1. About this report

This report presents information on ApprenticeshipsNI programmes in Further Education Colleges and other Training Organisations at Levels 2, 2/3 and 3. ApprenticeshipsNI aims to:

  • provide apprentices with the knowledge, understanding, and competence to work at a higher level in their chosen occupation;
  • offer high quality training to fulfil the requirements of an appropriate Apprenticeship Framework;
  • contribute to raising the skills level of the Northern Ireland workforce;
  • provide opportunities for progression to further and higher education and training; and
  • encourage the direct involvement of employers in training key personnel.

The statistics presented detail starts, occupancy, leavers and outcomes for participants on these programmes.


2. Key facts and figures

  • There were 5,109 starts in 2022/23, approximately half of which were at Level 2 (51%)

  • There were 10,433 participants on ApprenticeshipsNI (4,553 at Level 2, 717 at Level 2/3 and 5,163 at Level 3) at the end of April 2024.

  • Level 3 Apprenticeships account for 42% of all those participants starting in the latest academic year.

  • “Electrotechnical”, “Engineering” and “Health and Social Care” are the three most popular frameworks for the current occupancy quarter.

  • Males account for 73% of current participants. The proportion of male participants is highest in the Level 2/3 Apprenticeship group at 93%.

  • More than half (56%) of those who left Level 2 Apprenticeships in 2022/23, achieved a Level 2 Framework.

  • Almost two thirds (64%) of those who left Level 3 Apprenticeships in 2022/23, achieved a Level 3 Framework.


3. Starts

New participants on ApprenticeshipsNI are known as starts.

There were 5,109 starts in 2022/23; 2,594 (51%) at Level 2, 349 (7%) at Level 2/3 and 2,166 (42%) at Level 3. This total was a 12% decrease from 2018/19 (Figure 1). In the 2023/24 year, there were 6,671 starts up to April 2024.

Figure 1: Total starts decreased by 12% between 2018/19 and 2022/23 and by 24% between 2021/22 and 2022/23

Number of ApprenticeshipsNI Starts by Level (2018/19 to 2022/23)

In 2022/23, 2,340, (46%) starts were in Other Training organisations while 2,769 (54%) starts were in FE Colleges.

STEM accounted for 3,253 starts in 2022/23 (1,533 at level 2, 327 at Level 2/3 and 1,393 at Level 3). This was an 8% increase from 2018/19.

Figure 2: The most common age group for Starts continues to be the 16 to 19 age group

ApprenticeshipsNI Starts by Age at Start of Programme (2018/19 to 2022/23)

Participants aged 16 to 19 years accounted for 3,252 (64%) of starts, while those aged 20 to 24 years accounted for 1,553 (30%) starts and those aged 25 years and over accounted for 304 (6%) of starts (Figure 2).

Around three quarters (73%) of starts were male.


4. Occupancy

Occupancy is the total number of participants currently on an ApprenticeshipsNI course.

Between the quarters ending in October 2018 and April 2024, occupancy increased from 8,351 to 10,433, an increase of 25%. The highest occupancy period was Nov-Jan 24 at 10,944 (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Male participation is considerably higher than female participation

All participants in ApprenticeshipsNI by Sex (August 2018 to April 2024)

Figure 4 shows the percentage of occupants at each level of ApprenticeshipsNI at the end of April 2024. Of the total of 10,433 participants, 4,553 (44%) were on Level 2; 717 were on Level 2/3 (7%), and 5,163 (49%) participants were on the Level 3 route.

Figure 4: The highest proportion of ApprenticeshipsNI participants are on Level 3

All participants on ApprenticeshipsNI by Level (April 2024)

Males (7,613) accounted for 73% of participants; males making up the majority of participants at each Level of ApprenticeshipsNI. This was particularly noticeable at Level 2/3 (Males: 670, Females: 47).

Males accounted for 93% of participants studying STEM subjects at Level 2, 96% at Level 2/3 and 97% at Level 3.

Belfast Local Government District had the highest number of participants on ApprenticeshipsNI at 1,296 (12%).

Almost half (47%) of participants at Level 2 were in the bottom two quintiles compared with two-fifths (42%) of Level 2/3 and Level 3 participants (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Almost half (47%) of participants on Level 2 come from quintiles 1 and 2, compared with 42% for Level 2/3 and 3

Participants on ApprenticeshipsNI by Deprivation Quintile and Level (April 2024)

The three most common frameworks at Level 2 based on current occupancy are “Construction”, “Engineering”, and “Health and Social Care”. For Level 2/3, the top three are “Engineering”, “Vehicle Maintenance and Repair”, and “Construction Crafts”. For Level 3, the three most numerous are “Electrotechnical”, “Health and Social Care” and “Children’s Care Learning and Development”.

Female participation is highest on frameworks including “Children’s Care Learning and Development” (98%), “Dental Nursing” (97%), and “Hairdressing” (96%). There are popular frameworks where participation by gender is more balanced including “Management” (44% male, 56% female), “Providing Financial Services” (46% male, 54% female), and “Team Leading” (57% male, 43% female).

The ApprenticeshipsNI provision is employer/demand led. The gender balance is a reflection of employment in various occupational areas and is outside the control of ApprenticeshipsNI and the Department for the Economy.


