FE STEM Data Project July 2011 report

Transcription

1 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report

2 Contents Introduction and notes... Key findings: Overview... 3 S, T, E and M... 5 Number of qualifications... 7 Levels... 9 Schools... Progression...3 Recent patterns...5 Regional variation...7 Local Authority variation...9 and versus and Gender...23 Ethnicity...25 Qualification mix...27 Apprenticeships...29 Focus on provision...3 Focus on provision...33 Focus on provision...35 Focus on and provision...37 Appendix: Roundtable Discussion The Complexity of the S, T, E and M offer in the FE and Skills Sector...39 Roundtable Discussion Progression in STEM...4 Roundtable Discussion...4 Acknowledgements...43 ii

3 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report Introduction The term STEM groups together the subjects of,, and. The Further Education (FE) and Skills sector has an essential role to play in STEM education by improving progression through STEM related subjects for both adults and young people and servicing the needs of employers with a suitably qualified workforce. The figures and charts in this report provide firm evidence on how the sector undertakes that role and allow: Those from the FE and Skills community to assess the scale and distribution of publicly funded STEM qualifications being undertaken in the FE and Skills sector in England. Those from the S, T, E and M communities to assess the contribution that the FE and Skills sector in England makes to their subjects and disciplines. Public policy makers to see a more complete picture of S, T, E and M provision in England, complementing what is already published for schools by the Department for Education and the Joint Council for Qualifications and what is published for Higher Education by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. The report builds on the FE and Skills STEM Data report published in October 2. It uses the same classified list of S, T, E and M qualifications as the October 2 report compiled through an analysis of the Register of Regulated Qualifications and the Learning Aim Database updated with the most recent completions and achievements data taken from the Individualised Learner Record and the National Pupil Database. It is providing the basis for ongoing research on the wage returns from STEM qualifications. The data included in this report illustrate a number of headline messages that have been agreed by the project Advisory Group which has a membership drawn from across the S, T, E, M and FE and Skills communities. These are set out in the dark green text boxes on pages 3 3 supported by additional observations made in 35 light green boxes. Key topics which require more than an examination of the data alone were considered at three roundtable discussions on Complexity, Progression and held during the course of the project. The key findings are included in the main body of the report, but for completeness a summary of each meeting is included in the Appendix. The FE STEM Data Project has provided long overdue insight into the various ways that the FE and Skills sector in England contributes to the education and training of young people and adults. Deeper and continuing exploration and analysis must follow to provide the sound evidence base required to inform future public policy. Notes S, T, E and M qualifications are taken to be those that contain learning outcomes that are deeply rooted in science or mathematics, engineering and/or are of a technical or technologyapplication/use nature. S, T, E and M qualifications are deemed distinct from other qualifications because they can, for those who wish it, provide the required foundation for progression into further study or employment in an S, T, E or M related field. To take account of the modular nature of some qualifications, they are deemed to lie within S, T, E or M when the majority of the assessment objectives are,, or focused (and /or the qualification is recognised as a pre-requisite for progression in S, T, E or M). They are deemed to be S, T, E or M related when,, or features in many learning objectives (and/or the qualification provides a degree of learning that will aid progression in S, T, E or M). They are deemed to be outside of S, T, E or M if S, T, E or M does not feature in at least some learning objectives for all learners (not just those who take S, T, E or M related options within the qualification). has been further subdivided into and in order to distinguish the life skills associated with qualifications from as a pure or applied discipline. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, charts show data for qualifications achieved by learners at all levels in the FE and Skills sector in England for the academic year 29/. Achievements are defined as the numbers of learners who achieved that qualification in that year and is the preferred measure of activity because it describes what the sector has produced in that year. However for robust comparison with schools data it was necessary to use Completions and where this has been done it is stated in the charts. A full definition of the terms Enrolments, Completions and Achievements can be found in Section 3 of the October 2 report. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, charts which represent data for all of STEM show combined data for S, T, E and M and S, T, E and M related qualifications. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, charts which represent data for individual,, or disciplines show data for S, T, E or M qualifications only and do not include S, T, E or M related qualifications. When interpreting the Regional and Local Authority (LA) data it should be noted that learners cross borders and that some LAs collaborate on provision. Where used in charts, the term LEA refers only to a set of geographical areas used by the Department for Education Regional and LA data is associated with the place where learning was delivered. For reference, the following are examples of the various Levels of qualifications quoted in this report: Level - GCSE grades D G; Level 2 GCSE grades A* C; Level 3 A Levels, Advanced Apprenticeships; Level 4 and above Higher Apprenticeships, Foundation Degrees Many of the examples presented are for Achievements at level 3. This is because the Progression Round table identified achievement at Level 3 as the key to many progression pathways Introduction and notes 2

4 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report.2 Proportion of funded STEM qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in Schools and the FE and Skills sector in 29/. Proportion of funded qualifications achieved in the FE and Skills Sector which can be classified as STEM in academic year 29/ 6.8 million qualifications were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in England in 29/ with.74 million in S,T,E,M and In 29/,.74 million publicly funded S, T, E and M qualifications were achieved by people aged 6+ in the FE and Skills sector in England, with a further.64 million S, T, E and M qualifications taken by 6 8 year olds in schools Measured in terms of numbers of qualifications achieved across all qualification levels and all ages (post 6) Not STEM 72% STEM 28% Each S, T, E and M discipline contributes fairly evenly to the 28% of post-6 achievement that is S, T, E and M (separating M into and ) A total of,744, STEM qualifications were achieved in 29/ A further.64 million were taken in schools (as measured by completions).4.3 Measured in terms of numbers of achieved qualifications across all levels and all ages (post 6) 943, 6% Proportions of funded qualifications achieved in S, T, E and M in the FE and Skills Sector in academic year 29/ Not STEM 72% 4% 7% 6% 28% 5% 6% 639, 4% n Schools n FE Note: The figures for,, and include related qualifications Number of funded Qualifications achieved at each Qualification level and the proportion that were STEM in the FE and Skills sector in academic year 29/ Key findings: Overview 2,5, 2,, 34% % S, T, E and M qualifications account for 28% of all achievements in the FE and Skills sector. However, at Levels, 2 and 3 the proportions are in the range 34 4%,5,,, 5, 28% 4% 38% STEM Not STEM Level Level 2 Qualification level Level 3 27% Mixed/ Unclassified Note: per cents describe the proportions that are STEM at each Qualification level 3 4

5 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report 2. Per cent Achievements in funded S, T, E and M Qualifications in the FE and Skills sector in 29/ by Qualification level % 9% 8% 7% 6% 2.2 Numbers of achievements in funded,, and qualifications and in related qualifications, including, in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, by Qualification level The distribution of achievements across the levels varies significantly between each S, T, E, M and N discipline 5% 4% 3% 2% % % 2 3 Mixed/Unidentified Mixed/Unidentified Mixed/Unidentified 2 3 Mixed/Unidentified 2 3 Mixed/Unidentified Note: All figures include related qualifications, eg and related 25, 225, 2, 75, 5, 25,, 75, 5, 25, Level Level 2 Level 3 STEM is better described as S, T, E and M because the characteristics of each are different. is recognised as distinct from Only has a significant number of related achievements relative to the total for each S, T, E, M and N discipline 2.3,, 9, 8, 7, 6, Achievements Achievements in related qualifications Numbers of funded S, T, E and M qualifications achieved in FE and Skills sector over the academic years 27/8 to 29/ Key findings: S, T, E and M S, T, E, M and N provision changes from year to year: here are the changes for the period , 4, 3, 2,, 27/8 28/9 29/ Note: All figures include related qualifications, eg and related 5 6

