Workforce Skills - April 2014

Published: April 2014

• Economic Factsheet - Skills - April 2014
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Qualifications (December 2013)

% of residents aged 16-64

Source: Annual Population Survey, NOMIS 2013 (*Data unavailable due to small sample size).

Somerset has a lower proportion of residents aged 16-64 qualified to NVQ4 or above than nationally (28% compared with 35%). This proportion has increased by 3.2% between 2008 and 2013. Within the County, Mendip has the highest proportion of residents qualified to NVQ4+ (35.7%) and West Somerset has the lowest (19.1%).

5.9% of Somerset residents aged 16-64 have no qualifications, lower than the Heart of the South West LEP area (6.5%) and national level (9.5%). Somerset’s proportion of unqualified residents has been steadily decreasing over several years but showed an increase between 2012 and 2013 (from 4.5% to 5.9%).

Within Somerset, Sedgemoor has the highest proportion of residents with no qualifications (7.7%) and Taunton Deane has the lowest (3.9%).

Job-related training (December 2013)

% in employment who have recently received job-related training

Source: Annual Population Survey, NOMIS 2014

Participation in recent job-related training has increased slightly in Somerset and across the UK between 2012 and 2013. However, levels of job-related training have declined across the LEP area.

After several years of steadily increasing, the number of apprenticeships being undertaken across Somerset, England and the Heart of the South West LEP area has dropped in the last year. In 2012/13, 5,150 apprenticeships were started in Somerset, a decrease of 1.5% on the previous year. However, this reduction was lower than that for England (-2.1%) and the LEP area (-6.9%) over the same period.

The number of apprenticeship achievements has levelled off across Somerset and the LEP area. In 2012/13, 2,650 apprenticeship achievements (or completions) were recorded in Somerset, a marginal increase of 0.4% on the previous year.

Apprenticeship achievements in England decreased slightly (-2.2%) between 2011/12 and 2012/13.

(Years in the charts above relate to the difference between period year ends, e.g. 2012/13 is shown as 2013). NB. Figures for apprenticeship starts and achievements for the LEP area were incorrect in the August 2013 factsheet and are amended here.