Our Impact

Data Dashboard 2023/24

The 18 member colleges share their learner data annually to create 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: adult learners, 16-19 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
Sex, LD/D status, ethnicity and deprivation profile

Headlines

Learner numbers continue to grow

Over 110,971 learners enrolled in CWM colleges in 2023/24, an increase on the total level of 104,000 learners the previous year.
There was growth in 16-19 numbers and Adult Skills funded learners, but the overall steady decline in apprenticeships continued, despite a levelling off for apprenticeship starts in the WMCA patch.
Advanced Learner Loan numbers continue to drop sharply, but by contrast participation in Free Courses for Jobs grew sharply.

Some growth in Level 3 and Level 4 provision

There was a 6% growth in adult learners studying at Level 3 and Level four taking the total number to over 10,000.
However there was a 1% drop in the proportion of 16-19 learners at Level 3 (to 49%) despite very strong growth in T Levels.

Variable Performance in Priority Sectors

Construction enrolments were up over the past year across the board: adults up 18%, apprenticeship starts up 2% and 16-19 learners up 6%.
The number of adults learning Engineering fell by 31% over the past two years and the decline was more acute (52%) for learners living in the WMCA area. The number of apprenticeship starts in engineering also fell overall by 10% but the number of 16-19 study programme learners studying Engineering grew by around 2.5%.
Motor Vehicle continued to grow across all learner types.
The number of learners on Digital or ICT provision has dropped.
There was good growth in Apprenticeships in Business and Administration and in Health and Care.
A Level learners declined by 12% last year, but T Level learners grew by 90%.
Provision aimed at getting people into work and progressing to better jobs increased by 22.5% over the last year when enrolments reached 6,446.