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Apprenticeship achievements and starts

North East apprenticeship starts and achievements, with comparisons over time, by learner characteristic, level and local area.

Education, inclusion and skills
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Starts and achievements

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.