Adult further education and skills

North East achievements and participation in adult (19+) FE and skills, including formal education and training as well as community learning

Education and skills
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Adult FE and skills

About the data

  • Adult (19+) further education and skills include apprenticeships, community learning, and education and training for people in this age group:
    • The evidence hub includes a dedicated page with analysis of apprenticeship starts and achievements
    • Adult education and training includes classroom, distance and e-learning, traineeships and learning funded by advanced learner loans
    • Community learning includes a range of non-formal courses to promote civic engagement and community development.

Adult education and training

Participation

  • In 2022/23 there were just over 45,800 learners participating in adult (19+) education and training courses in the North East:
    • The total was 9.4% higher than in 2021/22 but 1.0% below the 2019/20 total
    • there were almost 23,000 learners participating in adult education and training level 2 courses
    • this total has decreased in recent years and was 3% lower than a year earlier and almost 15% lower than in 2019/20
    • almost 14,600 participated in courses below level 2 (excluding basic skills), 21% higher than in 2021/22 but 9% lower than in 2019/20
    • almost 9,000 participated in basic skills courses, 11% higher than in 2021/22 when the total was at a similar level to pre-Covid (2019/20)
    • about 5,400 participated at level 3, about 5% lower than a year earlier but more than 6% higher than in 2019/20
    • the sub-totals by level sum to more than the total number of participants because some participated at more than one level.

Adult education subjects

Enrolments

  • Each learner can enrol to study more than one aim in a specific year. In 2022/23 there were 83,400 aim enrolments in the North East:
    • About 42% of aim enrolments were in the preparation for life and work sector subject
    • health, public services and care (19%) and engineering and manufacturing technologies (10%) had the next highest totals of aim enrolments
    • among other subjects, only retail and commercial enterprise (7%) and business, administration and law (6%) had more than 3% of aim enrolments in the latest year
    • about 88% of aim enrolments at entry level and 47% at level 1 were in preparation for life and work
    • at level 2 and level 3+, the highest percentages of aim enrolments (37% and 34%) were in health, public services and care.

Community learning

Participation

  • In 2022/23 there were just over 11,300 adult (19+) learners participating in community learning courses in the North East:
  • The total was 18% higher than in 2021/22 but still 12% below the pre-Covid (2019/20) total
  • most of these learners (7,900) were participating in personal and community development learning courses
  • this total was 13% higher than a year earlier, but 18% lower than in 2019/20
  • about 1,700 learners were participating in neighbourhood learning in deprived communities, the lowest total in recent years
  • about 1,400 were in wider family learning, with 700 in family english maths and language courses
  • the sub-totals sum to more than the total number of participants because some participated in more than one course type.