6 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report There are many S, T, E and M qualifications offered in the FE and Skills sector but only a small proportion of these are taken by large numbers of people The number of different funded qualifications available varies significantly between each subject or discipline. offered the most in 29/ and the least Numbers of different funded qualifications taken in the FE and Skills sector in 29/ for each area of STEM at each Qualification level 2 3 Mixed/unassign Note: Qualifications have been grouped by common qualification title in each level Note: Qualifications can be assigned to more than one STEM area Note: STEM related qualifications are included within the respective STEM area 3.2 Numbers of Completions per funded Level 3 Qualification in FE and Skills sector in 29/, and greater 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, At level 3, people completed 43 different qualifications in. Of these, approximately 5 were completed by more than 5 people but only 6 were completed by more than 5 people (the most popular being in electrotechnology). Over 25 qualifications were completed by less than people in 29/ 4, 3, 2,, Number of different Qualifications, grouped by common Qualification title Note: Total number of different qualifications in at Level 3 being taken in 29/ was 43 Less than completions per qualification Key findings: No. of qualifications 7 8

7 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report 4. 2,5, 2,, Number of funded Qualifications achieved at each Qualification level and the proportion that were STEM in the FE and Skills sector in academic year 29/ 34% % % 9% 4.2 Per cent Achievements in funded S, T, E and M Qualifications in the FE and Skills sector in 29/ by Qualification level Key findings: Levels,5, 8% STEM 7%,, 4% 38% Not STEM 6% 5% 5, 28% 4% 3% 74% of all S, T, E and M achievements in the FE and Skills sector were at Level 2 or below in 9/ 27% Level Level 2 Level 3 Qualification level Note: per cents describe the proportions that are STEM at each Qualification level Mixed/Unclassified 2% % % 2 3 Mixed/Unidentified 2 3 Mixed/Unidentified 2 3 Mixed/Unidentified 2 3 Mixed/Unidentified 2 3 Mixed/Unidentified Note: All figures include related qualifications, eg and related Qualifications at Level 2 and below dominate S, T, E and M provision in the FE and Skills sector. Achievements at Level 4+ remain small to date 33% of achievements were at Level 2 and below, whereas the figures were: n 6% for n 7% for n 79% for n % for 8, 7, 6, 4.3 Numbers of funded STEM qualifications achieved by Adults and Young People in FE and Skills sector in 29/ by Qualification level 35% 5, 4, 43% 72% Young People Adults (9+) At level 3, 72% of the S, T, E and M qualifications were achieved by young people, while at level 2 adults achieved 65% of S, T, E and M qualifications 3, 2,, 33% Level Level 2 Qualification level Level 3 4% 32% Mixed/Unclassified Note: Per cents apply to Young People 9

8 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report 5. STEM in Schools and FE and Skills sector in 29/: numbers of S, T, E and M qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds across all Qualification levels 35, 5.2 Proportion of funded STEM qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in Schools and the FE and Skills sector in 29/ 3, 25, 2, 5,, 5, Note: STEM and STEM related qualifications are included Note: Qualifications were assigned to more than one area of STEM Schools FE Of all the S, T, E and M qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in 29/, 6% were completed in the FE and Skills sector 943, 6% 639, 4% n Schools n FE Key findings: Schools There were at least 25, qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in S, T, E and M but less in 5.3 STEM in Schools and FE and Skills Sector in 29/: the number of funded STEM qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in FE and Schools by Qualification level 7, 6, Even when considering just 6 8 year olds, more S, T, E and M qualifications are taken in the FE and Skills sector than in schools (as measured by completions) However, the majority of Level 3 completions are in schools Most Level 3 S, T, E and M qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in schools were GCE A and AS levels 5, 4, 3, 2,, % 99% % 99% 2 3 Qualification level Note: percentages are the proportions of STEM qualifications completed in Schools or the FE & Skills sector at each Qualification level % 9% GCE A and AS levels 62% 38% Schools FE 2

9 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report Achievement in Level 3 S, T, E and M qualifications can provide a gateway to employment and higher qualifications 6. FE Sector STEM Primary progression routes to/from Level 3 STEM qualifications in FE and Skills Sector CPD sponsored training licence to practice Core STEM Employment STEM User Employment Level 2 Qual Level 3 Qual Level 4 + Qual HE Sector STEM Level Qual Complementary studies* Non-STEM Employment Achievement at Level 3 is important for many progression pathways in S, T, E and M. Anonymous data from Personal Learner Records (PLR) over time will enrich what we know about progression into, through and from level 3 S, T, E and M qualifications and make it possible to track people as they progress 5% 45% 4% 35% 3% 25% school leavers retaking exams lifelong learners retraining Other *applies to all levels Number of other qualifications taken by Adult and Young People when taking one of nine selected level 3 qualifications, as percent of learners taking each combination in academic year 29/ Selected Qualifications account for 28% of all level 3 BTEC National Certificate in Electrical/Electronic BTEC National Diploma for IT Practitioners BTEC National Diploma in Electrical/Electronic BTEC National Diploma in Mechanical Certificate in the Requirements for Electrical Installations (BS 767 June 28) GCE AS Level in Information and Communication NVQ in Electrotechnical Services NVQ in Maintenance NVQ in Mechanical Services Plumbing (Domestic) Key findings: Progression 2% 5% Until PLR data are more widely available, we rely on case studies such as this to increase our understanding of subject choices and progression. This analysis identifies the number of other qualifications people take alongside 9 popular Level 3 qualifications % 5% % plus 8 others Chosen only plus other plus 2 others plus 3 others plus 4 others plus 5 others plus 6 others plus 7 others plus 9 others plus others Adult Average across the 9 chosen qualifications Young Person Average across the 9 chosen qualifications Note: 2% of Adults were not publicly funded 3 4

10 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report The FE STEM Data Project provides an effective way of collecting trend data. With only three years of data so far, it is too early to identify definite trends but variability year on year is evident The absolute number of achievements at each level varies considerably between S, T, E, M and N disciplines 7. 3, 25, 2, 5,, Number of funded S, T, E, and M qualifications achieved by Qualification level in FE and Skills sector in academic year 29/ As the total number of all qualifications achieved in the FE and Skills sector also varies considerably from year to year it is more meaningful to look at proportions that are S, T, E and M across years 7.2 5, Level Level 2 Level 3 Note: All figures include related qualifications, eg and related Mixed/ Unidentified Recent patterns in the proportion of all funded qualifications achieved at each Qualification level that were in S, T, E and M in the FE and Skills sector over academic years 27/8 to 29/ proportion of total achievements 3% 25% 2% 5% % 5% % Level Note: All figures include related qualifications, eg and related Level 2 Qualification level Level 3 Level 7/8 8/9 9/ Key findings: Recent patterns 5 6

