Totals in 2022/23
- In the North East in the 2022/23 academic year:
- There were 13,430 apprenticeship starts and 7,090 apprenticeship achievements
- the number of starts was 930 lower than in 2021/22 but 800 higher than in 2020/21
- the number of achievements was 1,420 higher than in 2021/22 and 580 higher than in 2020/21
- in both cases, the five year trends were decreasing.
Apprenticeship levels
- In the North East in the 2022/23 academic year:
- About 48% of apprenticeship starts and achievements were at advanced level
- about 24% of starts and 28% of achievements were at intermediate level
- the remaining 28% of starts and 24% of achievements were at higher level
- over the latest five years, the numbers of starts and achievements at intermediate level have more than halved
- advanced level starts and achievements have also decreased in number, but not as sharply
- the numbers of higher level starts and achievements have increased during this period.
Age groups
- In the North East in the 2022/23 academic year:
- About 47% of apprenticeship starts and 43% of achievements were by people aged 25 and over
- about 27% of both starts and achievements were by people under 19 years old
- in the latest year, starts in all three age groups decreased
- in contrast, achievement totals increased for all age groups
- across the latest five years, starts and achievements have consistently been higher in the oldest age group.
Females and males
- In the North East in the 2022/23 academic year:
- About 52% of apprenticeship starts and 53% of achievements were by males
- in both cases, the number of males has been higher in most recent years
- the age profile of females starting apprenticeships was older than for males
- about 54% of female apprenticeship starts were by those aged 25 plus, compared to 40% for males.
About the data
- The Department for Education (DfE) release of full-year data on apprenticeships and traineeships in England for the 2022/23 academic year was published at the end of November 2023
- it covers the period August 2022 to July 2023 and is based on data returned by providers in October 2023
- the geographical breakdowns are based on the home address of each learner
- the source data and further information can be accessed from the Explore Education Statistics website
- the information is part of a broader further education dataset and analysis of this will shortly be added to the evidence hub.
Subject areas
- In the North East in the 2022/23 academic year:
- More than half of apprenticeship starts and achievements were in two broad subject areas
- these were health, public services and care; and business, administration and law
- most of the remaining starts and achievements were in four broad areas
- these covered engineering and manufacturing; construction and planning; retail and commerce; and ICT
- among these six areas, apprenticeships in construction and planning and in retail and commerce were most likely to be at intermediate level
- apprenticeships in ICT; health and public services; and business and law were most likely to be at higher level
- compared to five years earlier only health, public servuces and care; and ICT had more apprenticeship starts
- the largest percentage decrease in starts had been in retail and commerce over that period.
Geographical comparisons
The North East and England
- Geographical comparisons of apprenticeship starts and achievements use rates based on the population of 16 to 64 year olds:
- The North East apprenticeships start rate in 2022/23 was 1,100 per 100,000
- the North East achievement rate was 580 per 100,000
- these were both higher than the England equivalents (947 and 456)
- the North East rates have been consistently higher over the past five years, although the gap has closed slightly.
Within the North East
- In the North East in the 2022/23 academic year:
- Six of the seven North East local authority areas had apprenticeship start and achievement rates above the England rates
- the exception was Newcastle upon Tyne
- County Durham had the highest overall apprenticeship start rate
- at intermediate level, the highest start rate was in Sunderland
- at advanced level it was in South Tyneside and at higher level it was in North Tyneside.
Subject areas
- In the 2022/23 academic year:
- Compared to nationally, the North East had particularly large percentages of apprenticeship starts in construction and planning; and in engineering and manufacturing
- the percentages of starts in key subject areas varied among apprentices in the seven local authority areas
- those from Northumberland were more likely to be starting in health and public services or in construction and planning than elsewhere
- for business, administration and law, this was true for Newcastle based apprentices
- for engineering and manufacturing and for retail and commerce, this was true in Gateshead
- for ICT this was true in North Tyneside.
Apprentice characteristics
- In the 2022/23 academic year:
- The North East had smaller percentages of apprenticeship starts and achievements by females than nationally
- in England, more than half of starts and achievements were by females but this was not mirrored in the North East
- the North East had higher percentages of starts and achievements by the under-19s than England
- it had lower percentages among the 25 plus and 19 to 24 age groups.