Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009[1]
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to make provision about apprenticeships, education, training and children's services; to amend the Employment Rights Act 1996; to establish the Young People's Learning Agency for England, the office of Chief Executive of Skills Funding, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation and the School Support Staff Negotiating Body and to make provision about those bodies and that office; to make provision about the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; to make provision about schools and institutions within the further education sector; to make provision about student loans; and for connected purposes.
Citation2009 c. 22
Introduced byEd Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Commons)
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Lords)
Territorial extent 
Dates
Royal assent12 November 2009
Other legislation
AmendsEmployment Rights Act 1996
Status: Amended
History of passage through Parliament
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009[1] (c. 22) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It alters the law relating to education.

The precursors of this act were the white paper "Raising Expectations: Enabling the system to deliver" published in March 2008 and a "Draft Apprenticeships Bill" published in July of that year.[2]

Provisions

The act established the Chief Executive of Skills Funding.[3]

The act introduced minimum hours of work and learning for apprenticeships.[4]

The act established the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.[5] The measure had been announced in 2007, and intended to facilitate the improvement of terms and conditions for support staff.[6]

Reception

The legislation was criticised by Labour peer Baroness Wilkins for potentially excluding disabled people, such as deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language and may not meet the requirement to have a GCSE in English.[7]

See also

References

  • Oliver Hyams. "Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009". Current Law Statutes Annotated 2009. Sweet & Maxwell. Thomson Reuters. 2010. Volume 2. Chapter 22. pp 22-1 to 22-276.
  • Halsbury's Statutes,
  1. ^ a b The citation of this act by this short title is authorised by section 270(1) of this act.
  2. ^ Explanatory notes, paragraphs 4 and 5
  3. ^ "Bill creates apprenticeship 'tsar'". The Guardian. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  4. ^ Hall, James (8 February 2012). "Legal Q&A: Employers' obligations towards apprentices". Personnel Today. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  5. ^ Nightingale, Julie (17 March 2009). "Unsung heroes have their day". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  6. ^ Owen, Janette (17 February 2009). "A triple whammy". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  7. ^ Samuel, Mithran (3 June 2009). "Apprenticeships Bill 'may exclude disabled people'". Community Care.