Clause 24
Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill
1:15 pm
Siôn Simon (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills; Birmingham, Erdington, Labour)
I will just talk through the provisions in this clause. In developing the statutory framework for our apprenticeships programme we have sought to ensure continuity of provision, even during transitions. We recognise that over time the specification of apprenticeship standards for England might need to change and the clause provides that when such change occurs a recognised English framework will not automatically cease to be recognised because it fails to comply with the new or modified specification. However, the clause includes provision for such a framework to cease to have effect as a recognised English framework. Those two provisions are essential to the smooth working of the specification of apprenticeship standards for England and of apprenticeship frameworks. Without them, a change to the SASE could invalidate many existing frameworks, without there being arrangements to replace them.
Equally, there must be the sanction of a framework not being recognised when it has ceased to meet the minimum criteria in the SASE. We intend to ensure that employers and apprentices who start a framework do so in the confidence that it will not change before they complete it, and to ensure that sector skills councils are given sufficient time to make the changes that are necessary to make their frameworks fully compliant. The normal period for consultation will be three months plus 40 days in the House for the negative procedure.