Introduction

The Further Education (FE) Outcomes report outlines the findings from the Survey of FE College Leavers, in which leavers are surveyed approximately six months after qualifying from their course. It provides a snapshot of the destination of leavers following successful completion of their programme of study which helps provide evidence of the relevance of FE qualifications in achieving positive outcomes.

Generic Statistical Business Process Model

In order to produce the findings and statistical outputs, FE Outcomes follows the processes set out in the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM). Figure 1 shows the full model, outlining all phases and associated sub processes. The model is designed to be flexible with many different routes and potential pathways and this document will outline the phases and processes undertaken to produce the FE Outcomes outputs.

Figure 1: Generic Statistical Business Process Model

Generic Statistical Business Process Model

1. Specify Needs

The first phase in the cycle is to ‘Specify Needs’ for statistics in a particular area. In the case of FE Outcomes, there was a need to identify what happened to leavers once they gained their FE qualification.

Why has this survey been carried out?

The Department for the Economy (DfE) is monitoring the performance of FE Colleges in terms of the quality and relevance of the curriculum to the needs of the NI economy and the learner. Therefore, there is a need to identify what happens to the thousands of people who complete and achieve their regulated FE courses. In particular, it is hoped that information on the destinations of leavers following successful completion of a programme of study will provide evidence of the relevance of this learning in achieving positive outcomes. This research will inform that process by measuring the impact and outcomes of student learning in terms of progression into further learning and employment. The research also forms a key part of the underpinning evidence for the development of future policy and the FE curriculum in terms of:

  • the progression of learners to and within employment
  • the progression of learners to higher levels of study
  • the development of skills of use within the workplace

2. Design

The ‘Design’ phase plans out and defines all elements of the survey cycle.

Coverage

The survey and report findings cover those leavers who completed and achieved a regulated qualification at Level 3 or below in the FE Sector.The activity of those qualifying at Level 4 or above are researched separately, through their participation in HESA’s Graduate Outcomes survey.

Timing

The survey is carried out approximately 6 months after leavers achieve their FE qualification, providing a snapshot of their activity at that time. The gap between achieving their qualification and the leavers undertaking the survey is relatively short, so the contact details held should remain the same in most cases, thus encouraging better response rates for the survey.

Questionnaire

The survey questionnaire captures a snapshot of activities that leavers were engaged in approximately six months after completing their course. Details are captured on leavers’ employment, such as their job role, the nature of their contract and location of work. Those engaged in further study were asked where and what they were studying. Leavers were also asked more generally about their preparedness for work and further study.

The full questionnaire is available in Annex A - Questionnaire.

3. Build

The ‘Build’ phase entails setting up, testing and finalising the system that will collect the data.

Survey software

The current software used to issue the questionnaire and collect the data is ‘Snap Surveys’. Snap enables a census approach, providing an opportunity for all eligible leavers with up to date email contact details, to participate in an online survey.

4. Collect

The ‘Collect’ phase includes all aspects of the data collection from the initial point when the sample is established throughout the full collection process until the survey is closed.

Sampling strategy

The sampling strategy for the Survey of FE College Leavers has changed over the years, however the past 3 years have all adopted a census approach i.e. everyone in the population is surveyed.

The population for the 2021/22 survey were the 21,145 leavers who had completed and achieved a qualification at Level 3. However, this excludes

  • Withdrawals
  • Transfers
  • Non-regulated enrolments where qualifications aren’t obtained
  • Entitlement framework enrolments
  • Individuals under 16 due to sensitivities involved with surveying children
  • Null ULNs (Unique Learner Number), as ULN is used to ensure the same individual isn’t being contacted multiple times and thus overburdened
  • Enrolments with missing level information
  • Higher Education (HE) in Further Education (FE) as these leavers are surveyed on the same topics by Graduate Outcomes
  • Individuals with Special Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (SLDD) taught outside mainstream college
  • Individuals studying English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) due to the complexity of the survey questionnaire.

