Further Education Outcomes: Academic Year 2022/23
Coverage: Northern Ireland (NI)
Frequency: Annual
Contact: Clare Kennedy
Telephone: 028 9025 7945
Email: clare.kennedy@economy-ni.gov.uk
1. About this report
This report presents analysis of the tenth annual Survey of Further Education (FE) College Leavers. Taking place approximately six months after course completion, it provides a snapshot of the immediate added value of a further education course.
The survey and associated analysis focuses on FE College leavers who completed and achieved:
Following a review of the Survey, this year marked the introduction of a new questionnaire. Underpinned by Department for the Economy’s (DfE) Economic Mission, new questions were introduced on work quality, skills match for employment and learning, as well as region of employment.
2. Key Points
- Positive Outcome: 87% of FE College leavers reported a positive outcome i.e. they were either in employment, further study, or both within six months of achieving their qualification.
- Employment: Over half (55%) of FE College leavers were in employment six months after achieving their qualification.
- 38% required their FE qualification to be eligible their job.
- 95% were working in Northern Ireland.
- 33% employed in priority sectors of the NI economy.
- Learning: 33% of FE College leavers were re-enrolled in education six months after achieving their qualification.
- 76% required their FE qualification to apply for a place on their current course.
- Over four-fifths (85%) had enrolled on a course at a higher level.
- Unemployment: 6% of leavers were unemployed six months after achieving their qualification.
3. Overview
Positive Outcome
87% of FE College leavers reported a positive outcome (in employment or education) within six months of achieving their qualification.The majority (55%) of leavers were in employment and one-third (33%) re-enrolled in education.
Figure 1: 87% of FE College leavers were in employment or learning
Percentage of all leavers by outcome activity
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| Employed | Learning | Unemployed | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55% | 33% | 6% | 7% | 100% |
Note: Percentages are based on unrounded figures and then rounded to nearest integer.Therefore, the sum of percentages within subsets of the data may not match the total shown. Similarly, the sum of all percentages may not total to 100%. For more information on rounding strategy, see the methodology.
Satisfaction
92% of FE College Leavers said they were satisfied with their experience whilst studying and gaining their qualification.
Satisfaction levels were high across the board. However, there were slight variations depending on subject of study. Leavers who studied ‘Social Sciences’ reported the lowest levels of satisfaction (85%), whilst ‘Business, administration and law’, ‘ICT’, ‘Preparation for life and work’ and ‘Retail and commercial enterprise’ students reported the highest levels of satisfaction (all 94%).
4. Outcome: Employed
Mode of employment
Over half (55%) of FE College leavers were in employment six months after achieving their qualification. This is compared to 58% in 2021/22.
The majority of those in employment were working full-time (71%), 23% were working part-time and the remaining 6% were primarily working but also studying. This includes apprentices and trainees, as well as those undertaking re-qualification courses.
Employment Skills Match
38% of leavers required their FE qualification to apply for their current job. However, this was substantially higher for certain student cohorts, such as those studying at entry level (68%), and those on an ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ course (64%).
Location of Employment
The overwhelming majority (95%) of students gaining an FE qualification stayed in NI for work. For those not working in NI, there are slightly more working in the Republic of Ireland (3%), than in GB (1%) or Overseas (1%).
Table 1: 95% of leavers in employment were working in Northern Ireland
Percentage of leavers in employment by location of work
| Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland | Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) | Overseas | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 100% |
Another key priority area of the DfE Economic Mission is promoting regional balance and ensuring ‘everyone, no matter where they live, should have the same opportunity to earn a living’. Therefore, with 95% of those in employment, working in Northern Ireland, the question is, how are those jobs distributed?
Figure 2: One-fifth (20%) of FE Leavers working in NI are employed in Belfast
Percentage of FE leavers in employment in NI by location of work
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| Local Government District (LGD) | Percentage of leavers working in NI |
|---|---|
| Belfast | 20% |
| Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | 13% |
| Derry City and Strabane | 11% |
| Antrim and Newtownabbey | 10% |
| Newry, Mourne and Down | 9% |
| Mid Ulster | 7% |
| Causeway Coast and Glens | 7% |
| Ards and North Down | 7% |
| Fermanagh and Omagh | 6% |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh | 5% |
| Mid and East Antrim | 4% |
| Don’t know | 1% |
Note: 1% of leavers working in NI reported ‘Don’t know’ for Local Government District (LGD).
Of the FE Leavers in employment within NI, the highest proportion were working in ‘Belfast’ (20%), followed by ‘Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon’ (13%).This is perhaps expected, as they also represent the two largest local government districts (LGDs) when it comes to all employee jobs in Northern Ireland (Source: Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) 2022). However, with BRES estimating that almost three in ten jobs in Northern Ireland are in ‘Belfast’ (29%), this suggests employment of FE leavers is more likely to be regionally balanced.
‘Mid and East Antrim’ was the LGD with smallest proportion of leavers (4%) working in NI, closely followed by ‘Lisburn and Castlereagh’ (5%) and ‘Fermanagh and Omagh’ (6%). Again, the location of jobs of FE leavers is broadly in line with the distribution to all NI jobs, as 5% of NI jobs are within ‘Mid and East Antrim’ and 6% in Fermanagh and Omagh. ‘Lisburn and Castlereagh’ has a slightly bigger proportion of all NI jobs (8%) than those made up by FE leavers (5%) (Source: Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) 2022).