5. Leavers and Main Outcomes

Participants who leave their course, either with or without completing their Framework, are known as leavers.

In 2022/23, 5,746 participants left ApprenticeshipsNI courses; 3,091 at Level 2, 301 at Level 2/3 and 2,354 at Level 3.

More than half (56%) of participants achieved a Level 2 Full Framework (Figure 6). This was 6 percentage points less than 2018/19 but 13 percentage points more than 2020/21.

Almost two thirds (64%) of participants on Level 2/3 and Level 3 ApprenticeshipsNI courses obtained a Full Framework at Level 3 (Figure 6). This was 15 percentage points more than 2021/22.

In the 2023/24 year, there were 2,691 leavers at Level 2 up to April 2024. The corresponding figure for Level 2/3 was 175 and for Level 3 it was 1,948.

Figure 6: The highest achievement rate for Level 2 was in 2018/19, while the highest achievement rate for Level 3 was in 2022/23

Percentage of Full Frameworks Achieved by ApprenticeshipsNI Leavers (2018/19 to 2022/23)


Associated Tables

Detailed tables can be downloaded from the ApprenticeshipsNI page in excel format on the Department for the Economy website.


Notes

Academic year - Refers to 1 August to 31 July.

Age - Age relates to age of the participant on starting provision.

Background - The Department records information reported by the participant who may indicate if they are from a Catholic, Protestant or Other background. Participants who do not respond are classified as ‘Not Known’.

Dependants - The Department records the number of dependants as reported by the participant. Each participant is asked to indicate (yes or no) if they have any dependants. By dependants the Department means that they are the main carer for a child (aged 16 or under), a person with a disability or an elderly person.

Disability - Refers to those participants on the system who have indicated they have a disability

Ethnic origin - The Department records ethnic origin as reported by the participant under the following categories - Bangladeshi, Black-African, Black-Caribbean, Black-Other, Chinese, Indian, Irish Traveller, Malaysia, Mixed, Pakistani, Vietnam, White, Other or Unknown. For statistical purposes ethnic origin is reported in this publication as ‘White’, ‘Non White’ and ‘Not Known’. The ‘Non White’ figures quoted are those clients who record their ethnic origin as other than white.

Full Framework - All the required elements of an Apprenticeship including the relevant NVQ and Technical Certificate if applicable and Essential Skills if applicable.

Leavers - Refers to the number of participants leaving ApprenticeshipsNI who are on provision for more than 28 days and excludes rejoins.

Level 2 - Refers to those Apprentices with a specific Personal Training Plan, the targeted outcome of which is NVQ Level 2 or equivalent, but no higher.

Level 2/3 - Refers to those Apprentices with a specific Personal Training Plan, who are pursuing an NVQ Level 2 en route to a targeted outcome which is NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.

Level 3 - Refers to those Apprentices who have already met the Level 2 requirement before commencing a Level 3 programme.

Marital status - The Department records marital status background information as reported by the participant, who is asked if he/she is married, living with a partner, single (never married), separated, divorced or widowed. For statistical purposes marital status is reported in this publication as single, married or co-habiting, widowed, separated or divorced and not known.

Occupancy - Refers to the number of participants on the programme or provision at a particular point in time. Occupancy figures relate to those participants on provision on the last Friday of the quarter.

Participant - A participant is defined for statistical purposes as an individual on ApprenticeshipsNI. An individual can participate on ApprenticeshipsNI more than once.

Rejoins - Refers to a participant who leaves a programme but later returns to the same programme, at the same level, on the same Framework, regardless of the training supplier they return to.

Starts - Refers to the number of participants starting ApprenticeshipsNI who are on provision for more than 28 days and excludes rejoins.

STEM Frameworks - STEM Frameworks are Bus and Coach Engineering and Maintenance, Construction, Construction Crafts, Construction Technical, Electrical and Electronic Servicing, Electrical Distribution and Trans. Engineering, Electrical Power Engineering, Electrotechnical, Engineering, Fire and Security Systems, Food and Drink Manufacturing, Gas Utilisation, Installation and Maintenance, Glass Industry, Heating, Ventillation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, IT and Telecoms Professional, IT User, Information Technology Services and Development, Land-based Service Engineering, Light Vehicle Body and Paint Operations, Mechanical Engineering Services (Plumbing), Polymer Processing, Polymer Processing and and Signmaking, Print, Print Production, Printing Industry, Rail Industry, Rail Transport Engineering, Scientific Technologies, Security Systems, Vehicle Body and Paint, Vehicle Fitting, Vehicle Maintenance and Repair, Vehicle Parts, Water Utility Operations, and Water and Wastewater Operations.


Official Statistics

For further details on any of these statistics, or to provide feedback, contact Mervyn.Wilson@economy-ni.gov.uk (telephone: 028 9025 7506) or Glynn.Robinson@economy-ni.gov.uk (telephone: 028 9025 7594).

This publication is produced by Youth Training Statistics and Research Branch, Analytical Services Division, Department for the Economy.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards by emailing Jamie Stainer, Youth Training Statistics and Research Branch Jamie.Stainer@economy-ni.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.