For more information on these, please refer to Annex B - Commonly used terms and abbreviations.

Contact details were available for only 19,495 leavers, therefore, the population of interest are those students for whom contact details were provided by the FE Colleges (92% of leavers). Despite extensive checking of contact details prior to the fieldwork, 1,270 (7%) invitations were classified as undeliverable, either because the email address was not known (it was a ‘soft bounce back’, for instance, a mail server response indicating a non-delivery due to a full inbox) the email address provided was incorrect, or the recipient opted out. This reduced the total eligible population to 18,225, the contactable population.

Field work

Prior to the commencement of fieldwork, the FE Colleges issue publicity emails to their leavers.

The fieldwork itself commences as email invitations are sent to all leavers in the population of interest for which email addresses have been provided. Over the course of the fieldwork period (4 weeks), there are 5 email reminders issued to leavers who had not completed the Survey.

Response Rates

Throughout the fieldwork, response rates are monitored and shared weekly with each college to keep them informed and encourage responses from their leavers. The response rates are based on the number of survey respondents i.e. Number of individuals who were eligible and submitted a response to the questionnaire.

Figure 2: Population of Interest to survey respondents

Population to Respondents Diagram

As shown in Figure 2, more than one in five (22%) of the total contactable population participated in the online survey, resulting in 4,055 completed responses. It was, therefore, very important to ascertain the extent to which the profile of the achieved responses differed from that of the population of interest.

In this respect, key variations among respondents included:

  • 67% were female (compared with 52% in the population of interest);
  • 30% were 19 and under (44% in the population of interest);
  • 50% were studying at Level 3 (44% in the population of interest).

5. Process

The ‘Process’ phase involves validating and transforming the data, so it is ready for analysis.

Data validation

The data is logic checked, and amendments were made to correct for errors in responses. The data is also cleaned to remove any duplicate responses.

Data linkage

The survey results are linked to information from the Consolidation Data Return (CDR). The CDR is comprised of data returns from each FE College. Each return consists of individual records for each enrolment recorded by the FE Colleges during the academic year. Linking to the CDR enables the results to be broken down by different personal characteristics e.g. Sex, age and categorical variables in relation to their qualification e.g. Mode and Level.

Weighting

Raked weighting is used to improve the representativeness of estimates produced from the Survey. By using an algorithm in R, raking is converged in 29 iterations using age, mode of attendance, level of study, FE College and sex, to provide a closer match between the characteristics of the participants and the population of interest.

While it is designed to improve the representativeness of survey results, it should be borne in mind non-response weighting assumes the characteristics of non-respondents are like those of respondents.

As a result of the raked weighting model:

  • the male share of respondents increased from 33% to 48%, whereas the female share decreased from 68% to 52%, both in line with their respective population shares.

  • the 25 and over share of respondents decreased from 58% to 42%, in line with their share of the population of interest.

  • the level of study proportions also aligned with their respective population shares.

The result of the raked weighting model for all categorical variables is shown below.

Table 1: FE Colleges Comparison: proportions for the population of interest and survey respondents

Variable Categories Percentage of Population of interest (N=19,495) Survey Respondents before weighting Percentage of survey respondents before weighting Percentage point difference before weighting Survey respondents after weighting Percentage of survey respondents after weighting Percentage point difference after weighting
Belfast Metropolitan College 25% 915 23% -2 1015 25% 0
Northern Regional College 12% 525 13% 1 475 12% 0
North West Regional College 15% 705 17% 2 625 15% 0
South Eastern Regional College 18% 750 19% 1 725 18% 0
Southern Regional College 18% 730 18% 0 715 18% 0
South West College 12% 425 11% -2 495 12% 0
Total 100% 4050 100% 0 4050 100% 0

Table 2: Sex Comparison: proportions for the population of interest and survey respondents