11 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report For the majority of the English sub-regions, the proportion of Level 3 achievements that are in S, T, E, and M lies between 3% and 4% 6% 55% 5% 45% 4% 35% 3% 25% 2% 5% 8. Proportion of Achievements in funded Level 3 Qualifications that are STEM by sub Region in FE and Skills Sector in 29/ 4% 35% 3% key findings: Regional variation % 5% The FE STEM Data Project is able to analyse regional variations in S, T, E and M provision. These variations are sensitive to factors such as age, gender, and level of qualification. % 8.2 Not STEM East Sussex Berkshire Somerset Hampshre and the Isle of Wight West Sussex Leicestershire Brighton and Hove Cumbria Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Birmingham and Solihull West Yorkshire Bournemouth Dorset Poole Herefordshire Worcestershire Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Greater Manchester Surrey National/ Other UK Staffordshire and Stoke Lancashire Gloucestershire Devon Plymouth Torbay Tees Valley Cheshire London Milton Keynes Nottinghamshire Peterborough Cambrideshire Norfolk and Suffolk Northamptonshire Merseyside NE and N Lincolnshire West of England Oxfordshire Derbyshire North and East Yorkshire Essex Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock Kent and Medway Lincolnshire and Rutland Bedford Borough Central Bedfordshire Hertfordshire & Luton South Yorkshire Coventry and Warwickshire Black Country Swindon & Wiltshire Tyne Wear and Northumberland Buckinghamshire Durham STEM Per cent of funded Level 3 STEM qualifications achieved by Females and Males and the total number of Level 3 STEM qualifications achieved in the FE and Skills Sector in each Sub Region in 29/ For example, numbers of S, T, E and M achievements vary from ~2, to ~5, per sub region. The proportion achieved by female learners varies from 2% to 52% across the sub regions % 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% % % Brighton and Hove Surrey East Sussex Hampshre and the Isle of Wight Greater Manchester Merseyside Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Essex Southend on Sea Somerset London Birmingham and Solihull North and East Yorkshire West Yorkshire Gloucestershire Lancashire Swindon & Wiltshire Leicestershire West Sussex Tees Valley NE and N Lincolnshire Oxfordshire Cheshire Peterborough Cambrideshire Norfolk and Suffolk Lincolnshire and Rutland Devon Plymouth Torbay Nottinghamshire Hereford Worcestershire Shropshire Telford & Wrekin West of England Kent and Medway Staffordshire and Stoke Northamptonshire South Yorkshire Bedford Borough Central Bedfordshire Hertfordshire & Luton Derbyshire Black Country Coventry and Warwickshire Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire Tyne Wear and Northumberland Bournemouth Dorset Poole Cumbria Durham Berkshire National/Other UK/ Not known Female Male Total stem achievements 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,, 7 8

12 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report 9. Geographic variation in provision in 29/ Local Authorities with the highest proportion of level 3 achievements and those with the lowest proportion 85% 8% 75% 7% The volume of S, T, E and M provision varies between Local Authorities. Significant variability in provision can be seen in the data for consecutive years At the level of the Local Authority, Level 3 S, T, E and M achievements can vary between 5% and 85% of all achievements, as exemplified by this example from (chosen because there are few Level 3 achievements in schools) 65% 6% 55% 5% 45% 4% 35% 3% 25% 2% 5% % 5% % Local Authority area (anonymised) Proportion of is the proportion of the level 3 qualifications achieved in that Local Authority that had been classified as qualifications The 5% of Local Authorities with the highest proportion (blue bars) are compared with the 5% with the lowest proportion (green bars). The national average is.9% of level 3 achievements are in 75.% 9.2 Yearly variation in the proportion of level 3 STEM achievements in the FE and Skills sector. Local Authorities where there has been the largest increase or decrease in the proportion of STEM achievements between 28/9 and 29/ Key findings: Local Authority variation 65.% 65.% 55.% Between 28/9 and 29/ the yearly change in the number of Level 3 S, T, E and M achievements across all Local Authorities varied between +5% and -35% (Chart shows 5% of Local Authorities with largest increase or decrease in S, T, E and M achievements) % STEM achieves 45.% 35.% 25.% 5.% 5.% -5.% -5.% -25.% -35.% Local Authority (anonymised) 45.% 25.% 5.% -5.% -35.% % difference 89 to 9 %STEM achieves 9/ % STEM change 8/9 to 9/ (+ve: 9/ is greater) Proportion of STEM provision is measured in terms of the proportion of level 3 qualifications achieved in the FE and Skills sector in that Local Authority that are STEM qualifications 9 2

13 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report In the FE and Skills Sector 84% of Level 3 and 96% of Level 3 achievements were AS and A levels taken in Sixth Form Colleges or General FE Colleges. Type of funded level 3 qualifications that were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, and in which type of Provider VRQ.8%.2 Type of funded level 3 qualifications that were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, and in which type of Provider FSMQ & KS 2.5% General FE College % General FE College - FSMQ & KS.2% and AS and A Levels taken in 6th Form Colleges dominate Level 3 achievements in those subjects in the FE and Skills Sector. The picture for Level 3 and is more varied 55.9% Other public organisation - all types.5% General FE College % General FE College - VRQ.% Total number of level 3 achievements in : 6,479 General FE College - other 2.3% HEI - all types.5% Independent provider - all types.6% 66.9% Total number of level 3 achievements in : 47,32 Other public organisation - all types.% HEI - all types.5% Independent provider - all types.3% AS and A Levels account for only 2% of Level 3 and 44% of Level 3 achievements. Vocationally related and occupational qualifications feature more prominently than for and 3% of Level 3 and 2% of Level 3 qualifications are achieved with independent training providers (including employers).4 Other public organisation - all types 2.9% Independent provider - other.2% Type of funded level 3 qualifications that were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, and in which type of Provider Sixth Form College VRQs.3% Sixth Form College - 4.5% Independent provider - VRQs 4.9% Independent provider - NVQs.4% HEI - all types.3% other.% General FE College - A & AS levels 6.% General FE College - other 2.9% General FE College - NVQs 8.% General FE College - VRQs 37.5%.3 Other public organisation - all types 2.% Independent provider - VRQs 5% Type of funded level 3 qualifications that were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, and in which type of Provider VRQs 4.% Total number of level 3 achievements in : 35,66 3.5% Independent provider - NVQs 4.6% General FE College - 3.% General FE College VRQs 34.7% HEI - all types.4% General FE College - NVQs 5% Total number of level 3 achievements in : 62,24 Key findings: S and M vs E and T 2 22

14 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report % 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% % %. Per cent of funded Level 3 STEM qualifications achieved by Females and Males and the total number of Level 3 STEM qualifications achieved in the FE and Skills Sector in each Sub Region in 29/ Brighton and Hove Surrey East Sussex Hampshre and the Isle of Wight Greater Manchester Merseyside Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Essex Southend on Sea Somerset London Birmingham and Solihull North and East Yorkshire West Yorkshire Gloucestershire Lancashire Swindon & Wiltshire Leicestershire West Sussex Tees Valley NE and N Lincolnshire Oxfordshire Cheshire Peterborough Cambrideshire Norfolk and Suffolk Lincolnshire and Rutland Devon Plymouth Torbay Nottinghamshire Hereford Worcestershire Shropshire Telford & Wrekin West of England Kent and Medway Staffordshire and Stoke Northamptonshire South Yorkshire Bedford Borough Central Bedfordshire Hertfordshire & Luton Derbyshire Black Country Coventry and Warwickshire Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire Tyne Wear and Northumberland Bournemouth Dorset Poole Cumbria Durham Berkshire National/Other National/Other UK/ UK/ Not Not known Female Male Total STEM achievements 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,, 5, 45, 4, 35, 3, 25, 2, 5,, 5, 56%.2 Numbers of funded STEM qualifications achieved by Female and Male Adults and Young People in FE and Skills sector in 29/ by Qualification level 36% 5% Adults are people aged 9 and over Young People predominantly refers to 6 8 year olds but includes a small number of under 6 year olds who are taking qualifications with FE & Skills providers 38% 39% Adult Young People Adult Young People Adult Young People Adult Young People Adult Young People Level Level 2 Level 3 Level Qualification level Male Female 36% 24% 49% 53% 58% Per cents apply to females Female achievements in S, T, E and M average 4% of total. There is significant variation around the country.3 Numbers of funded,, and qualifications achieved by Females and Males in the FE and Skills sector in 29/ by Qualification level Across the levels and age groups, the proportion of female participation is lowest (24%) for adult Level 3 achievements 2, 8, 6, 4, 2, Gender imbalance is clearly evident in provision, but is much less marked in S, T, and M although imbalances exist between specific qualifications (e.g. physics vs biology). Only 8% of engineering qualifications are achieved by women., 8, 6, 4, 2, Level Level 2 Level 3 29/ Female Achieves 29/ Male Achieves Note: the numbers of S, T, E and M achievements included achievements in related qualifications. Level and mixed/unassigned qualifications have been omitted due to the small numbers Key findings: Gender 23 24