It may also be noted that in terms of mobility, 26% of leavers working in NI are employed in a different LGD than their home LGD whilst studying.
Work Quality
Along with raising productivity and promoting regional balance, a further key objective of the DfE Economic Mission is to increase the proportion of working-age people in good jobs.
The following work quality indicators are used to assess if FE Leavers are in good jobs:
- Job security
- Hours worked
- Opportunities for career progression
- Task discretion - making decisions on what and how tasks are completed
- Pay
Figure 3: ‘Good Job Security’ highest work quality indicator
Percentage of leavers who agreed with work quality statements
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| Indicator | percent |
|---|---|
| Good Job Security | 83% |
| Work the right number of hours | 81% |
| Opportunities for career progression | 69% |
| I make decisions on what tasks I do | 58% |
| I decide how I do tasks | 78% |
| I’m happy with the money I’m earning | 53% |
The average score across all work quality indicators was 70%. The highest rated work quality indicator was ‘Good Job Security’ (83%), whilst the lowest was ‘I’m happy with the money I’m earning’ (53%).
Those with FE qualifications in a Narrow STEM subject reported higher ratings on all indicators, compared to those with a Non-Narrow STEM qualification. The biggest difference was in the ‘Good Job Security’ indicator as those with qualification in Narrow STEM subject scored 88%, with those holding a non-Narrow STEM qualification scoring 81%.
Industry of Employment
DfE has set out priority sectors for the NI Economy to grow. These are areas where NI has established strengths and the potential to be globally competitive. The seven priority sectors identified are:
- Agri-Tech
- Life and Health Sciences
- Advanced Manufacturing, Materials and Engineering
- Fintech / Financial Services
- Software
- Screen Industries
- Low Carbon (including Green Hydrogen)
Leavers were asked if they worked in any of the priority industries. In total, 33% of leavers who are employed are working in these priority areas. The industry with most people employed was ‘Advanced manufacturing, materials and engineering’ (13%). 7% of leavers in employment responded that they didn’t know if they were working in the sectors listed and 59% reported they were not working in those sectors.
Definitions of the seven sectors by 4 and 5 digit SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) are available on the DfE Website.
5. Outcome: Learning
Mode of learning
One-third (33%) of FE College leavers were re-enrolled in education six months after achieving their qualification. This is the same proportion (33%) as 2021/22.
The majority of those in learning were studying full-time (60%), 17% were studying part-time and the remaining 23% were primarily studying but also working. This is largely full-time students who are working alongside their studies.
Learning Skills Match
Over three-quarters (76%) of leavers who enrolled in learning required their qualification to be eligible for their current course. This figure increased to 81% for those gaining a level 3 qualification. This highlights the important role the FE sector is playing in terms of providing individuals with the pre-requisites for studying at a higher level.
Learning at Higher Level
Of the FE College leavers who were in learning, over four-fifths (85%) had progressed onto a course at a higher level.
Table 2: 85% of leavers in learning were studying at a higher level
Percentage of leavers in learning by location and level of study
| Location and level of Study following FE Qualification | Higher | Same | Lower | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE College | 44% | 10% | 1% | 55% |
| University (including Open University) | 33% | 1% | 0% | 34% |
| Other | 7% | 3% | 1% | 11% |
| Total | 85% | 14% | 2% | 100% |
The majority of leavers who continue their studies do so at a FE College (55%). However, it is also worth noting that over one-third (34%) progress their learning at a University. A further 11% continue their studies at a school or other training facility.
6. Outcome: Unemployed
Six months after achieving their qualification, 6% of FE leavers were unemployed and looking for work.
Typically, unemployment rates were lower for those qualifying at a higher level. For instance, 19% of those who qualified at Entry Level were unemployed, in contrast to 4% at Level 3.
An additional 7% of FE leavers reported being either retired, being long-term sick and unable to work or caring for a relative.
7. Dashboard
An interactive FE dashboard complements this report. The dashboard is created for users who want to delve deeper into the findings. It aligns with the report, so users can explore each section e.g. employment, learning etc, in more detail by using the filter options to find out more about the various cohorts of leavers:
- College
- Level of Study
- Mode of Study
- Broad STEM
- Narrow STEM
- Apprenticeship
- ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
- Essential Skills
- Subject Area
- Sex
- Age Band
- Disability
- Deprivation Quintile
The dashboard is available to explore on the DfE Website.
8. Further Information
New Questionnaire
Following a review of the Survey, this year marked the introduction of a new questionnaire. Underpinned by DfE’s Economic Mission, new questions were introduced on work quality, skills match for employment and learning, as well as regional balance of employment. As a result, the outputs have been updated to report on these valuable metrics and provide insight for policy and decision makers.
Methodology
For more information on the methodology and processes involved in producing this FE Outcomes report, please refer to the Methodology Report.In particular, it is recommended to read the sub-section ‘Interpreting the findings’.
Commonly used terms and abbreviations can also be found in Annex A the Methodology.
FE Sector Activity
It is also recommended that the report findings are read in conjunction with annual FE Sector Activity publications. These will provide context as they report on additional information about the students enrolled on regulated courses at FE Colleges and are available on the FE Sector Activity in NI web page. The latest results were published 31st January 2024.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank all the FE College leavers who took part in the survey. Without your help, this report would not have been possible.
Feedback
To ensure we are providing relevant information and presenting this in a user friendly format, we are always keen to receive feedback. All user engagement is important to us, so please let us know your thoughts in the short feedback form below!