Variable Categories Percentage of Population of interest (N=19,495) Survey Respondents before weighting Percentage of survey respondents before weighting Percentage point difference before weighting Survey respondents after weighting Percentage of survey respondents after weighting Percentage point difference after weighting
Female 52% 2735 67% 15 2120 52% 0
Male 48% 1320 33% -15 1930 48% 0
Total 100% 4050 100% 0 4050 100% 0

Table 3: Age Comparison: proportions for the population of interest and survey respondents

Variable Categories Percentage of Population of interest (N=19,495) Survey Respondents before weighting Percentage of survey respondents before weighting Percentage point difference before weighting Survey respondents after weighting Percentage of survey respondents after weighting Percentage point difference after weighting
19 and under 44% 1220 30% -14 1770 44% 0
20-24 14% 465 11% -3 570 14% 0
25 and over 42% 2370 58% 16 1710 42% 0
Total 100% 4050 100% 0 4050 100% 0

Table 4: Mode Comparison: proportions for the population of interest and survey respondents

Variable Categories Percentage of Population of interest (N=19,495) Survey Respondents before weighting Percentage of survey respondents before weighting Percentage point difference before weighting Survey respondents after weighting Percentage of survey respondents after weighting Percentage point difference after weighting
Full-time 28% 1005 25% -3 1130 28% 0
Part-time 72% 3050 75% 3 2925 72% 0
Total 100% 4050 100% 0 4050 100% 0

Table 5: Level of Study Comparison: proportions for the population of interest and survey respondents

Variable Categories Percentage of Population of interest (N=19,495) Survey Respondents before weighting Percentage of survey respondents before weighting Percentage point difference before weighting Survey respondents after weighting Percentage of survey respondents after weighting Percentage point difference after weighting
Entry Level 1% 40 1% 0 50 1% 0
Level 1 6% 225 6% -1 255 6% 0
Level 2 49% 1775 44% -5 1965 49% 0
Level 3 44% 2010 50% 6 1785 44% 0
Total 100% 4050 100% 0 4050 100% 0

6. Analyse

The ‘Analyse’ phase is the production of the statistical outputs for dissemination. This includes preparing the commentary, technical notes and ensuring the outputs are fit for purpose.

Prepare outputs

For FE Outcomes Academic year 21/22, the outputs consist of a HTML Bulletin that outlines the main findings from the survey results and a dashboard detailing the results and enabling the user to drill down into more granular detail using a series of filters.

The HTML Bulletin was created using an accessibility template, to ensure it meets the current accessibility guidelines. It details the outcomes for FE leavers once they have gained their qualification, providing commentary, tables and charts to bring the results to life.

The dashboard is created for users who want to know more than just the headline statistics. Users can explore each section of the HTML 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 Indicator
  • Subject Area
  • Sex
  • Age Band
  • Disability
  • Deprivation Quintile

The information detailed in both outputs are quality assured prior to release.

Disclosure control – Rounding Strategy

FE Outcomes conforms to the HESA rounding strategy to ensure the data disseminated does not breach confidentially rules. Due to the provisions of the Data Protection Act (2018) and the Human Rights Act (1998), HESA (and therefore DfE) implements a strategy, in published and released tabulations, designed to prevent the disclosure of personal information about any individual. This strategy involves rounding all numbers to the nearest 5, and suppressing percentages and averages based on small populations.

A full list of the rounding strategy includes:

  • 0, 1 and 2 are rounded to 0;
  • all other numbers are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5;
  • percentages based on fewer than 22.5 individuals are suppressed;
  • averages based on a small group of people (7 or fewer) are also suppressed;
  • percentages and averages are based on unrounded figures;
  • percentages are rounded to the nearest integer
  • Total figures are also subject to this rounding methodology; so the sum of numbers in each row or column may not match the total shown. Similarly, percentages may not sum to 100%.

7. Disseminate

Produce products

The FE Outcomes outputs are available on the DfE website and this includes links to the bulletin and dashboard.