15 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report Chinese and Asian learners tend to take higher level S, T, E and M qualifications than other ethnic groups 2. 5% 45% 4% 35% 3% 25% Relative levels of achievements in STEM qualifications by each main Ethnic group as a per cent of the total qualifications achieved by that Ethnic group in FE and Skills sector in 29/ by Qualification level Key findings: Ethnicity 2% 5% % 2 3 White Asian or Asian British Black or Black British Chinese or other ethnic group Mixed The picture of ethnic representation in S, T, E and M is complex and requires comparison against national and local demographic data to enable meaningful conclusions to be drawn 2.2 Learners Ethnicity of all Achievements by Region All levels % White % Asian or Asian British % Black or Black British Ethnicity % Chinese or other ethnic group % Mixed % Missing/ Unknown National 86% 6% 4% % 2% % East Midlands 87% 8% 2% % 2% % East of England 9% 4% 3% 5% 2% % Greater London 56% 4% 8% % 5% 2% North East 92% 5% % % % % North West 9% 5% % % % % South East 9% 3% 2% % 2% % South West 93% % 2% % % 2% As an example of the variation observed, achievements in by ethnic minority groups vary by region around a national average of 4% West Midlands 83% % 4% % 2% % Yorkshire & Humber 9% 4% 2% % % % Region not applicable/ not known 93% 3% 2% % % % 25 26

16 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report Analysis of the qualifications that are taken alongside those in S, T, E and M indicates that 6 8 year olds take more qualifications at once than adults do % 45% 4% 35% 3% 25% Number of other qualifications taken by Adult and Young People when taking one of nine selected level 3 qualifications, as percent of learners taking each combination in academic year 29/ Selected Qualifications account for 28% of all level 3 BTEC National Certificate in Electrical/Electronic BTEC National Diploma for IT Practitioners BTEC National Diploma in Electrical/Electronic BTEC National Diploma in Mechanical Certificate in the Requirements for Electrical Installations (BS 767 June 28) GCE AS Level in Information and Communication NVQ in Electrotechnical Services NVQ in Maintenance NVQ in Mechanical Services Plumbing (Domestic) Key findings: Qualification mix 2% As illustrated in this exemplar analysis, which charts the number of qualifications being taken with the 9 most popular level 3 qualifications. Over a third of the adults were taking one of these qualifications on its own, whilst for young people it was less than one in ten doing so. 5% % 5% % Chosen only plus other plus 2 others plus 3 others plus 4 others plus 5 others plus 6 others plus 7 others plus 8 others plus 9 others plus or more Adult Average across the 9 chosen qualifications Young Person Average across the 9 chosen qualifications Note: 2% of Adults were not publicly funded

17 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report 4. Numbers of Starts in Advanced and Intermediate Apprenticeships in 29/ comparing STEM relevant programmes and non STEM programmes 4.3 Starts and Achieves in S, T, E and M Apprenticeships in 29/ Not STEM Advanced, 5,43 8% Not STEM Intermediate, 43,89 5% STEM Advanced, 38,72 4% STEM Intermediate, 46,76 7% Of all apprenticeships started in 29/, 6% were young people starting Advanced Apprenticeships in S, T, E or M 4, 35, 3, 25, 2, 5,, 5, Note: Starts in Advanced Apprenticeships include Starts in Higher Apprenticeships Note: Starts include both funded and non funded Apprenticeships, and related and related related, and related and related related, and related and related related 43% of all advanced & 24% of all intermediate apprenticeships are in S, T, E and M 4.2 Proportion of Adult and Young People Starts in Apprenticeships relevant and not relevant to STEM in 29/ Adult, Advanced, Not STEM 4% Adult, Advanced, STEM 8% 6 8, Intermediate, Not STEM 2% Intermediate Apprenticeships Advanced Apprenticeships Higher Apprenticeships Intermediate Starts Advanced Starts Higher Starts Intermediate Achieves Advanced Achieves Higher Achieves Note: Data include Funded and non funded Apprenticeships Note: The multiple categorisation indicates that programmes were often classified as relevant to more than one S, T or E area. A third of apprenticeships are in S, T, E and M and these are predominantly in. 6% are advanced apprenticeships taken by young people Adult, Intermediate, STEM 6% Adult, Intermediate, Not STEM 3% 6 8, Intermediate, STEM % 6 8, Advanced, Not STEM 6 8, 4% Advanced, STEM 6% Note: Starts in Advanced Apprenticeships include the Starts from Higher Apprenticeships Note: Funded and non funded Starts are included , 27,5 25, 22,5 2, 7,5 5, 2,5, 7,5 Numbers of Adults and Young People Achieving STEM relevant Apprenticeships in 29/ Advanced Intermediate Participation is similar for advanced and intermediate apprenticeships across S, T, E and M Key findings: Apprenticeships 5, 2,5 6 8 Adult 6 8 #, and related Adult, and related 6 8 and related Adult and related 6 8 related Adult related 74% of all S, T, E and M apprenticeships achieved in 29/ were or related Note: Achieves in Higher Apprenticeships have been included in Advanced Apprenticeships Note: Funded and non funded Apprenticeships are included # Note: No apprenticeships were defined as solely or related 29 3

18 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report 5. Focus on is a compulsory subject at KS4. As a result more than half a million 4 6 learners take GCSE and vocationally-related Level 2 qualifications every year in England. It is therefore not particularly surprising that relatively few post- 6 students take Level 2 qualifications in the FE and Skills sector. However, even amongst 6 8 year olds, there are far more qualifications taken in schools than in the FE and Skills sector. One of the interesting findings of the data project is that compared to engineering and technology there are a much smaller number of vocational and vocationally related qualifications. The nature of science qualifications and the almost universal post-6 participation in science significant need to be kept in mind when interpreting the nature of provision in the FE and Skills sector. When looking at provision of qualifications in the FE and Skills sector across all age groups, the dominance of provision at Level 3 is clear. This is Numbers of and related qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in 29/ mostly due to young people, taking AS and A Level in 6th Form Colleges and General FE Colleges. Vocationally related science qualifications only account for % of Level 3 provision. Looking at data over the period 27 2, Level 3 shows a steady rise in achievements over the limited period available for analysis. This mirrors what is known about recent positive trends in the uptake of AS and A Level more generally. Level 3 provision in the FE and Skills sector varies around the country and between Local Authorities in each sub region of England. The proportion of Level 3 provision that is varies substantially between Local Authorities, irrespective of whether this provision is delivered by Schools, the FE and Skills sector or a combination of the two. A study of 4+ provision, cutting across schools and the FE and Skills sector is needed before definitive conclusions on the uptake of qualifications in England can be drawn. 5.2 Type of funded level 3 qualifications that were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, and in which type of Provider VRQ.8% 5.3 3% 25% 2% 5% % 5% % 4, 3, 2,,, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,, 5.4 4% 3% 2% % % -% -2% -3% -4% -5% -6% -7% -8% -9% -% -% -2% Distribution of funded level 3 qualifications achieved by 6+ year olds in the Schools and FE and Skills sectors (England, 29/) Bottom graph: number of level 3 qualifications achieved in each Local Education Authority Top graph: proportion of achieves of Total level 3 provision in LEA, with proportions achieved in FE compared to Schools max: 5,4 achieves % Achieves in LEA (Schools) % Achieves in LEA (FE) Local Education Authority (anonymous) School and FE Achieves in LEA Variation in the provision of funded Level 3 qualifications achieved by 6+ year olds in Schools and FE and Skills sector (England, 29/) Top Graph: Per cent of achieved level 3 qualifications that are in in each LEA in a sub Region Bottom Graph: the number of level 3 achieves in the sub Region ordered by achieves as % of total achieves in sub Region Bournemouth Dorset Poole Buckinghamshire Gloucestershire Leicestershire Somerset Birmingham and Solihull Berkshire Derbyshire Oxfordshire Lincolnshire and Rutland Devon Plymouth Torbay London axis for top graph London London Kent and Medway Surrey East Sussex Northamptonshire Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Bedford Borough Central Bedfordshire Hertfordshire & Luton Peterborough Cambridgeshire Norfolk and Suffolk Herefordshire Worcestershire Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Cumbria North and East Yorkshire % Achieves in LEA (Schools plus FE) School Achieves in sub Region FE Achieves in sub Region Greater Manchester 8, average achieves per LEA: 22% 75, 7, 65, 6, 55, 5, 45, axis for bottom graph 4, 35, 3, 25, 2, 5,, 5, West Yorkshire Swindon and Wiltshire Nottinghamshire West Sussex Cheshire West of England South Yorkshire Coventry and Warwickshire Durham Staffordshire and Stoke Hampshire and Isle of Wight Essex Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock Merseyside Lancashire Tees Valley Black Country Tyne Wear and Northumberland NE and N Lincolnshire Note: Bournemouth Dorset Poole has the highest per cent of achieves as proportion of sub Region total achieves (23%), NE and N Lincolnshire has the lowest proportion (3%) Note: distribution of % of achievements that are in in the Local Education Authorities within a sub Region have been organised so they follow a bell curve. The title of the sub Region is placed at the middle of the curve. 28,38 332,693 n Schools n FE 55.9% General FE College % General FE College - VRQ.% 5.5 8, 6, 4, Recent patterns in the numbers of achievements in funded and related qualifications in the FE and Skills sector over academic years 27/8 to 29/ by Qualification level 2, Total number of level 3 achievements in : 6,479 Other public organisation - all types.5% General FE College - other 2.3% HEI - all types.5% Independent provider - all types.6%, 8, 6, 4, 2, -related Level -related Level 2 -related Level 3 -related -related Level Focus on provision 27/8 28/9 29/ 3 32

