Adult Learners 

Learning programmes for adults range from a few weeks to two-years in length and are designed and delivered to meet labour market needs of the local businesses and the career interests of resident population. Programmes are for those looking to reskill or upskill, improve their life and career prospects or gain up-to-date skills to get back into work. Learners on Community Learning programmes are not included. 

Adult number headlines 

• In 2021/22, the 17 CWM colleges provided training and education to a total of 47,522 adult learners in the region. This analysis includes provision funded through Adult Education Budget (AEB), Advanced Learner Loans (ALL) and Free Courses for Jobs funding (FCfJ), but not HE or commercial provision. The vast majority of adult learning was funded through the AEB budget. Of the 43,993 AEB funded learners, 32,109 were resident in the WMCA local authorities and a further 15,413 were resident outside of the WMCA regions.  

• Proportionally more learners living in the WMCA were funded through AEB and fewer self-funded through Adult Learner Loans. 

• The volume of adult learners in 2021/22 represented a return to 97% of the pre-pandemic levels after a dip of about 6% in 2020/21 caused by campus closures. 

Level of learning headlines 

• Almost half of adult learners learn at level 2, but numbers at level 3 have been increasing. 

Subject and sector headlines 

• In 2021/22 colleges delivered GCSE and Basic Skills to 23,180 adult learners, which made up 48% of the 43,993 adult learners funded through AEB funding. The split across the three main subject areas of English, Maths and English Language (ESOL)was roughly equal. 
• 7% of ESOL provision in 2021/22 was vocational. 
• Across all four priority sectors of Business and Administration, Construction, Engineering and ICT/Digital there has been a 38% growth in numbers over the past three years.  

Destination headlines 

• Destination data is not reliable due to missing data for 35% of learners. 
• Those on Free Courses for Jobs funded provision are most likely to have a recorded destination of employment (33%) and those on Advanced Learner Loan funded provision are least likely to be unemployed and most likely to progress to higher education (20%). 
• With AEB funded provision, generally the higher the level of learning the more likely the learners is to have a recorded destination of employment with peak recorded employment levels (41%) in the case of those learning at level 2.  
• 10% of AEB funded level 3 learners progress to HE. 

Inclusion headlines 

• Overall 64% of adult learners at CWM colleges in 2021/22 were female. This proportion rises to 77% on courses funded through the Free Courses for Jobs funding stream. The proportion of males is greatest on specific For Employment provision which includes SWAPs, Sector Gateways and Construction gateways. 
• There is greatest ethnic diversity in AEB funded provision where 53% of CWM adult learners identify as White, compared with Advanced Learner Loans or Free Courses for Jobs provision where this is 70% and 65% respectively. 
• A breakdown of AEB funded learners shows that 38% of learners resident in the WMCA identify as White, 24% identify as Asian, 20% as Black and 5.5% as having mixed heritage.  

Deprivation headline 

• In 2021/22 43% of CWM learners were residing in the most deprived locations, compared with 28% of all people living in these areas. At the other end of the deprivation spectrum, CWM learners were under-represented.