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The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

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17 November 2009

The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill received Royal Assent on 12 November 2009. The Bill introduces a wide range of measures covering apprenticeships, learning and skills and educational provision. Key areas - Provides for a statutory framework for apprenticeships and creates a right to an apprenticeship for suitably qualified 16-18 year olds - Introduces a right for employees to request time away from their duties to undertake training, and places a corresponding duty on employers to consider such requests seriously and to be able to refuse them only for specified business reasons - Dissolves the Learning and Skills Council - Transfers the responsibility for funding education and training for 16-18-year-olds to local authorities - Makes provisions with respect to the education of offenders - Creates the Young Person’s Learning Agency, the Skills Funding Agency, a new regulatory body for qualifications (Ofqual), and a new agency to carry out the non-regulatory functions currently performed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority - Strengthens the accountability of children’s services - Amends intervention powers in respect of schools which are causing concern - Establishes a new parental complaints service - Changes the school inspection arrangements - Creates a new negotiating body for pay and conditions for school support staff - Makes provisions in respect of pupil and student behaviour. Ofqual as the independent, statutory regulator of qualifications and assessment, will report to Parliament and the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency to develop and advise Ministers on the curriculum and related qualifications. Ofqual has operated in an interim form since April 2008 and has taken on the regulatory functions of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). The Act http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2008-09/apprenticeshipsskillschildrenandlearning.html Press release http://nds.coi.gov.uk/clientmicrosite/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=408558&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=431

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