19 5 9 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report Focus on The FE and Skills STEM Data report (2) categorised as including: n IT/ICT practitioner qualifications n CAD/CAM n Electronics/systems & control n Interactive media n Music technology n Design & GCSEs and GCEs n Production technology and technical theatre (light; sound; media) n IT/ICT GCSEs and GCEs n 3-D design -related areas were taken to include, for example, IT/ICT user qualifications and general Art & Design. Many qualifications are also included as qualifications. qualifications involve mathematics and science. Joint Council for Qualifications and Statistical First Release data confirm that GCSE Design & and ICT GCSE and vocationally related qualifications together account for more than half a million Level 2 qualifications taken by 4 6 learners in English schools. This pre- 6 Level 2 achievement is a whole order of magnitude greater than the number of Level 2 qualifications achieved in the FE and Skills sector in England. However, amongst 6 8 year olds and across all levels there are more completions of and -related qualifications in the FE and Skills sector than in schools. When looking at achievements of qualifications across all age groups, the dominance of -related qualifications at entry level and levels and 2 is clear. These are predominantly IT user qualifications. Looking at data over the period 27 2, there is some variability in the volumes of both and -related qualifications achieved. However, although only a three year picture is yet available, an upward trend in at all levels may be indicated. At Level 3 and looking across all age groups, learners are achieving a broad mix of different types of qualifications in a range of settings. Level 3 provision in the FE and Skills sector varies around the country and between Local Authorities in each sub region of England. There are few Local Authorities that specialise in Level 3 provision although data on qualifications taken in school 6th Forms is required before definitive conclusions can be drawn. 6.3,7,6,5,4,3,2,, % 5% 4% 3% 2% % % -% -2% -3% -4% -5% -6% -7% -8% -9% -% Distribution of funded Level 3 achievement in the FE and Skills sector in England in 29/: Bottom graph: number of level 3 qualifications achieved in each Local Authority Top graph: proportion of achieved level 3 provision in the Local Authority that is axis for bottom graph achieves in LA Local Authority (anonymous) % of total achieves in LA axis for top graph Variation in the achievement of funded Level 3 in the FE and Skills sector in England in 29/: Top Graph: Per cent of achieved level 3 qualifications that are in each LA in a sub Region Bottom Graph: the number of level 3 achieves in the sub Region ordered by achieves as % of total achieves in sub Region axis for top graph average achieves per LA: 5% axis for bottom graph 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,,, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,, 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% % % - -2% -3% -4% -5% -6% -7% -8% -9% -% Note: Bournemouth Dorset Poole has the highest per cent of achieves as proportion of total achieves in the sub Region (9.5%), Lincolnshire and Rutland has the lowest proportion (2.7%) Note: distribution of % of achievements that are in the Local Authorities within a sub Region have been organised so they follow a bell curve. The title of the sub Region is placed at the beginning of the curve. Focus on provision 6.2 Type of funded level 3 qualifications that were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, and in which type of Provider Bournemouth Dorset Poole (8 LAs) Buckinghamshire (5 LAs) Staffordshire and Stoke (9 LAs) Berkshire (6 LAs) London (33 LAs) London (33 LAs) London (33 LAs) Northamptonshire (7 LAs) Herefordshire Worcestershire Shropshire Telford and Wrekin (3 LAs) Birmingham and Solihull (2 LAs) Bedford Borough Central Bedfordshire Hertfordshire & Luton (4 LAs) East Sussex (6 LAs) Cheshire (7 LAs) Hampshire and Isle of Wight (4 LAs) Merseyside (6 LAs) Derbyshire (9 LAs) Greater Manchester ( LAs) Coventry and Warwickshire (6 LAs) West Sussex (7 LAs) West Yorkshire (5 LAs) Nottinghamshire (8 LAs) NE and N Lincolnshire (2 LAs) South Yorkshire (4 LAs) Gloucestershire (6 LAs) Lancashire (4 LAs) West of England (4 LAs) Essex Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock (4 LAs) Swindon and Wiltshire (5 LAs) Tyne Wear and Northumberland ( LAs) Leicestershire (8 LAs) Surrey ( LAs) Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (7 LAs) Tees Valley (5 LAs) Kent and Medway (3 LAs) Peterborough Cambridgeshire Norfolk and Suffolk (2 LAs) North and East Yorkshire ( LAs) Cumbria (5 LAs) Black Country (4 LAs) Somerset (5 LAs) % of total achieves in LA achieves in sub region Durham (7 LAs) Oxfordshire (5 LAs) Devon Plymouth Torbay ( LAs) Lincolnshire and Rutland (8 LAs) 6. Numbers of and related qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in 29/ VRQs 4.% General FE College - 3.% General FE College - NVQs.5% 8, 6.5 Recent patterns in the numbers of achievements in funded and related qualifications in the FE and Skills sector over academic years 27/8 to 29/ by Qualification level 6, 293,974 6,795 n Schools n FE 3.5% 4, 2,, General FE College - VRQ 34.7% 8, 6, 4, Other public organisation - all types 2.% Independent provider - VRQs 5.% Independent provider - NVQs 4.5% HEI - all types.4% General FE College - other 4.2% Total number of level 3 achievements in : 62,24 2, related Level related Level 2 related Level 3 related related Level 27/8 28/9 29/ 33 34

