Citation, commencement, extent and application

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Public Sector Apprenticeship Targets (Amendment) Regulations 2021 and come into force on 1st April 2021.

(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales but apply in relation to England only.

Amendment of the Public Sector Apprenticeship Targets Regulations 2017

2.  The Public Sector Apprenticeship Targets Regulations 2017( 2) are amended in accordance with the following regulations.

Amendment of regulation 3 (prescribed public bodies)

3.  In regulation 3(4) for “the day before the first day of one or more reporting periods in the target period” substitute “31st March 2021”.

Amendment of regulation 4 (reporting periods)

4.  In regulation 4—

(a) in the heading, for “periods” substitute “period”;

(b) in paragraph (a)—

(i) after “1st April” insert “2021”;

(ii) for “in the following calendar year” substitute “2022”;

(iii) for “periods” substitute “period”;

(c) in paragraph (b)—

(i) after “1st April” insert “2021”;

(ii) for “in the following calendar year” substitute “2022”;

(iii) for “periods” substitute “period”;

(d) in paragraph (c)—

(i) after “1st April” insert “2021”;

(ii) for “in the following calendar year” substitute “2022”;

(iii) for “periods” substitute “period”.

Amendment of regulation 5 (target period)

5.  For regulation 5 substitute—

“Target period

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

Amendment of regulation 6 (public sector apprenticeship targets)

6.  In regulation 6—

(a) in paragraph (2)(a), for “an active period or periods (taken as a whole)” substitute “the target period”;

(b) omit paragraph (3).

Amendment of regulation 7 (public sector apprenticeship target: Group A and Group B)

7.  In regulation 7—

(a) in paragraph (2) for “the day before the first day” to the end of that paragraph substitute “31st March 2021 (“figure X”)”;

(b) for paragraph (3) substitute—

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

(c) omit paragraph (4);

(d) in paragraph (5) for “Step 4” substitute “Step 3”.

Amendment of regulation 8 (public sector apprenticeship target: other public bodies)

8.  In regulation 8—

(a) in paragraph (2) for “the day before the first day of each active period” substitute “31st March 2021”;

(b) in paragraph (3) for “each of the figures” substitute “the figure”;

(c) omit paragraph (4);

(d) for paragraph (5) substitute—

“(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. ”;

(e) omit paragraph (7).

Amendment of regulation 9 (prescribed information)

9.  In regulation 9—

(a) in paragraph (b) omit the words “in respect of” to “the target period)”;

(b) for paragraph (c) substitute—

“(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). ”.

Amendment of Schedule 1

10.  In Schedule 1, after paragraph 3 insert—

“4.   The proprietor of a relevant academy, where—

“proprietor” has the meaning given by section 579(1) of the Education Act 1996( 3) ;

“relevant academy” means any of—

Amendment of Schedule 2

11.  In Schedule 2, in paragraph 6(e) for “by regulation 5(3)” substitute “in Schedule 1”.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Public Sector Apprenticeship Targets Regulations 2017 ( S.I. 2017/513) (“the 2017 Regulations”). The 2017 Regulations set the public sector apprenticeship target for specified public sector bodies at 2.3% of their headcount, as new apprentice starts, for the period between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2021. These Regulations provide that the same target will apply for a further year, beginning with 1st April 2021 and ending with 31st March 2022, that period beginning immediately after the end of the target period prescribed in the 2017 Regulations.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.