Further Education, Work-based Learning and Community Learning, 2008/09 and 2009/10 (early figures)

The statistics on learner numbers in post-16 education and training include data for Wales for the period August 2008 to July 2009 and early figures for December 2009.  The latest release updates the provisional statistics released on 25 November 2009.

This Statistical First Release summarises final data on learners in post-16 education and training excluding those at Higher Education institutions and schools but including Further Education institutions, other Work-based Learning providers and Community Learning provision collected via the Welsh Assembly Government’s Lifelong Learning Wales Record (LLWR).

Key points from the latest release are:

• There were 251,575 learners at FE Institutions, Community Learning or Work-based Learning providers during 2008/09, a reduction of 4.4 per cent on 2007/08 on a comparable basis.
• Full-time learner numbers at FE institutions rose by 1.4 per cent, part-time numbers at FEIs declined by 9.6 per cent, total local authority community learning fell by 1.5 per cent and total work-based learner numbers fell by 1.7 per cent for the full year (or 4.9 per cent on an end of July basis).
• Of learning activities with known qualification levels, the proportion at level 1 fell from 33 per cent in 2006/07 to 30 per cent in 2008/09 whereas the proportion at level 3 rose from 18 per cent to 20 per cent over the two years.
• The Early Figures for numbers of learning programmes in the week of 1 December 2009 also show an increase in full-time numbers and a decline in part-time numbers relative to December 2008 but work-based learning programmes remained at about the same level.

Additional tables containing a greater amount of detail than the tables contained in this release are available on the StatsWales website.

Contact

Tel: 029 2092 6041
E-mail: post16ed.stats@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next update

November 2010 (provisional - to be confirmed on the 'Due Out Soon' page)