20 5 9 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report 7.3 Distribution of funded Level 3 achievement in the FE and Skills sector in England in 29/ : Bottom graph: number of level 3 qualifications achieved in each Local Authority Top graph: proportion of achieved level 3 provision in the Local Authority that is Focus on The volume of qualifications taken in English schools is generally small, although much boosted amongst 6 8 learners by the IT and computing qualifications that are included in the definition of used here. Looking across all age groups, the dominance of Level 2 and 3 provision is clear. Both are boosted by a few very popular electrotechnology and IT qualifications. related qualifications (such as those in engineering operations) play a relatively small part in overall engineering provision. At Level 3, the provision of vocationally related qualifications dominates, with both colleges and independent training providers making significant contributions to overall volumes. The variability of data over the period 27 2 illustrates the significant changes in volumes that can occur between consecutive years. These are more likely to be in response to funding incentives than market demands. dominates S, T, E, M apprenticeships but these are a small component of apprenticeships more widely. Level 3 provision in the FE and Skills sector varies around the country and between Local Authorities in each sub region of England. There are few Local Authorities that show little or no engineering provision in the FE and Skills sector. This is partly because the provision in an area will be almost entirely held in the FE and Skills sector rather than being shared with schools. 2,,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,, % 8% 6% 4% 2% % -2% -4% -6% max: 2,8 achieves axis for bottom graph achieves in LA Local Authority (anonymous) % of total achieves in LA axis for top graph % 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% % % - -2% -3% -4% -5% -6% -7% -8% -9% -% Variation in the achievement of funded Level 3 in the FE and Skills sector in England in 29/ : Top Graph: Per cent of achieved level 3 qualifications that are in each LA in a sub Region Bottom Graph: the number of level 3 achieves in the sub Region ordered by achieves as % of total achieves in sub Region axis for top graph average achieves per LA: % axis for bottom graph 3, 27, 24, 2, 8, 5, 2, 9, 6, Note: Berkshire has the highest per cent of achieves as proportion of total achieves in the sub Region (24%), Surrey has the lowest proportion (7%) Note: distribution of % of achievements that are in the Local Authorities within a sub Region have been organised so they follow a bell curve. The title of the sub Region is placed at the beginning of the curve. Focus on provision -8% 3, -% 7. Numbers of and related qualifications completed by 6 8 year olds in 29/ 62,433 87,434 n Schools n FE Other public organisation - all types 2.9% Independent provider - other.2% 7.2 Type of funded level 3 qualifications that were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, and in which type of Provider VRQs.3% 4.5% Independent provider - VRQs 4.9% Independent provider - NVQs.4% other.% General FE College - A & AS levels 6.% General FE College - NVQs 8.% General FE College - VRQ 37.5% Berkshire (6 LAs) Bournemouth Dorset Poole (8 LAs) Cumbria (5 LAs) Staffordshire and Stoke (9 LAs) Buckinghamshire (5 LAs) Derbyshire (9 LAs) 7.5 2, 8, 6, 4, 2,, 8, 6, 4, Northamptonshire (7 LAs) Kent and Medway (3 LAs) Coventry and Warwickshire (6 LAs) Bedford Borough Central Bedfordshire Hertfordshire & Luton (4 LAs) West of England (4 LAs) Nottinghamshire (8 LAs) Herefordshire Worcestershire Shropshire Telford and Wrekin (3 LAs) West Sussex (7 LAs) Cheshire (7 LAs) Leicestershire (8 LAs) Durham (7 LAs) West Yorkshire (5 LAs) Devon Plymouth Torbay ( LAs) Black Country (4 LAs) Tees Valley (5 LAs) Merseyside (6 LAs) South Yorkshire (4 LAs) Gloucestershire (6 LAs) North and East Yorkshire ( LAs) Oxfordshire (5 LAs) London (33 LAs) London (33 LAs) London (33 LAs) Peterborough Cambridgeshire Norfolk and Suffolk (2 LAs) Swindon and Wiltshire (5 LAs) Birmingham and Solihull (2 LAs) Lancashire (4 LAs) Lincolnshire and Rutland (8 LAs) NE and N Lincolnshire (2 LAs) Somerset (5 LAs) Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (7 LAs) Hampshire and Isle of Wight (4 LAs) Greater Manchester ( LAs) Essex Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock (4 LAs) Tyne Wear and Northumberland ( LAs) % of total achieves in LA achieves in sub region Recent patterns in the numbers of Achievements in funded and related qualifications in the FE and Skills sector over academic years 27/8 to 29/ by Qualification level East Sussex (6 LAs) Surrey ( LAs) HEI - all types.3% General FE College - other 2.9% Total number of level 3 achievements in : 35,66 2, related Level related Level 2 related Level 3 related related Level 27/8 28/9 29/ 35 36

21 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report Focus on and is the language of STEM, as well as being a subject in its own right and being embedded in most non-stem subjects. As a compulsory subject up to 6 in English schools, it is taken at GCSE by more than half a million learners pre-6. Of these, over half achieve grade C or above. A key question is whether those who progress into post-6 education are experiencing mathematics appropriate to their needs, their courses and to enable progression. The data collected so far do not answer this question fully but do help in posing questions for further research. Across all age groups in the FE and Skills sector, the dominance of numeracy at lower levels and at higher levels is, of course, related to the definition and role of numeracy qualifications. However, comparison of numbers of numeracy and level and 2 achievements for 6 8 learners with numbers of learners who have already achieved GCSE grade C or above in school, suggests that some learners might be taking qualifications below the level they have already achieved whilst others are taking no mathematics or numeracy beyond 6. The variability of data over the period 27 2 suggests that and numeracy provision is particularly responsive to non-demand incentives such as funding, targets and league tables. This separation 8. Numbers of and related qualifications completed by 6-8 year olds in 29/ 84,277 42,937 n Schools n FE from learner demand might not always result in learners following the most appropriate pathways for their needs or having a high quality experience of. Exploration of existing pathways and further collection and analysis of workforce data would be beneficial. At Level 3, uptake is dominated by 6 8 AS and A Level in 6th Form Colleges and General FE Colleges and there appears to be an increasing, welcome trend in uptake. Further investigation is needed to understand if learners are experiencing appropriate mathematics as noted above. Level 3 provision in the FE and Skills sector varies around England and between Local Authorities in each sub region. The proportion of Level 3 provision that is varies substantially between Local Authorities, irrespective of whether this provision is delivered by Schools, the FE and Skills sector or a combination of the two. This could simply be due to effective alternative provision in schools with 6th Forms, but might also suggest that there is no provision for adults in these regions. A study of 4+ provision, cutting across schools and the FE and Skills sector is needed before definitive conclusions on the uptake of qualifications in England can be drawn. Other questions posed by the data were discussed at a round table discussion in May 2 see Appendix. 8.3 Type of funded level 3 qualifications that were achieved in the FE and Skills sector in 29/, and in which type of Provider FSMQ & KS 2.5% 8.4 4% 2% % 8% 6% 4% 2% % 6, 5,5 5, 4,5 4, 3,5 3, 2,5 2,,5, % % 5% % -5% -% -5% -2% -25% -3% -35% -4% -45% -5% -55% -6% -65% Berkshire Buckinghamshire London Distribution of funded level 3 qualifications achieved by 6+ year olds in the Schools and FE and Skills sectors (England, 29/) Bottom graph: number of level 3 qualifications achieved in each Local Education Authority Top graph: proportion of achieves of Total level 3 provision in LEA, with proportions achieved in FE compared to Schools max: 5,8 achieves % Achieves in LEA (Schools) % Achieves in LEA (FE) Local Education Authority (anonymous) School and FE Achieves in LEA Variation in the provision of funded Level 3 qualifications taken achieved by 6+ year olds in Schools and FE and Skills sectors (England, 29/) Top Graph: Per cent of achieved level 3 qualifications that are in in each LEA in a sub Region Bottom Graph: the number of level 3 achieves in the sub Region ordered by achieves as % of total achieves in sub Region axis for top graph London London Oxfordshire Leicestershire Surrey Kent and Medway Bournemouth Dorset Poole Lincolnshire and Rutland West Sussex Hampshire and Isle of Wight Cumbria Swindon and Wiltshire Gloucestershire Somerset Cheshire Coventry and Warwickshire Essex Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock West of England Birmingham and Solihull Bedford Borough Central Bedfordshire Hertfordshire & Luton Derbyshire Nottinghamshire Lancashire North and East Yorkshire Peterborough Cambridgeshire Norfolk and Suffolk Greater Manchester Tees Valley Devon Plymouth Torbay Merseyside Northamptonshire axis for bottom graph NE and N Lincolnshire East Sussex West Yorkshire Cornwall and Isles of Scilly South Yorkshire Black Country Staffordshire and Stoke Tyne Wear and Northumberland Durham Herefordshire Worcestershire Shropshire Telford and Wrekin 4, 35, 3, 25, 2, 5,, 5, Note: Berkshire has the highest per cent of achieves as proportion of sub Region total achieves (9%), Durham has the lowest proportion (4%) Note: distribution of % of achievements that are in in the Local Education Authorities within a sub Region have been organised so they follow a bell curve. The title of the sub Region is placed at the middle of the curve. Focus on and provision % Achieves in LEA (Schools plus FE) School Achieves in sub Region FE Achieves in sub Region 8.2 Numbers of qualifications completed by 6 8 years olds in 29/ % General FE College % General FE College - FSMQ & KS.2% HEI - all types.2% Independent provider - other.3% 8.6 4, 35, 3, 25, 2, Recent patterns in the numbers of achievements in funded, related, and qualifications in the FE and Skills sector over academic years 27/8 to 29/ by Qualification level n Schools n FE Total number of level 3 achievements in : 47,32 Other public organisation - all types.% 5,, 5, related related Level related Level 2 related Level 3 related Level 27/8 28/9 29/ 37 38

