Part 4: Apprenticeships
The Government aims to deliver 3 million apprenticeship starts in England within this Parliament; an increase on the 2.4 million achieved in the previous Parliament.
	The latest research, published June 2015 in BIS Research Paper 229, demonstrates the high level of return to investment delivered by the apprenticeship programme, indicating that adult apprenticeships at level 2 and level 3 deliver £26 and £28 of economic benefits respectively for each pound of Government investment.
	Provisions in this Act will help the Government to deliver 3 million, high quality apprenticeships in both the public and private sectors; ensure a sustainable governance arrangement is in place to regulate the quality of apprenticeships through the establishment of the Institute of Apprenticeships, as well as encouraging long term employer investment in skills through the apprenticeship levy.
	The Government wants to ensure that the public sector is a model employer with respect to apprenticeships; leading by example and offering a significant number of apprenticeships to develop a skilled workforce for the future. These provisions therefore aim to increase the number of apprenticeships in the public sector. A consultation was published on 25 January 2016.
	The Government also wishes to protect the term ‘apprenticeship’ from misuse. Low-quality courses that do not meet the requirements of statutory apprenticeships should not be described as apprenticeships, or else it would damage the reputation of apprenticeships and have a negative impact on the growth of statutory apprenticeship schemes. Provision in this Act is intended to protect the reputation of training providers, employers who offer statutory apprenticeships and apprentices who join those apprenticeships, by helping to ensure that statutory apprenticeships are not confused with lower quality training. It also secures a "level playing field" and fairness in the market to the benefit of training providers, employers and individuals. Preventing improper use of the apprenticeships name is intended to give employers more confidence that they are investing in high quality schemes. A consultation was published in July 2015, and the Government Response was published in September 2015.
	A parallel can be drawn between this measure and the unrecognised degrees legislation in section 214 of the Education Reform Act 1988. The unrecognised degree legislation was designed to prevent persons from offering a degree when they were not entitled to do this. The Government wants similar protection for apprenticeships.
	The Government announced its intention to introduce a UK wide apprenticeship levy in the summer Budget on 8th July 2015. A consultation was published in August 2015 and the Government Response was published in November 2015. Details of the rate and scope of the levy were set out in the Spending Review Statement.
	The levy will be introduced for all employers with a paybill of £3m or more to help fund the increase in quantity and quality of apprenticeship training in England. Provisions to establish and collect the levy and set the rate and scope are included in the Finance Bill. The levy is due to take effect in 2017.
	The data sharing provisions in this Act (section 26) will enable us to align levy payments with the operation of apprenticeships in England; with similar powers to enable Devolved Administrations to manage their own apprenticeship schemes.
	This Act also establishes a new independent body: the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA). It will operate in England, supporting employer-led reforms and the quality of apprenticeships. It may also have a role in relation to apprenticeships funding. It is expected that the IfA will be operational by April 2017.
	Part 4 (except section 26) extends to England only. Section 26 extends to the United Kingdom.