These Regulations introduce the Skills Training Conditionality Pilot. They are made in reliance on the power to pilot regulations in section 29 of the Jobseekers Act 1995, and have effect for a period of 18 months.

The Skills Training Conditionality Pilot is a scheme for training, including training secured by the Learning and Skills Council for England and learndirect, for certain jobseeker’s allowance claimants aged 18 or over.

Regulation 3 deals with the application of these Regulations. It provides that they apply to claimants who are selected on a sampling basis and who meet certain criteria. In particular, the claimants must be taking part in Jobseeker’s Regime and Flexible New Deal Stage 3 and have a training need recorded in their action plan. The pilot areas are set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Regulation 4 modifies regulations 73 and 75 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 (“the 1996 Regulations”) in relation to claimants referred to in regulation 3. The modification to regulation 75 adds the Skills Training Conditionality Pilot to the list of training schemes so that, where claimants fail, without good cause, to participate in or attend any part of the pilot scheme, or give up their place on the scheme or are dismissed from the scheme due to misconduct, the person will be subject to a benefits sanction. The effect of this will be that their jobseeker’s allowance could be stopped or reduced for a period of two or four weeks (see regulation 69 of the 1996 Regulations). The modification to regulation 73 adds the Skills and Training and Conditionality Pilot to the list of training schemes where claimants will have “good cause” if they have not been given or sent a written notice referring to the training scheme and informing the claimants that their benefit could be stopped or reduced.

Regulation 5 provides that persons cease to be required to attend the pilot scheme if they change address and are required to attend an office of the Department for Work and Pensions which is not in a pilot area (although this will not affect a sanction imposed on that person before a change of address).

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.