22 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report Appendix Roundtable Discussion The Complexity of the S, T E and M offer in the FE and Skills Sector Roundtable Discussion Progression in STEM The FE STEM Data project report of October 2 laid out the extent and nature of S, T, E and M provision in the FE and Skills sector in England. This had not been done before and a common reaction to the findings has been surprise at the large number of STEM qualifications on offer. The October 2 report identified 2453 distinctly different qualifications filtered from a total list of around 2,. These are qualifications made visible by public funding. There are many more, particularly in technology areas, that are provided on a solely commercial basis and these have not been included in the analysis to date. A round table of people, drawn from across the STEM community, met on the 8th April 2 to discuss whether the number of qualifications was problematic to the diverse range of users trying to understand the FE S, T, E, M offer and if so, to determine how the offer might be presented in a more digestible form. These users were perceived to include learners and their parents and carers, advisors, admissions staff and employers. Since number of enrolments does not necessarily signal the quality of a qualification, what was meant by quality was also discussed, including what the components of quality might be (fulfilment of need, fitness for purpose; labour market signalling in terms of wage and other returns to the learner; etc.). The roundtable considered why the list of S, T, E and M qualifications is as long as it is. With multiple modes of interaction between employers, Sector Skills Councils, a significant number of Awarding Bodies and the regulator (Ofqual) it is clear that there can be no single cause. The number of qualifications may be a symptom of the historic lack of a clear national purpose driving the development of the FE and Skills sector. International comparator countries have alternative systems for qualifications and these commonly produce fewer qualifications. The English system competes internationally for market share and the diversity of provision in England needs to be articulated clearly in order to be a market advantage rather than disadvantage. Such articulation needs to draw on the usefulness of qualifications in terms of progression to meaningful employment and study destinations now and in the future. What is known about wage returns from classes and levels of qualification must be put into context with what is known about learner pathways through education and training. The project lists of S, T, E and M qualifications are very sensitive to the application of certain filters. Any full list will have a long tail of qualifications in which there is relatively little participation nationally. In the list reported in October 2, over qualifications listed had enrolments of less than learners nationally per annum. Separating qualifications into shorter lists, banded according to the typical number of enrolments per annum would make the provision clearer to users without losing sight of qualifications with lower participation which may well fulfil particular local needs. Any un-filtered list of S, T,E and M qualifications derived from national databases will include a number of duplications. These might be qualifications in individual subjects that are offered in more than one mode of delivery or by more than one Awarding Body. Such entries could be nested in sub-lists for clearer presentation without loss of detail and this technique was used in the October 2 report. Sets of shorter, clearer sub-lists could be created through the use of carefully chosen classifications. For example 25% of the qualifications listed in October 2 were taken in the workplace rather than in colleges which provides useful distinction for engineering qualifications in particular. The different types of qualification could be listed together (general, VRQs, NVQ-type) as could QCF levels. Qualifications that contribute to the S, T, E, M (and crossdiscipline) apprenticeship frameworks could be listed together. Learners characteristics (age most notably) could be used to differentiate between qualifications and produce cases in S,T,E and M that, for example may indicate lifetime progression suites within broad disciplines. Identifying S, T, E and M qualifications as a subset of the sizeable number of qualifications on offer in the FE and Skills sector is helping to demonstrate the important role that FE plays in the provision of STEM skills in England but the results are not immediately user-friendly. It seems that the production of sets of sub-lists based around subject/discipline and application would increase clarity and provide the basis for improved career and subject/discipline choice information, advice and guidance. The FE STEM project of October 2 provided a snapshot of the enrolments on S, T, E and M courses provide by the FE and Skills Sector focusing on the academic year 8/9. The current project has updated the data to comprehensively include years 7/8, 8/9 and 9/, but the data is static and information on the progression of individuals through the sector or onwards to a meaningful destination can at best only be indirectly inferred. However, issues relating to the progression which FE STEM Qualifications potentially offer are of particular interest to government, learners and employers and were the subject of many of the questions which arose from the original project. Since a quantitative analysis of these questions was not immediately possible (because Personal Learner Record data is not yet integrated with other information which could make it useful), a roundtable of people 2 from the STEM community was convened on 27th April to discuss the issue and agree a) a qualitative narrative of the subject and b) a prioritisation for future work, whether as part of this, or future, projects. An initial discussion took place around the definition of progression and how to frame any narrative in terms which would lead to useful recommendations. Two charts were considered one from the January 29 DIUS report Demand for STEM Skills which illustrated the movement of learners from STEM/non STEM qualifications through to employment which did or did not use STEM Skills directly and one which charted potential pathways for individuals through STEM levels offered by a specific FE college to employment. It was concluded that progression is an issue mainly of interest to learners and policy makers rather than employers, who are mainly concerned with outcomes. However, describing the progression pathways available to achieve those outcomes could be critically helpful to learners and policy makers. Further discussion focused on a) the different routes and reasons which bring learners to the FE and Skills sector and b) the need to narrow the discussion to one which had a meaningful focus rather than attempt to address the entirety of a highly complex set of potential progression pathways. An initial focus on the progression routes to and from level 3 STEM qualifications within FE was considered to have the potential for the most valuable insights, since achievement at Level 3 is frequently the minimum qualification for employment, or entry to Higher Education. There was also recognition that STEM qualifications at Level 3 often indicate to non STEM employers that a learner has valuable transferable skills and that any way of expressing this using the data would be valuable. A model which captured the entry, progression and destination routes described above would be helpful, particularly if it lent itself to quantitative representation of populations and flows and could be applied to S,T, E and M separately or collectively. The diagram in the Progression section illustrates the possible components of such a model scaling the size of the various boxes or arrows to represent population sizes and flows are potential options for future work. Alternatively the model could be used in an illustrative way to demonstrate individual progression pathways which lead to specific destinations, which would be of value to both learners and employers. In the interests of focus and keeping to a manageable scope, it was agreed that further study should consider the 6+ population only and schools data should not be integrated, but used to contextualise any findings arising from the study. It was also noted that people do not necessarily acquire qualifications in a continuous way and may take breaks for career or personal reasons. The use of enrolment data was considered useful to describe learners characteristics but achievements data would be more informative in supporting discussion around successful progression pathways, as achievements are the best indication that an individual is in a fit state to progress. It was recognised that a considerable number of papers have been produced which touch on the subject of STEM progression providing a reading list of related documents as part of the report would be helpful. Further Work Develop visual maps illustrating the populations sizes for each level of achievement within the FE and skills sector for S, T, E and M respectively Identify whether any information on the size of the flows involved can be inferred from existing data whether by taking case studies of specific types of qualification or looking at year on year achievements. Scope out the effort required to usefully access PLR data to address the questions raised in the briefing paper when it is more universally available. Assemble a bibliography of recent relevant reports Appendix Matthew Harrison (RAEng), Ruth Wright (EngC), Jane Imrie (NCETM), Daniel Sandford Smith (Gatsby), Catherine Elliott (Summit Skills), Andy Frost (Development Focus), Stephen Price (Apprenticeships), Caroline Sudworth (Cogent), David Montagu (Royal Society), Deborah Ribchester (AoC). 2 Matthew Harrison, Rhys Morgan (Royal Academy of ), Caroline Sudworth (Cogent), Ruth Wright ( Council), David Montagu (Royal Society), Catherine Elliott (Summit Skills), Andy Frost (Development Focus), Kevin Dinnage (Consultant). By Liz Hollingworth (E-skills), Daniel Sandford Smith (Gatsby). 39 4

