretary of State with the power to make provision for apprenticeship targets applicable to prescribed public sector bodies in England. These Regulations introduce a wholly new regime in relation to the meeting of such targets.

These Regulations prescribe two distinct groups of public bodies: firstly, a group of bodies which comprise government departments and a small number of additional bodies (Group A). The second group is Group B which comprises Transport for London and those of its subsidiaries which are public bodies.

The Regulations also prescribe any public body which satisfies the conditions in regulation 3(4) on the day before the first day of a reporting period, those being that the body’s headcount is not less than 250 (headcount is defined in regulation 2), that the body is not a constituent part of either Group A or Group B and is not listed in Schedule 2.

Schedule 2 describes and specifies a number of bodies which, notwithstanding having a headcount of 250 or more, will not be subject to the target. Regulation 4 aligns the reporting periods for all bodies subject to the public sector apprenticeship target.

The target to which Group A and Group B are subject is to ensure that over the four year target period, that period beginning with 1st April 2017 and ending with 31st March 2021, the number of apprentices which begin to work for it is equal to 2.3 per cent of its headcount in England. Headcount is determined on 31st March in each of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The target of a body coming within regulation 3(4) is calculated only by reference to the 12 month periods beginning with 1st April in each of 2017, 2018, 2019 or 2020 for which the body satisfies the conditions specified in that regulation on 31st March in any of those years. The target for such a body is to ensure that for each of those years (taken as a whole) that the number of apprentices which begin to work for it is equal to 2.3 per cent of its headcount in England.

Regulations 7 and 8 make provision detailing how that target is to be calculated. Regulation 7 provides that the target may be aggregated over the whole of the four-year target period in the case of Group A and Group B. Regulation 8 provides in respect of a public body coming within regulation 3(4) that the target may be aggregated over those years during the target period that a public body comes within regulation 3(4). Regulation 9 makes provision in respect of certain information which public bodies subject to the target must return to the Secretary of State.

An Impact Assessment has not been prepared for this instrument. As this measure only affects publically funded bodies, with no costs to business, the Better Regulation Executive confirmed that no Impact Assessment is required in relation to these Regulations. A full Impact Assessment was prepared for all measures included in the Enterprise Act 2016 and may be accessed at http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-009F.pdf.