The public sector apprenticeship target was introduced by government in April 2017 in accordance with The Public Sector Apprenticeship Targets Regulations 2017. The regulations set a target for any public sector employer in England with at least 250 staff to employ an average of 2.3 percent of their staff as new apprentice starts between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2021 (now extended to 31 March 2022).
The target for new apprenticeships includes both newly employed apprentices and any existing staff that have begun an apprenticeship. All public sector bodies in scope must submit a report annually to the government on their progress in meeting the target.
The government considers the duty to 'have regard' to the target to mean that in making staffing planning decisions, we should actively consider apprenticeships, either for new recruits or as part of career development for existing staff.
Reporting period: 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021
|
Number of employees who were working in England on 31 March 2020 |
5,783 |
|
Number of employees who were working in England on 31 March 2021 |
5,627 |
|
Number of new employees who started working for you in England between 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 |
291 |
|
Number of apprentices who were working in England on 31 March 2020 |
159 |
|
Number of apprentices who were working in England on 31 March 2021 |
106 |
|
Number of new apprentices in England between 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 (includes both new hires and existing employees who started an apprenticeship) |
22 |
|
Percentage of apprenticeship starts (both new hires and existing employees who started an apprenticeship) as a proportion of employment starts between 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 |
7.56% |
|
Percentage of total headcount that were apprentices on 31 March 2021 |
1.88% |
|
Percentage of apprenticeship starts (both new hires and existing employees who started an apprenticeship) between 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 as a proportion of total headcount on 31 March 2020 |
0.38% |