Colleges across the partnership share their learner data each year to feed into aggregated reports which show how their combined strength and breadth of provision impacts on learning and skills across the West Midlands Region.
Collectively Colleges West Midlands is widely recognised for the valuable contribution we make in transforming the lives of adults and young people through shaping and focusing the FE resource, working collaboratively, so that it delivers provision more effectively across the region.
Dashboards are available for the three main learner groups: 16-19 learners, adult learners and apprentices. In each dashboard learner numbers are provided for the past four years and data is searchable by
- location of the learner
- level of learning
- sector or subject area
- Gender, LLD/D status, ethnicity and deprivation profile
Headlines and progress against regional targets
Learner numbers remain high but starting to level off
- Over 104,000 learners enrolled to funded provision at CWM colleges, not including Community Learning provision.
- Adult learner numbers had recovered in 2021/22, after a dip in 2020/21 due to the Covid pandemic, but there was a further slight dip in overall adult numbers in 2022/23. There was strong growth in Bootcamp provision.
- 16-19 learner numbers declined slightly on the previous year, despite growth in T Level learners.
- The year-on-year decline in apprenticeship numbers continues.
Steady growth at level 3+
- Colleges were asked to prioritise growth in provision at level 3 and above and this was achieved consistently year-on-year across both adult and 16-19 provision.
- Over the past four years the proportion of adults learning at level 4 increased from 2% of provision to 8% and the proportion at level 3 increased from 4% to 13%.
- Over half of 16-19 learners learn at level 3. The proportion of apprentices at level 4 is 11% and at level 3 this is 60%.
Strong Priority sector growth
- CWM have focused on growing provision across priority sectors: Across 16-19 study programmes, Construction remained the most popular choice and the subject area has grown by 12% over four years. Health, Nursing and social care has also seen strong growth but there was a levelling off in Engineering and ICT.
- In adult provision, the highest proportion of learners are in Construction, Motor Vehicle and Transportation, ICT and Engineering.
Growth in ‘For Employment’ provision
- There was rapid growth in the new programmes targeted specifically at supporting WMCA residents into employment or to progress in employment. These came in from 2019 and are funded either through the DfE Free Courses for Jobs or the WMCA’s Adult Education Budget. In 2022/23 there were over 3,600 learners on for employment provision and a further 1,600 on Free Courses for Jobs provision.
About the data
Information in the 2022/23 dashboard was produced by the CWM team following analysis of data tables provided by RCU Ltd, the leading research and data company in the FE sector. RCU obtained express consent from CWM colleges to include their ILR data in their reports in which no learner or college is identified and numbers less than three were suppressed. Reports exclude learners on community learning or offender learning provision.
Figures include learners and learning that is active at any point during the relevant academic year who remain on programme for the qualifying period.
Data relates to the four years to 2022/23 for the 16 colleges who were members in 2024: Birmingham Metropolitan College, City of Wolverhampton College, Coventry College, Dudley College of Technology, Halesowen College, Heart of Worcestershire College, Kidderminster College, North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, Solihull College and University Centre, South and City College Birmingham, South Staffordshire College, Telford College, Walsall College, Fircroft College of Adult Education, Hereward College of Further Education, Queen Alexandra College
Data is shown by sector, by level of learning and also by learners’ residency which is broken down by the seven Local Authority areas in the West Midlands Combined Authority and learners residing in outside areas.