The target audience for the release is our colleagues across the Department for the Economy (DfE), Directors of FE colleges in Northern Ireland, Board members of FE colleges, educational professionals, academics, media and members of the public interested in the FE sector.

Interpreting the findings

When interpreting the findings presented, it is important to be aware of the following points:

  • Individuals in FE Colleges can enrol and achieve on multiple courses simultaneously. The methodology used to determine the population of interest was to select the highest level of regulated qualification (up to and including Level 3) achieved for each individual, which resulted in 21,145 individual FE College leavers being eligible for inclusion in the 2021/22 Survey.

  • Although it was intended that everyone who completed a qualification would be contacted and provided an opportunity to respond to the survey, not all had valid contact details, leaving a population of interest of 19,495. Of those participants who responded, not all answered all the questions. Therefore, variation occurs in the total number of responses provided for some questions. This affects the statistics derived from the survey when trying to infer patterns within the population of interest.

  • Inferences/statements about the population of interest can be made because the profile of survey respondents has been re-weighted by the profiling variables (age, mode of attendance, level of study, FE College and sex), so that it is broadly similar to that of the population of interest in respect of these key variables (Refer to Tables 1 to 5).

  • Comparison of percentages should be considered with caution when base numbers (the number of valid responses to a particular question) are small (<100). Base numbers (n) are included in charts and tables.

  • Due to rounding some figures may not add to 100%; differences reported may not equate to the difference between the two figures shown in the text; and summing of proportions may not equate to the value reported.

8. Evaluate

Review

In light of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Skills Strategy for NI recommendations about its content, coverage, timing, marketing and response rates, a review of the survey is currently underway.

The goal for the review is to create and implement an up-to-date survey that aligns with DfE’s 10x economic vision. This would provide the Department with critical information on the activity of leavers following their FE qualification and in turn would help frame careers advice, student choices, policy development and service delivery that aligns to 10x Economy. The new survey will be issued in February 2024 and findings published Autumn 2024.

Feedback

The FE Outcomes bulletin published for Academic Year 2021/22 marks the first release of the bulletin in HTML format, as well as the introduction of a dashboard. We welcome feedback from users on the new format and outputs.

Annex A - Questionnaire

Survey of FE College Leavers

Thank you for participating in our survey. Your feedback is important.

The information you provide will be linked to other general enrolment data held about you by DfE for statistical and research purposes only (e.g. gender, age band, level of study).

You will not be identified in any publication from the survey. To protect the privacy of your responses, survey results will be subject to statistical disclosure control procedures and will only be published in aggregate format.

All information will be handled in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Those who fully complete the questionnaire will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad.

ASK ALL

SECTION A: This section asks about your circumstances before your 2021/22 course at FE College

  1. How did you hear about your course? (please select all that apply)
  •  School/teacher
  •  Careers Service advisor
  •  FE College
  •  Internet / social media
  •  Employer
  •  Jobs and Benefits office
  •  Advertisement
  •  Friend / relative
  •  Other
  1. What were your reasons for undertaking this course? (please select all that apply)
  •  I thought it would improve my career prospects
  •  I wanted to improve my ability to do my current job
  •  I wanted to increase my income
  •  I wanted greater job satisfaction
  •  I was encouraged / required to do so by my employer
  •  I wanted to learn something new / gain new skills
  •  I was interested in the subject
  •  I wanted to go on to further / higher learning
  •  I wanted to meet new people and build my self-confidence
  •  I wanted to gain a qualification
  •  It was at a time / place that suited me
  •  I didn’t have to pay for it
  •  Other