23 FE STEM Data Project July 2 report Appendix Roundtable Discussion A roundtable of people 3 from the mathematics community was convened on 9th May 2 to consider the following questions: ) What questions does the data project pose about the nature of the mathematics experienced and how it is experienced by learners in the FE and Skills sector? 2) Are there appropriate mathematics pathways to enable progression in S, T and E? The group considered a series of the graphs which have already been presented in this report. The following are observations and opportunities for further work derived from the discussions arising. General Observations The opportunity to access and review data of this nature was considered potentially game changing to the mathematics FE community. is the language of STEM and therefore the combination of other subjects with which it is being studied would be useful once personal learner record (PLR) data are more widely populated it will be possible to interrogate these to provide insights. At the moment studying individual learner combinations can only being done on a pilot basis by looking at specific courses. It is expected that mathematics and numeracy are embedded within most of the 72% achievements which are non STEM but it would be useful to know where, and to understand who is teaching it and how successful it is in terms of learner progression. It was noted that the 28/9 to 29/ drop in numeracy achievements was due to many courses being re-categorised and having their funding withdrawn. The increase in Level 2 (L2) achievements between 7/8 and 8/9 could be attributed to policy initiatives. The ability to identify and understand all mathematics qualifications on offer in the sector, particularly those which are less popular or specialised will be very helpful to researchers. It was clear that all qualifications at same level are not equivalent in difficulty. A tail of qualifications with few achievements is not a problem if learners are clustered in one place, but becomes a cause for concern if they represent scattering of widely geographically distributed learners. Other opportunities for further work If a decision is made to continue to collect and publish these data year on year, it was felt that involving potential researchers to advise on what fields are likely to be of most use would be a valuable early investment of effort. Having comparable schools data is likely to be of particular use to the mathematics community. Having regularly updated data of this nature available and accessible to the mathematics teaching and education research communities was considered by all to be an extremely valuable tool for aiding an ongoing understanding of the mathematics experience delivered by FE. The Learner Experience of (Question ): There was a very positive response to steady increase in mathematics achievements over the 3 year period analysed though there must be caution about working quantitatively as false conclusions might be drawn e.g. those who need mathematics have no opportunity to take it, or there are enough learners studying mathematics when the mathematics they are studying does not necessarily offer them the right experience. Level 3 (L3): The lower numbers of achievements at L3 in FE were noted and may largely be explained by fact that L and L2 will be dominated by adult learners, whereas schools are the dominant providers of L3 (particularly A/AS level) achievements for 6 8 years olds. The ability to identify single L3 mathematics qualifications taken within a broader course or apprenticeship might provide a more inclusive view of how mathematics is being taught across FE. Sixth form colleges are the dominant providers of L3 achievements within FE, reinforcing that L3 mathematics is mainly taken by 6 8 year olds. Given the dominance of schools in providing L3 mathematics, an investigation of regional differences and whether, for example, there are areas of the country where adult learners cannot study at L3 would be instructive. There was surprise at the low numbers taking/achieving AS Statistics and Personal finance. It would be useful to show a) nos. of learners vs. nos. of achievements at each level (to verify how many people are represented) b) achievements/ completion rate for each of S, T, E, M to understand if success rate is different for mathematics compared to other subjects. Diversity statistics are encouraging from an overall male/female perspective for mathematics. Some patterns are emerging at a more detailed level which would warrant the ability continuously to monitor. e.g. Female young people and adult males fare less well than the opposite sex in numeracy achievements. Other opportunities for further work: Further investigation of diversity populations which deviate significantly from the norm in terms of mathematics and numeracy achievements would determine if they are getting these skills from other qualifications. What is known about students on entry to FE? (E.g. How many have L2 on entry? What proportions with each grade at GCSE go into A/ AS and other courses? What is the impact of early entry to GCSE?) A related important question is whether or not learners have the right level of mathematics for the courses they are taking or for progression. The issue of the number of teachers of mathematics in FE and their qualifications was raised by the Smith Inquiry in However, little is still known about this and it was felt crucial that there should be at least as much information as for school teachers. The current project is very limited in what it can provide, and whilst the IFL is potentially the richest source of data, its free format entry does not lend itself to rigorous or efficient analysis. Such analysis would also help address concern that many learners, particularly those following vocational courses are being taught by tutors who lack relevant training or experience. pathways to progression (Question 2) The range of qualifications was seen to be good if qualifications have been developed to meet a specific need, but bad if developed simply because no one has been able to easily identify an existing appropriate qualification or to apply an alternative qualification due to funding or league table constraints. Other opportunities for further work What do students without L2 mathematics on entry to FE then experience and what routes are offered? The data and other evidence suggest that they have a very variable experience. Again, there is a need to understand who is teaching them as well as what routes are on offer. Are there appropriate existing qualifications? It was felt that those such as the Free Standing Qualifications can provide appropriate experiences, though are clearly not widely used. Do we need to enable curriculum designers to make good pathways from existing qualifications or are there different qualifications needed? The data could be used to identify how to combine qualifications to make useful learner pathways without adding to the list of qualifications. This could help people through the existing mix of qualifications rather than developing more qualifications to meet identified needs. Appendix 3 Jane Imrie (NCETM), Roger Porkess (ACME), John Barton (NANAMIC), Norma Honey (LSIS STEM), Andrew Noyes (University of Nottingham/ Evaluating Pathways), Alex Falconer (Ofsted), Andy Frost (Development Focus), Kevin Dinnage (Consultant) 4 Making Count DfES

24 Acknowledgements Project Lead: Contact: Matthew Harrison Director, Education The Royal Academy of Authors: Data analysis: Classification of qualifications: Advisory Group: Funded by: Matthew Harrison, Kevin Dinnage, Andy Frost Andy Frost Published: July 2 Designed by: Daniel Sandford-Smith, Ruth Wright, Matthew Harrison, Jane Imrie Matthew Harrison (Chair), Daniel Sandford-Smith (Gatsby Charitable Foundation), Ruth Wright ( Council), Jane Imrie (NCETM), Liz Hollingworth (e-skills), Catherine Elliott (Summit Skills), Carolyn Mason (Semta), Chris Eady (TWI), Rhys Morgan (E4E), Andy Frost (Development Focus Ltd), Anna Vignoles (IoE), Janet Presland (BIS), Stephen Price (NAS), Caroline Sudworth (Cogent), David Montagu (Royal Society), Deborah Ribchester (AoC), John Holman (University of York) The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills