Apprenticeship learning programmes started: May to July 2021 (provisional)

These quarterly statistics, published on StatsWales with complementary dashboards present information on the number of apprenticeship learning programmes started. It includes data by region of domicile, programme type, age group, sector, gender, ethnicity, disability and academic year.

Provisional figures are produced on a quarterly basis and are finalised along with the publication of Q4 data in February/March each year. 2020/21 (academic year) Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 data are now final. They are calculated using a freeze of the Lifelong Learning Wales Record (LLWR). Data for earlier years are also final.

From March 2020 onwards, education provision was significantly disrupted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The figures presented in this dashboard are likely to have been impacted. This should be kept in mind, particularly when comparing with previous years.

Main points from the latest data

• There were 5,110 apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2020/21 Q4, a large increase on the 3,465 starts in 2019/20 Q4, but still lower than the 6,360 starts in 2018/19 Q4. The difference may be due to a lower number of starts in 2019/20 Q4 following the disruption caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• In 2020/21 Q4, there were increases in all three types of apprenticeship learning programmes started. Foundation Apprenticeship (Level 2) programmes observed a 162% increase on the previous year. 2,435 learning programmes were started compared with 930 in 2019/20 Q4. The latest number is similar to that from two years earlier.
• Apprenticeships (Level 3) saw a 2% increase with 1,730 programmes starting in 2020/21 Q4 compared with 1,695 in 2019/20 Q4.
• Higher Apprenticeships (Level 4+) also saw a 12% increase with 945 programmes starting in 2020/21 Q4 compared with 845 in 2019/20 Q4.
• In 2020/21 Q4, Healthcare and Public Services was the most popular broad sector. 47% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started were in this sector, compared with 58% in Q4 in the previous year. 
• In 2020/21 Q4, around 64% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started were by female learners, compared with 73% in Q4 in the previous year.
• Having met the target for the previous Senedd term, the Welsh Government now has a new target to create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships over the course of the 2021-2026 Senedd term. This is assessed using a more rigorous measure, which takes account of early drop outs (within first 8 weeks) and transfers between apprenticeship records. In 2020/21 Q4, there were 3,860 of these apprenticeship starts.
• The total number of starts against the previous target measure was 112,590 over the period from 2015/16 Q4 to 2020/21 Q3. This number has been revised slightly from the last publication now that provisional data for 2020/21 quarters 1 to 3 is now final.