Public Sector Targets
Our Progress on the Public Sector Target
What is the Public Sector Target?
The Public Sector Target was introduced by the Government in April 2017 and covered the period to 31st March 2022. The target applied to the Councils (including schools) as an employer with at least 250 employees.
The target required the Council to employ an average of 2.3% of its headcount as new apprentice starts each year. All public sector employers were required to report against the target and publish the data annually.
The Public Sector Target came to an end on 31st March 2022. From this date there is no longer a target set for public sector employers. Public sector employers are asked to continue to gather and later report:
- new apprenticeship starts
- total number of apprentices
- organisational headcount
Reporting period - 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022
| Number of employees who work in England | |
| Number of employees who were working in England on 31 March 2021 | 11,305 |
| Number of employees who were working in England on 31 March 2022 | 10,908 |
| Number of new employees who started working for you in England between 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 | 1,218 |
| Number of apprentices who work in England | |
| Number of apprentices who were working in England on 31 March 2021 | 354 |
| Number of apprentices who were working in England on 31 March 2022 | 412 |
| Number of new apprentices in England between 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 (includes both new hires and existing employees who started an apprenticeship) | 160 |
| Reporting percentages | |
| Percentage of apprenticeship starts (both new hires and existing employees who started an apprenticeship) as a proportion of employment starts between 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 | 13.14% |
| Percentage of total headcount that were apprentices on 31 March 2022 | 3.78% |
| Percentage of apprenticeship starts (both new hires and existing employees who started an apprenticeship) between 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 as a proportion of total headcount on 31 March 2021 | 1.42% |
| Year | Employees | Employees | New apprentice starts | % of new apprentice starts |
| 2017/2018 | On 31 March 2017 | 11301 | 219 | 1.94% |
| 2018/2019 | On 31 March 2018 | 11211 | 228 | 2.03% |
| 2019/2020 | On 31 March 2019 | 11643 | 274 | 2.35% |
| 2020/2021 | On 31 March 2020 | 11742 | 250 | 2.13% |
| 2021/2022 | On 31 March 2021 | 11305 | 160 | 1.42% |