Across all CWM colleges a total of 43,993 learners were on learning programmes funded through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) in 2021/22.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) manages the AEB budget for adult skills provision delivered to residents in the seven WMCA boroughs. In the case of CWM learners living outside the WMCA area, colleges received AEB funding directly from the Department of Education.
30,132 (68%) of CWM adult learners in the WMCA and 32% (13,861) lived in outside areas.
Level and location
Over half of AEB funded adult learners were on programmes at level 2.
Proportionally more learners who live in the WMCA studied at entry level, level 1 and level 3.
Three quarters of learners living outside the WMCA patch were on level 2 programmes.
852 (2.8%) of WMCA residents studied at level 4, and there were 4 learners at level 4 living in outside areas.
47% of CWM AEB funded adult learners live in Birmingham, with just over half split across the six other metropolitan areas.
Although the highest numbers were in Birmingham, proportionally more learners living in Birmingham studied at entry level (33.4%). The greatest proportion of learners at level 3 are in Dudley (23.1%) followed by Sandwell (20.3%).
Sector
The most popular sectors were Health, Nursing and Social Care, Business Administration and Law, ICT and Construction, all of which had seen growth in numbers over the previous three years.
Over 14% of enrolments in 2021/22 were to courses relating to preparation for life and work, including basic skills and this subject area saw a 29.5% decline over the same period.
| Sector specific subjects | 2021 proportion by sector | change over 3 years |
| 01. Health, Nursing and Social Care | 28.1% | 20.2% |
| 19. Preparation for Life and Work | 14.6% | -29.5% |
| 20. Business, Administration and Law | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| 09. Information and Communication Technology | 8.4% | 84.9% |
| 08. Construction, Planning and the Built Environment | 7.8% | 67.3% |
| 18. Education, Humanities, Languages, Social Sciences and General Education | 4.9% | -7.5% |
| 06. Engineering | 4.0% | 85.7% |
| 07. Motor Vehicle and Transportation | 3.6% | 145.4% |
| 11. Hair, Beauty and Services | 2.7% | -7.0% |
| 03. Child Development and Well Being | 2.3% | 34.1% |
| 10. Retailing, Wholesaling, Warehousing and Distribution | 2.2% | 12.1% |
| 02. Public Services | 2.1% | 263.7% |
| 05. Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care | 1.6% | 108.0% |
| 17. Art and Design | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| 04. Science and Mathematics | 1.1% | -1.7% |
| 12. Hospitality and Catering | 0.9% | -17.9% |
| 13. Sport, Leisure and Recreation | 0.6% | -69.1% |
| 16. Media and Communication | 0.6% | 143.4% |
| 15. Performing Arts | 0.2% | -86.3% |
| 14. Leisure, Travel and Tourism | 0.1% | -37.8% |