ASK Q3 IF MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE SELECTED AT Q2

IF JUST ONE RESPONSE AT Q2 AUTOMATICALLY CODE THIS TO Q3 AND GO TO ROUTING BEFORE Q4

  1. What was your most important reason? (select one)
  •  I thought it would improve my career prospects
  •  I wanted to improve my ability to do my current job
  •  I wanted to increase my income
  •  I wanted greater job satisfaction
  •  I was encouraged / required to do so by my employer
  •  I wanted to learn something new / gain new skills
  •  I was interested in the subject
  •  I wanted to go on to further / higher learning
  •  I wanted to meet new people and build my self-confidence
  •  I wanted to gain a qualification
  •  It was at a time / place that suited me
  •  I didn’t have to pay for it
  •  Other
  1. What were you doing BEFORE your course (please select all that apply)
  •  Working full-time
  •  Working part-time (one or more jobs)
  •  Studying full-time (15 or more hours per week)
  •  Studying part-time (less than 15 hours per week)
  •  Unemployed
  •  Doing something else (including taking time out to travel, unpaid caring for someone or retired)


ASK Q5 IF MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE SELECTED AT Q4

IF JUST ONE RESPONSE AT Q4 AUTOMATICALLY CODE THIS TO Q5 AND GO TO ROUTING BEFORE Q6

  1. Which ONE of those activities was MOST IMPORTANT to you?
  •  Working full-time
  •  Working part-time (one or more jobs)
  •  Studying full-time (15 or more hours per week)
  •  Studying part-time (less than 15 hours per week)
  •  Unemployed
  •  Doing something else (including taking time out to travel, unpaid caring for someone or retired)


IF EMPLOYED (Q5=1 OR 2) ASK SECTION B

SECTION B: This section asks about your employment before your recent FE College course

You’ve said you were before you started your course. We’d like to know a bit more about the type of work you were doing.

Your main job is the one you spent the most time doing, the one that paid you the most money or that was related to your future plans.

  1. What was your job title?

  2. Briefly describe what you did in your main job
    (TO BE CODED TO 4 DIGIT SOC)

  3. Which best describes the basis on which you were employed?

  •  Paid employee on a permanent or open ended contract
  •  Paid employee on a fixed-term contract lasting 12 months or longer
  •  Paid employee on a fixed-term contract lasting less than 12 months
  •  Temping ((including agency work and supply teaching)
  •  On an internship / placement
  •  Voluntary work
  •  Self-employed / freelance
  •  Starting up own business
  •  Developing a professional portfolio / creative practice
  •  Other
  1. Where was your place of work? (main day-to-day location)
  •  Northern Ireland
  •  Republic of Ireland
  •  Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales)
  •  Other (please specify)


ASK IF SELECTED NORTHERN IRELAND AT Q9, OTHERWISE SKIP TO Q11.

  1. What town/city do you work in? (If you travel about for work, use the town where your depot is or the biggest town in the county/area you cover)?


IF UNEMPLOYED (Q5=5) ASK SECTION C

SECTION C: This section asks about your unemployment before your 2021/22 FE College course

  1. Were you unemployed for over a year before starting your course?
  •  Yes
  •  No
    ASK ALL SECTION D

SECTION D: The following questions focus on your circumstances after completing your course

  1. What are you doing now? (please select all that apply)
  •  Working full-time
  •  Working part-time (one or more jobs)
  •  Studying full-time (15 hours or more per week)
  •  Studying part-time (15 hours or less per week)
  •  Unemployed
  •  Doing something else (including taking time out to travel, unpaid caring for someone or retired)
    ASK Q13 IF MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE SELECTED AT Q12

IF JUST ONE RESPONSE AT Q12 AUTOMATICALLY CODE THIS TO Q13 AND GO TO ROUTING BEFORE Q14

  1. Which ONE of these is MOST IMPORTANT to you?
  •  Working full-time
  •  Working part-time (one or more jobs)
  •  Studying full-time (15 hours or more per week)
  •  Studying part-time (15 hours or less per week)
  •  Unemployed
  •  Doing something else (including taking time out to travel, unpaid caring for someone or retired)

IF EMPLOYED (Q13=1 OR 2) ASK SECTION E

SECTION E: This section asks about your employment after your 2021/22 FE College course

You’ve said you since you finished your course. We’d like to know a bit more about the type of work you are doing.

