delete The Apprenticeships (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2022
The Apprenticeships (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2022 amend the 2017 Regulations to introduce a 'flexi-job apprenticeship' framework. They add a new paragraph (8) to regulation 6, which: (1) defines flexi-job apprenticeships as alternative English apprenticeships undertaken via a series of arrangements; (2) specifies minimum duration requirements (12 months total, minimum 3 months per arrangement); and (3) lists 24 approved apprenticeship standards (spanning creative industries, IT, construction, and infrastructure sectors). The amendment restricts these flexi-job arrangements to specific government-approved standards only.
These regulations impose government-mandated minimum durations (12 months aggregate, 3 months per arrangement) that restrict the freedom of employers and apprentices to structure voluntary training contracts as they see fit. More critically, they create a closed system of 'approved standards' — limiting flexi-job apprenticeships to just 24 specified occupations, effectively prohibiting entrepreneurs and industries from developing their own apprenticeship models. This regulatory gatekeeping stifles innovation in vocational training, creates barriers to entry for new providers, and substitutes bureaucratic selection for market discovery. The compliance burden and rigid structure particularly disadvantage small businesses and emerging sectors.