Participation in apprenticeships
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- 1. Navigate to Main facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toNumber of apprenticeships section
- 3. Navigate toRepresentation of ethnic groups in apprenticeships section
- 4. Navigate toPercentage of apprenticeships by ethnicity section
- 5. Navigate to Methodology section
- 6. Navigate to Data sources section
- 7. Navigate to Download the data section
1. Main facts and figures
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between 2008/09 and 2015/16, the percentage of apprentices from ethnic minority ethnic groups (excluding White minorities) increased from 6.7% to 10.6%
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the number of people from ethnic minority groups (excluding White minorities) who participated in apprenticeships grew by 3 times over the reported period, from 29,980 to 95,200
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total apprenticeship participation more than doubled, from 444,800 to 899,400
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in 2015/16, 88.0% of apprentices were from a White background, which is higher than their share of the overall population (84.6%)
Things you need to know
Data collected before 2011 has not been reclassified to the 2011 Census ethnicity groupings. This means data from 2008/09 to 2010/11 is not directly comparable to data collected after that period.
This methodology change also means that apprenticeship participation numbers are overrepresented by an estimated 1 to 2% for reporting periods from 2008/09 to 2010/11.
What the data measures
This data measures people studying for one or more apprenticeship aims (an individual learning module as part of an apprenticeship), funded by government. Each reporting period covers an academic year, which runs from 1 August to 31 July.
A person studying for more than one apprenticeship aim with one training provider will be counted once. However, a person who studies with more than one provider will be counted separately at each provider, resulting in 2 or more participants being counted. A training provider is an organisation that offers apprenticeship training.
To provide additional context, the percentage of apprenticeship starts by ethnic group has been compared to population estimates (2015) published by ONS.
The ethnic categories used in this data
Data from 2011/12 onwards has been classified using the 5 standardised ethnic groups based on the 2011 census. Data collected before 2011 has been reclassified to the 2011 census definitions. However it is not directly comparable with data from 2011/12 onwards because of the different methodology used.
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White
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Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
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Asian/Asian British
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Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
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Other ethnic group
2. Number of apprenticeships
| Year | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | Unknown | Ethnic minority (excl.White Minorities) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentices | Apprentices | Apprentices | Apprentices | Apprentices | Apprentices | Apprentices | Apprentices | |
| 2008/09 | 444,800 | 13,720 | 7,840 | 6,430 | 410,960 | 1,990 | 3,830 | 29,980 |
| 2009/10 | 491,300 | 14,440 | 10,010 | 7,890 | 452,680 | 2,330 | 3,920 | 34,670 |
| 2010/11 | 665,900 | 24,540 | 17,950 | 11,380 | 602,420 | 4,140 | 5,460 | 58,010 |
| 2011/12 | 806,500 | 31,640 | 25,450 | 14,290 | 722,760 | 5,540 | 6,800 | 76,920 |
| 2012/13 | 868,700 | 32,800 | 28,500 | 16,200 | 776,200 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 83,500 |
| 2013/14 | 851,500 | 34,000 | 27,400 | 17,000 | 758,400 | 5,500 | 9,100 | 83,900 |
| 2014/15 | 871,800 | 37,000 | 29,500 | 18,300 | 773,400 | 5,900 | 7,600 | 90,700 |
| 2015/16 | 899,400 | 38,400 | 31,500 | 19,100 | 791,700 | 6,200 | 12,500 | 95,200 |
Download table data for ‘Number of apprenticeships’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Number of apprenticeships’ (CSV)
Summary of Participation in apprenticeships Number of apprenticeships Summary
This data shows that:
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the number of apprentices who were Black grew by 4 times over the reported period, from 7,840 to 31,500
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the number of apprentices who were Asian, Mixed or Other ethnic background grew by 3 times over the reported period, from 13,720 to 38,400; 6,430 to 19,100 and 1,990 to 6,200 respectively
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the number of apprentices who were White doubled over the reported period, from 410,960 to 791,700
3. Representation of ethnic groups in apprenticeships
| Ethnicity | Apprentices | Population (2015 estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| Asian | 4.3 | 8.2 |
| Black | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Mixed | 2.1 | 2.6 |
| White | 88.0 | 84.6 |
| Other | 0.7 | 1.1 |
Download table data for ‘Representation of ethnic groups in apprenticeships’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Representation of ethnic groups in apprenticeships’ (CSV)
Summary of Participation in apprenticeships Representation of ethnic groups in apprenticeships Summary
This data shows that:
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in 2015/16, 88.0% of apprentices were from a White background, which is higher than their share of the overall population (84.6%)
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only 4.3% of all apprentices were Asian, which is less than their estimated share of the overall population (8.2%)
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the percentage of all other ethnic groups' on apprenticeships was similar to the overall population
4. Percentage of apprenticeships by ethnicity
| Year | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | Unknown | Ethnic minority (excl. White minorities) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| 2008/09 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 92.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 6.7 |
| 2009/10 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 92.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 7.0 |
| 2010/11 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 90.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 8.7 |
| 2011/12 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 89.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 9.6 |
| 2012/13 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 89.4 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 9.7 |
| 2013/14 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 89.1 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 9.8 |
| 2014/15 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 88.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 10.4 |
| 2015/16 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 88.0 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 10.6 |
Download table data for ‘Percentage of apprenticeships by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Percentage of apprenticeships by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Participation in apprenticeships Percentage of apprenticeships by ethnicity Summary
This data shows that:
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since 2008/09, the percentage of apprentices who were White has gradually declined, with 88.0% of apprenticeship starts in 2015/16 coming from a White background, compared to 92.4% in 2002/03, which is broadly in line with population change over the same period
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in the period since 2008/09, among ethnic minority groups, the highest percentage of apprentices were from an Asian background (4.3% in 2015/16)
5. Methodology
These data are based on the ILR. The ILR is submitted by FE providers to the ESFA for funding purposes. It does not include privately funded learners. A learner studying several courses with one provider will be counted only once. However, a learner studying at 2 or more providers in a year will be counted separately at each provider.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Category level data are rounded to the nearest 10 to avoid identification of individuals. Numbers less than 5 are suppressed. Totals are rounded to 100. Category level data are rounded to the nearest 10 to avoid identification of individuals. Numbers less than 5 are suppressed. Totals are rounded to 100.
Rounding
Category level data are rounded to the nearest 10 to avoid identification of individuals. Numbers less than 5 are suppressed. Totals are rounded to 100.
Further technical information
Completion of the ILR by FE providers is necessary for colleges to receive funding. Ethnicity data is completed by the learner and are taken as reported. We do not adjust the data.
All providers must send records for learners financed by Advanced Learner Loans. Training organisations are asked to send details of apprenticeships that are not funded by the ESFA where they are delivered within the terms of a ESFA contract. For higher and degree level apprenticeships, HEIs must send an ILR return for all apprenticeship standards and for 16-18 apprenticeship frameworks.
Further information is available on the ILR
Technical information related to the public dissemination of this information can be found in the latest SFR (PDF opens in a new window or tab)
6. 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.
7. Download the data
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, value, numerator and denominator