Your main job is the one you spend the most time doing, the one that pays you the most money or that is related to your future plans.

  1. What is your job title?

  2. Briefly describe what you do in your main job
    (TO BE CODED TO 4 DIGIT SOC)

  3. Which best describes the basis on which you are employed?

  •  Paid employee on a permanent or open ended contract
  •  Paid employee on a fixed-term contract lasting 12 months or longer
  •  Paid employee on a fixed-term contract lasting less than 12 months
  •  Working on a temporary contract (including agency work and supply teaching)
  •  On an internship / placement
  •  Voluntary work
  •  Self-employed / freelance
  •  Starting up own business
  •  Developing a professional portfolio / creative practice
  •  Other (please specify)
  1. Where is your place of work? (main day-to-day location)
  •  Northern Ireland
  •  Republic of Ireland
  •  Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales)
  •  Other (please specify)


ASK IF SELECTED NORTHERN IRELAND AT Q17, OTHERWISE SKIP TO Q19.

  1. What town/city do you work in? (If you travel about for work, use the town where your depot is or the biggest town in the county/area)?


ASK ALL IN EMPLOYMENT (Q13 = 1 or 2)

  1. Why did you decide to take this job? (please select all that apply)
  •  It fitted into my career plan / it was exactly the type of work I wanted
  •  It was the best job offer I received
  •  It was the only job offer I received
  •  It was an opportunity to progress in the organisation
  •  To see if I would like the type of work it involved
  •  To gain and broaden my experience in order to get the type of job I really want
  •  It was in the right location
  •  The job was well-paid
  •  In order to earn a living
  •  Other
  1. Did you work for this employer before or during the course you recently completed?
  •  Yes: before my course
  •  Yes: during my course
  •  Yes: before and during my course
  •  No


IF WORKED FOR EMPLOYER DURING OR BEFORE COURSE (Q20=1,2 or 3) OTHERWISE GO TO Q21

  1. In which of the ways listed below did you work for this employer?
  •  On a sandwich placement
  •  On another kind of placement or project work
  •  As a holiday job
  •  Full-time or part-time work all year round
  •  Full-time or part-time work during term time
  •  On an internship
  •  Zero hours contract
  •  In other ways

ASK ALL IN EMPLOYMENT

  1. Consider how well the following statements reflect your current job:

    I am utilising what I learnt during my recent course in my current work?

  •  Very well

  •  Well

  •  Not very well

  •  Not at all

  •  Can’t tell

    My recent course has prepared me well for my current work?

  •  Very well

  •  Well

  •  Not very well

  •  Not at all

  •  Can’t tell


IF EMPLOYED BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER COURSE (Q19 = 1 or 3) ASK Q23, OTHERWISE GO TO ROUTING BEFORE SECTION F

  1. Since my course:
  •  I have been doing a job with more responsibilities YES/NO
  •  I have been earning more money YES/NO
  •  I have performed better at my job YES/NO
  •  I have had more job satisfaction YES/NO


IF IN ENGAGED IN STUDY OR TRAINING AFTER COURSE (Q13=3 or 4) ASK SECTION F, OTHERWISE GO TO ROUTING BEFORE Q27

SECTION F: This section asks about your additional learning after your 2021/22 course

You’ve said you are since you finished your course. We’d like to know a bit more about the type of learning you are doing.

Your main course might be the one that you spend the most time doing, or the one which is related to your future plans. ‘Course’ includes all forms of study, training scheme or apprenticeship.

  1. Where are you attending this course?
  •  Further Education College
  •  School
  •  University (including Open University)
  •  Other
  1. Will this lead to a qualification that is higher, lower or the same level as the course you took in 2021/22?
  •  Higher
  •  Same
  •  Lower

  1. Consider how well the following statements reflect your current studies:

    I am utilising what I learnt during my recent course in my current studies?

  •  Very well

  •  Well

  •  Not very well

  •  Not at all

  •  Can’t tell

    My recent course has prepared me well for my current studies?

