Apprenticeships learning programmes  started: February to April 2024 (provisional)

Key points

February to April (Q3) 2023/24 figures are provisional.

• There were 4,565 apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2023/24 Q3, compared with 5,335 starts in 2022/23 Q3.
• Foundation Apprenticeships and Higher Apprenticeships saw the largest falls compared to Q3 the previous year.
• Healthcare and Public Services apprenticeships were the most popular sector in 2023/24 Q3 with 2,305 programmes started. This accounted for 50% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started.
• 67% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by female learners in Q3 2023/24, unchanged from Q3 in the previous year.
• 42% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners aged 25 to 39 in Q3 2023/24, compared to 44% in Q3 for the previous year.
• 13% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners with ethnic minority backgrounds in Q3 2023/24, compared to 14% in Q3 for the previous year.
• 12% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners identifying as having a disability and/or learning difficulty, compared to 11% in Q3 for the previous year.
• There have been 59,565 apprenticeship starts since Q4 2020/21, as part of progress towards Welsh Government’s target of 100,000 apprenticeships.
• The Programme for Government contained a target to create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships. During the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee meeting on 26 June 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language agreed a new target of 100,000 all-age apprenticeships to maintain the previous Senedd term’s target of 100,000.

Apprenticeship learning programmes started: interactive dashboard

Quality and Methodology

Provisional data

The statistics in this report are produced quarterly. Figures for the first three quarters in an academic year are provisional because they are based on earlier freezes of the Lifelong Learning Wales Record (LLWR). This data will continue to be updated until the final freeze in December after the end of the academic year.

The provisional figures for the year are finalised when quarter 4 (May to July) data are published in February/March each year, based on the December freeze.

Target measure starts

The statistics for the target measures use a more rigorous measure of apprenticeship programme starts than other statistics in this output. This measure takes account of early drop outs (within first 8 weeks) and transfers between apprenticeships.

Degree apprenticeships are now included in the current target measure. Degree apprenticeships in Wales provide the opportunity to combine working with part-time study at university. Data is sourced from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Whilst statistics from HESA have been calculated to be as comparable as possible with statistics for other apprenticeship programmes sourced from the LLWR (for example, removing early drop outs), some methodological differences will remain. Unlike the LLWR, HESA data is only available annually and statistics for the latest available academic year will be included in every Q4 update.

More quality information

Other than the provisional data and the target measure, these statistics are produced in the same way as the statistics in the Further education, work-based learning and community learning annual reports. More information can be found in the quality section of those reports.

Statement of Compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

All of our statistics are produced and published in accordance with our Statement of Compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics and other statistical policies.

These official statistics demonstrate the standards expected around trustworthiness, quality and public value in the following ways.

Trustworthiness

This is produced by professional statisticians complying to the Code of Practice for Statistics. Release dates are pre-announced, protocols around data confidentiality are followed.

Quality

The data is sourced from the Lifelong Learning Record Wales which is submitted by learning providers. This data is also used to determine funding for learning providers and is subject to audit.

When the data is submitted it must meet certain validation rules. When the statistics are being produced quality checks are undertaken by the statisticians.

Value

These statistics provide a quicker insight into the uptake of apprenticeships in Wales than the annually produced reports. They are used for monitoring and evaluating the sector. They report the progress against a target set by Welsh Government.

Earlier reports in this series were published on gov.wales.

Contact: [email protected]

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