Commentary on provisions of Act Section 2: Apprenticeships reporting obligation
The Government has set a target for three million apprenticeships to be started in England during this Parliament. This section requires the Secretary of State to report on progress made towards that target. The section specifies five reporting periods to cover the entire period beginning with 1 May 2015 and ending with 31 March 2020. Information must be published within nine months of the end of each reporting period.
	The Secretary of State must lay a report in Parliament for each reporting period. The reports will include or reference statistical information about the progress made in the reporting period towards meeting the target, together with any other information about apprenticeships that the Secretary of State considers appropriate. This might include information about policies introduced to support the growth of apprenticeships.
	As the target relates specifically to this Parliament, the section contains a provision for automatic repeal a year after the final reporting period, allowing time for the final report to be published.
	"Apprenticeship" is defined in the section as an approved English apprenticeship and certain other statutory apprenticeships. An approved English apprenticeship is an arrangement which takes place under an approved English apprenticeship agreement between employer and apprentice or is an alternative English apprenticeship. The approved English apprenticeship agreement is a combination of paid employment and training towards achievement of a recognised standard. The other statutory apprenticeships relate to apprenticeship frameworks which have not yet been withdrawn by the Secretary of State and are saved by article 13 of and the Schedule to the Deregulation Act 2015 (Commencement No. 1 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/994).