1. About this report

This report presents analysis of the eleventh 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:

The survey provides a snapshot of the immediate added value to leavers of completing and achieving a regulated qualification at Level 3 or below in the FE sector during the academic year 2024/25.

Underpinned by Department for the Economy’s (DfE) economic priorities and Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland strategic goals to increase the share of the workforce qualified to levels 2 or 3 and above, analysis includes the outcomes for students in terms of good jobs, regional balance of employment, as well as skills match for employment and learning.

2. Key Points

  • Positive Outcome: 90% 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 (57%) of FE College leavers were in employment six months after achieving their qualification.Of those in employment:
    • 57% were in a ‘good job’.
    • 46% required their FE qualification to be eligible for their job.
    • 95% were working in Northern Ireland.
    • 25% were 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. Of those in learning:
    • 69% required their FE qualification to apply for a place on their current course.
    • Over five-sixths (86%) had enrolled on a course at a higher level.
  • Unemployment: 5% of leavers were unemployed six months after achieving their qualification.

3. Overview

Positive Outcome

90% of FE College leavers reported a positive outcome (in employment or education) within six months of achieving their qualification. The majority (57%) of leavers were in employment and one-third (33%) re-enrolled in education.

Figure 1: 90% of FE College leavers were in employment or learning

Percentage of all FE leavers by outcome activity

Chart
View Chart Data
Employed Learning Unemployed Other Total
57% 33% 5% 4% 100%

Satisfaction

95% of FE College Leavers said they were satisfied with their experience whilst studying and gaining their qualification.

Leavers who studied ‘Agriculture, horticulture and animal care’ reported the lowest levels of satisfaction (86%), whilst ‘Business, administration and law’, ‘Health, public services and care’, and ‘Leisure, travel and tourism’ students reported the highest levels of satisfaction (all 97%).

4. Outcome: Employed

Mode of Employment

Over half (57%) of FE College leavers were in employment six months after achieving their qualification. This is similar to 56% in 2023/24. Employment rates were higher for those who achieved a level 2 (63%) or 3 qualification (55%) than those who achieved a Level 1 (46%) or Entry Level (33%) qualification.

Over seven-tenths (73%) of those in employment were working full-time, 19% were working part-time and the remaining 7% were primarily working but also studying. This includes apprentices and trainees, as well as those undertaking re-qualification courses.

Employment Skills Match

46% 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 (55%), and those on an ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ course (67%).

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 were slightly more working in the Republic of Ireland (4%), than in GB (1%) and Overseas (less than 1%).

Table 1: 95% of leavers in employment were working in Northern Ireland

Percentage of FE leavers in employment by location of work

Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Overseas Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) Total
95% 4% <1% 1% 100%

A 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’. As 95% of those in employment worked in Northern Ireland, it is useful to examine how these jobs were distributed.

Figure 2: Over one-sixth (18%) of FE Leavers working in NI are employed in Belfast

Percentage of FE leavers in employment in NI by location of work

Chart
View Chart Data
Local Government District (LGD) Percentage of leavers working in NI
Belfast City 18%
Antrim and Newtownabbey 11%
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon 10%
Derry City and Strabane 10%
Newry, Mourne and Down 8%
Mid Ulster 8%
Ards and North Down 7%
Fermanagh and Omagh 7%
Causeway Coast and Glens 6%
Lisburn and Castlereagh 5%
Mid and East Antrim 5%
Don’t know 3%

Note: 3% of FE 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’ (18%), followed by ‘Antrim and Newtownabbey’ (11%) & ‘Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon’ (10%). This is perhaps expected, as they also represent two of the three largest local government districts (LGDs) when it comes to all employee jobs in Northern Ireland (Source: Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) 2023). However, with BRES estimating that three in ten jobs in Northern Ireland are in ‘Belfast’ (30%), this suggests employment of FE leavers is more likely to be regionally balanced.

‘Lisburn and Castlereagh’ and ‘Mid and East Antrim’ were the LGDs with smallest proportion of leavers (both 5%) working in NI. Again, the location of jobs of FE leavers is broadly in line with the distribution of all NI jobs, as 6% of NI jobs are within ‘Mid and East Antrim’, & 8% ‘Lisburn and Castlereagh’. (Source: Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) 2023).