  •  Very well

  •  Well

  •  Not very well

  •  Not at all

  •  Can’t tell


IF UNEMPLOYED AFTER COURSE (Q13=5) ASK SECTION G

SECTION G: This section asks about your unemployment after your course

  1. Have you had any employment since completing your course?
  •  Yes
  •  No

ASK ALL SECTION H

SECTION H: This final section asks you to reflect on your course choices

  1. The skills I have developed during my course will help improve my career prospects?
  •  Strongly agree
  •  Agree
  •  Neither agree or disagree
  •  Disagree
  •  Strongly disagree

  1. If you were to choose now whether or not to do your course, how likely or unlikely is it that you would…..?

    Do a different subject?

  •  Very likely

  •  Likely

  •  Don’t know

  •  Not very likely

  •  Not likely at all

    Study at a different FE College?

  •  Very likely

  •  Likely

  •  Don’t know

  •  Not very likely

  •  Not likely at all

    Do a different kind of qualification?

  •  Very likely

  •  Likely

  •  Don’t know

  •  Not very likely

  •  Not likely at all

    Do something completely different?

  •  Very likely

  •  Likely

  •  Don’t know

  •  Not very likely

  •  Not likely at all

Annex B - Commonly used terms and abbreviations

  • Academic year: 1st August to 31st July.

  • Course: A course leading to a regulated qualification at Level 3 or below.

  • ESOL: An ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) course is for students who want to improve their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills and for whom English is not their first language. Further information can be found on the ESOL page of the NI Direct Website.

  • Further Education sector: The six FE Colleges in NI -

    • Belfast Metropolitan College (BMC);
    • Northern Regional College (NRC);
    • North West Regional College (NWRC);
    • South Eastern Regional College (SERC);
    • Southern Regional College (SRC); and
    • South West College (SWC).

  • Leavers: FE College leavers who completed and achieved a regulated qualification at Level 3 or below during the 2021/22 academic year.

  • Leavers in employment: This includes: working in paid employment; self-employed; and waiting to start a confirmed job.

  • Leavers in learning: This includes: on a scheme/training scheme; waiting to start a confirmed scheme; at school in sixth form; at FE College; at university; or waiting to start a confirmed course at college/university.

  • Leavers unemployed: This includes FE College leavers who were unemployed and looking for work.

  • Leavers classed as other: This includes any FE College leavers not included in employment,learning or unemployed.

  • Main activity: Respondents were asked to select the activity they spent the majority of their time doing both before and after their course.

  • Main activity group: The four main activities (above) are grouped into four main activity groups: employment; learning; unemployed; and other.

  • Qualification level: Each regulated qualification has a level between Entry Level and Level 8. Qualifications at the same level typically have a similar level of demand or difficulty. The content and size of qualifications at the same level may be quite different. For further information on comparing qualifications across the UK, Republic of Ireland and overseas please refer to the GOV.UK ‘what different qualifications levels mean’ webpage.

  • Regulated Qualification: Any course at Level 3 or below offering a qualification that has a qualification code on the Register of Regulated Qualifications (RRQ) or any course at Level 4 or above.

  • SLDD: Special Learning Difficulties and Disabilities courses. These require specialised teaching, and are often taught in a reduced class size or in a day centre.

  • Sector Subject Area: Sector Subject Areas (SSAs) were developed according to industry sector and academic subject area by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and the Department for Education and Skills (Wales), along with other key educational bodies. They aim to allow more consistent reporting of data across the UK. SSA codes are derived from the OFQUAL Register of Regulated Qualifications, based on the qualification or unit code. The SSA code registered against each qualification or unit has been assigned by the responsible awarding organisation. Further information can be found on the OFQUAL guidance on qualification descriptions.

  • ULN: Unique Learner Number. This is a unique code used to track each student through their Learning Cycle and is defined by the Learner Records Service (LRS). It is generated by education providers and held by the Learner Register.