Apprenticeship starts
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1. Main facts and figures
- in the 8 years to July 2019, the percentage of apprenticeships started by people from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds went up from 10.0% to 12.5%
- the total number of apprenticeships started decreased by almost a quarter (24.4%) from 520,580 to 393,380
- the number of apprenticeships started by people from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds went down from 51,350 to 48,390
- in the year ending July 2019, White people made up 87.5% of apprenticeship starts and 84.0% of the general population (based on 2018 estimates)
Things you need to know
An apprentice starting more than one apprenticeship will be counted separately for each programme. For example, an apprentice starting an intermediate level apprenticeship, and then starting or transferring to an advanced level apprenticeship, will be counted as 2 starts. This can be within one academic year or across multiple academic years.
Each reporting period covers an academic year, which runs from 1 August to 31 July.
In the academic year ending July 2012, the single individualised learner record data collection system was introduced. This means that figures for the academic year ending July 2012 onwards are not directly comparable with earlier years.
Use caution when comparing and interpreting data from the academic year ending July 2018 onwards. This is because apprenticeships standards and the Apprenticeship Levy may have affected how many people started apprenticeships.
The percentages shown don’t include people whose ethnicity wasn’t known. In the academic year ending July 2019, the ethnicity was not known for 1.7% of apprenticeship starts.
Percentages have been calculated by DfE using counts rounded to the nearest 10.
What the data measures
This data measures the number of starts for an apprenticeship programme or learning aim as recorded on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).
The percentage of people on apprenticeships in each ethnic group has been compared with 2018 population estimates published by the Office for National Statistics.
The ethnic categories used in this data
Data is shown for the 5 aggregated ethnic groups based on the 2011 Census (Asian, Black, Mixed, White, Other).
2. By ethnicity over time
| Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Asian % | Asian Starts | Black % | Black Starts | Mixed % | Mixed Starts | White % | White Starts | Other % | Other Starts |
| 2011/12 | 4.0 | 20,720 | 3.4 | 17,350 | 1.9 | 9,850 | 90.1 | 464,960 | 0.7 | 3,430 |
| 2012/13 | 3.9 | 19,690 | 3.3 | 16,590 | 2.0 | 10,110 | 90.1 | 455,440 | 0.7 | 3,380 |
| 2013/14 | 4.3 | 18,600 | 3.1 | 13,650 | 2.2 | 9,470 | 89.7 | 391,480 | 0.7 | 3,110 |
| 2014/15 | 4.3 | 21,510 | 3.5 | 17,250 | 2.2 | 10,930 | 89.3 | 442,340 | 0.7 | 3,500 |
| 2015/16 | 4.3 | 21,380 | 3.5 | 17,500 | 2.2 | 11,100 | 89.4 | 448,830 | 0.7 | 3,500 |
| 2016/17 | 4.5 | 22,010 | 3.7 | 18,080 | 2.3 | 11,020 | 88.7 | 434,220 | 0.9 | 4,200 |
| 2017/18 | 4.7 | 17,430 | 3.3 | 12,340 | 2.5 | 9,390 | 88.6 | 327,720 | 0.8 | 3,070 |
| 2018/19 | 5.5 | 21,370 | 3.5 | 13,510 | 2.7 | 10,520 | 87.5 | 338,330 | 0.8 | 2,990 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Apprenticeship starts By ethnicity over time Summary
This data shows that:
- in the 8 years to July 2019, the number of apprenticeships started by Asian people went up from 20,720 to 21,370
- the number started by people with Mixed ethnicity went up from 9,850 to 10,520
- the number started by Black people went down from 17,350 to 13,510, and the number started by White people went down from 464,960 to 338,330
- in the year ending July 2019, 87.5% of apprenticeships were started by White people, compared with 88.6% the year before
- 5.5% of apprenticeships were started by Asian people in the year ending July 2019, compared with 4.7% the year before
3. By ethnicity compared with the overall population
| Ethnicity | Apprenticeship starts | Population (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| Asian | 5.5 | 8.4 |
| Black | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| Mixed | 2.7 | 2.8 |
| White | 87.5 | 84.0 |
| Other | 0.8 | 1.1 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity compared with the overall population’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity compared with the overall population’ (CSV)
Summary of Apprenticeship starts By ethnicity compared with the overall population Summary
This data shows that:
- in the year ending July 2019, White people made up 87.5% of apprenticeship starts and 84.0% of the overall population
- Asian people made up 5.5% of apprenticeship starts and 8.4% of the overall population
4. Methodology
This data is based on apprentices’ individualised learner records, which are submitted by further education providers to the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
The individualised learner record uses administrative data collected about apprentices by further education providers. It also includes any data from employers that forms part of the employer ownership pilot.
Ethnicity data is completed by the apprentices, and no adjustments are made by the learning provider.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Participant numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10 to avoid identification of individuals.
Numbers less than 5 have been suppressed.
Rounding
Participant numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages have been calculated by DfE using rounded numbers.
Quality and methodology information
5. Data sources
Source
Apprenticeships and traineeships data
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Education
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
Data about learners' demographics and their type of learning (including apprenticeships and apprenticeship aims) is used by Education and Skills Funding Agency to allocate funding for further education.
Secondary source
Ethnic group, national identity, language, and religion: Census 2021 in England and Wales
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
Official statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Publication frequency
Ad-hoc
Purpose of data source
The Census takes place every 10 years. Census data gives the government the information it needs to plan and run public services. It is also used as a benchmark for other statistical estimates, and can help illustrate differences between various groups in the population.
6. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, time, time_type, geography, geography_code, geography type, gender, age bracket, age bracket type, denominator, numerator, value