Good Jobs

Along with 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 Department has defined a ‘good job’ as one that offers an employee of working age, that is between the ages of 16 and 64, the following:

  • A permanent contract; and
  • A non zero-hour contract; and
  • Earning the Real Living Wage or more.

Almost three-fifths (57%) of leavers in employment were in a ‘good job’. However, this is lower than overall rate of ‘good jobs’ in Northern Ireland (69%) Source: NISRA - Good Jobs Measure. It should be highlighted that the rate of ‘good jobs’ varies when looking at different student cohorts. This is particularly true for level of study, as 39% of ‘Entry Level’ qualifiers were in ‘good jobs’ compared to 56% for those with a ‘Level 3’ qualification.

Figure 3: ‘Employment on permanent basis’ highest scoring ‘good job’ indicator

Percentage of FE leavers who agree with ‘good job’ statements

Chart
View Chart Data
Indicator percent
Are you employed on a permanent basis? 83%
Are you in a contract that guarantees a minimum number of hours work? 81%
Are you earning the Real Living Wage or more? 77%

The average score across all ‘good job’ indicators was 80%. The highest rated ‘good job’ indicator was ‘Permanent contract’ (83%), whilst the lowest was ‘Earning the Real Living Wage or more’ (77%).

Those with a disability reported lower ratings on all but one ‘good job’ indicators, compared to those without a disability. Those with a disability reported higher ratings on having a non-zero hours contract (83%) than those without (80%), but the biggest difference was in the ‘Earning the real living wage or more’ indicator, as those with a disability scored 71%, while those without a disability scored 77%.

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. Definitions of the seven sectors by 4 and 5 digit SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) are available on the DfE website. 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 work in any of the priority industries. In total, 25% of leavers who are employed are working in these priority areas. The priority industry employing the greatest proportion of FE leavers was ‘Advanced manufacturing, materials and engineering’ (14%).

For those employed in a non-priority sector, the biggest industries were ‘Education’ and ‘Construction’, with 12% and 11% of employed leavers.

5. Outcome: Learning

Mode of Learning

33% of FE College leavers were en-rolled in education six months after achieving their qualification. This is the same proportion as 2023/24.

Almost three-fifths of those in learning were studying full-time (57%), 14% were studying part-time and the remaining 29% were primarily studying but also working.

Learning Skills Match

Over two-thirds (69%) of leavers who enrolled in learning required their qualification to be eligible for their current course. This figure increased to 76% 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 a Higher Level

Of the FE College leavers who were in learning, over five-sixths (86%) had progressed onto a course at a higher level.

Table 2: 86% of leavers in learning were studying at a higher level

Percentage of FE leavers in learning by location and level of study

Location and level of Study following FE Qualification Higher Same Lower Total
FE College 50% 9% 1% 60%
University (including Open University) 29% 0% 0% 29%
Other 7% 2% 1% 11%
Total 86% 12% 2% 100%

Three-fifths of leavers who continue their studies do so at FE Colleges (60%). However, it is also worth noting that almost three in ten (29%) 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, 5% of FE leavers were unemployed and looking for work.

Unemployment rates were lower for those qualifying at a higher level, with every increase in level of qualification achieved showing a corresponding reduction in unemployment rates for leavers. For instance, 18% of those who qualified at ‘Entry Level’ were unemployed, in contrast to 3% at ‘Level 3’.

An additional 4% of FE leavers reported being either retired, 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 (employed, learning, unemployed) 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

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 of the Methodology Report.

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 on 4th December 2025.

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.

Contacts

Name: Daniel Nelson-Donaghy
Email: Daniel.Nelson-Donaghy@economy-ni.gov.uk
Telephone: 028 9052 2280

Name: Ethan Brown
Email: Ethan.Brown@economy-ni.gov.uk
Telephone: 028 9025 7665

This publication is produced by Higher Education Sector Statistics and Research, Analytical Services Division, Department for the Economy.

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