Consistent performance measures for post-16 learning (learner destinations): August 2020 to July 2021

This report looks at the destinations of post-16 learners (i.e. what a learner moves on to do after a programme of learning), including those undertaking work-based learning.

It is part of a set of three consistent performance measures that have been developed for post-16 education. A separate report provides information on learner achievement. These are official statistics in development, we will undertake further consultation with learning providers on the methodology.

This release provides statistics for learners in 2020/21 and their destinations the following year, therefore, it covers a period of the coronavirus pandemic and shows the potential impact on these learners.

Figure 1: Destinations of post-16 learners, 2014/15 to 2020/21

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Description of Figure 1: This line chart shows a small increase in sustained destination since 2014/15, reaching 86% in 2020/21. More learners have a sustained employment destination than a sustained learning destination in all years. There was a dip in sustained employment and an increase in sustained learning in 2019/20. The sustained learning rate remained stable in 2020/21 and sustained employment returned to pre 2019/20 rates.

Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes Study

(r) Previously published figures have been revised with the latest data, see the quality information for detail.

Main points

Of the 110,895 learners finishing a learning programme in 2020/21:

• 86% had a sustained destination in 2021/22 into either employment or learning, a 1 percentage point increase compared to 2019/20 learners
• 62% were in sustained employment, a 6 percentage point increase compared to 2019/20 and 49% were in sustained learning, the same as last year

The dip in sustained employment in 2019/20 may have been due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The sustained destination, sustained employment, and sustained learning rates for 2020/21 learners are the among the highest they have been for the 7 years in this analysis.

The sustained destination rate has gradually increased from 83% in 2014/15 to 86% in 2021/22

The rate of sustained employment destinations has ranged from 56% in 2019/20 to 62% in 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2020/21

The rate of sustained learning has ranged from 44% in 2014/15 to 49% in 2016/17, 2019/20 and 2020/21.