Apprenticeship learning programmes started: August to October 2020

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

This update includes new provisional figures for August to October 2020 (Q1). Provisional figures are produced on a quarterly basis and are finalised along with the publication of Q4 data in February/March each year. 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 5,835 apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2020/21 Q1 compared with 8,615 in 2019/20 Q1, a decrease of 32%. This decrease is likely to be driven, at least partly, by the disruption to learning caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, as mentioned.

In 2020/21 Q1, Healthcare and Public Services was the most popular broad sector. 41% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started were in this sector, compared with 28% in Q1 the previous year. 

In 2020/21 Q1, around 55% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started were by female learners, compared with 50% in Q1 in the previous year.

The Welsh Government had a target for 100,000 apprenticeships over the course of the 2016-2021 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. Under this measure, 5,470 apprenticeship learning programmes were started in 2020/21 Q1 and 103,740 since the target was introduced, therefore confirming that the target was met during this quarter.