1. Main facts and figures
- in the 8 years to July 2019, the percentage of apprentices from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds went up from 9.7% to 11.8%
- the total number of apprentices from Asian, Black, Mixed and Other backgrounds went up from 76,900 to 86,200
- the total number of apprentices went down from 806,500 to 742,400
- in the academic year ending July 2019, White people made up 88.2% of apprentices, and 84.0% of the general population (based on 2018 estimates)
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows the number of people studying for one or more apprenticeship 'aim' (an individual learning module taken as part of an apprenticeship).
The data only includes people funded by the government.
Participant numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100. Percentages have been calculated using rounded numbers.
Not included in the data
Numbers less than 5 have not been included in the data. This is to protect people’s confidentiality and because the numbers involved are too small to make reliable generalisations.
The ethnic groups used in the data
Data is shown for 5 aggregated ethnic groups:
- Asian
- Black
- Mixed
- White
- Other
This means estimates are shown for these groups as a whole. This is because the number of people surveyed was too small to make any reliable conclusions about any of the 18 ethnic groups used in the 2011 Census.
The data does not include people whose ethnicity was not known. This was 1.4% of apprenticeship participants in the academic year ending July 2019.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document (PDF opens in a new window or tab) for the data on this page.
Someone studying more than one apprenticeship course with a single provider is counted once. Someone who studies with more than one provider in an academic year (1 August to 31 July) is counted as 2 or more participants.
3. By ethnicity over time
| Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Asian % | Asian Apprentices | Black % | Black Apprentices | Mixed % | Mixed Apprentices | White % | White Apprentices | Other % | Other Apprentices |
| 2011/12 | 4.0 | 31,600 | 3.2 | 25,500 | 1.8 | 14,300 | 90.4 | 722,800 | 0.7 | 5,500 |
| 2012/13 | 3.8 | 32,800 | 3.3 | 28,500 | 1.9 | 16,200 | 90.3 | 776,200 | 0.7 | 6,000 |
| 2013/14 | 4.0 | 34,000 | 3.3 | 27,400 | 2.0 | 17,000 | 90.0 | 758,400 | 0.7 | 5,500 |
| 2014/15 | 4.3 | 37,000 | 3.4 | 29,500 | 2.1 | 18,300 | 89.5 | 773,400 | 0.7 | 5,900 |
| 2015/16 | 4.3 | 38,400 | 3.6 | 31,500 | 2.2 | 19,100 | 89.3 | 791,700 | 0.7 | 6,200 |
| 2016/17 | 4.4 | 39,300 | 3.7 | 33,000 | 2.2 | 19,700 | 89.0 | 801,200 | 0.8 | 6,900 |
| 2017/18 | 4.5 | 36,200 | 3.6 | 29,000 | 2.3 | 18,400 | 88.8 | 714,000 | 0.8 | 6,600 |
| 2018/19 | 5.0 | 36,700 | 3.5 | 25,300 | 2.5 | 18,600 | 88.2 | 645,700 | 0.8 | 5,600 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Participation in apprenticeships By ethnicity over time Summary
This data shows that:
- in the 8 years to July 2019, the number of Asian apprentices went up from 31,600 to 36,700
- the number of apprentices from Mixed ethnic backgrounds went up from 14,300 to 18,600
- the number of White apprentices went down from 722,800 to 645,700
- in the academic year ending July 2019, 88.2% of apprentices were White, compared with 88.8% the previous year
- the percentage of apprentices from Asian and Mixed backgrounds went up compared with the previous year, while the percentage from Other backgrounds was the same
4. By ethnicity compared with the overall population
| Ethnicity | Apprentices | Population (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| Asian | 5.0 | 8.4 |
| Black | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| Mixed | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| White | 88.2 | 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 Participation in apprenticeships By ethnicity compared with the overall population Summary
This data shows that:
- in the year ending July 2019, White people made up 88.2% of apprentices and 84.0% of the overall population (based on 2018 estimates)
- Asian people made up 5.0% of apprentices and 8.4% of the overall population
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
Population denominators by ethnic group, regions and countries: England and Wales, 2011 to 2018
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
Official statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Note on corrections or updates
The source was updated on 06/09/2019 to incorporate 2018/19 data
Publication frequency
Ad-hoc
Purpose of data source
These estimates have been produced specifically for use as part of the Race Disparity Audit, following discussion with the Race Disparity Unit of their specific requirements and time-frame.
6. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, time, time_type, geography, geography type, geography_code, gender, age bracket, age bracket type, denominator, numerator, value