Workforce Skills - September 2017

• Economic Factsheet - Skills - September 2017
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Somerset has a lower proportion of residents aged 16-64 qualified to NVQ4 or above than nationally (34.5% compared with 38.0%).

Within the County, West Somerset has the highest proportion of residents qualified to NVQ4+ (45.2%) and Sedgemoor has the lowest (27.2%).

5.8% of Somerset residents aged 16-64 have no qualifications, lower than the Heart of the South West LEP area (5.9%) and lower than national (8.3%). Somerset’s proportion of unqualified residents has been steadily decreasing over several years.  Within Somerset, Sedgemoor has the highest proportion of residents with no qualifications (8.7%) and Taunton Deane has the lowest (3.9%).

Participation in job related training has fallen slightly in Somerset, across the LEP area and across the UK between 2016 and 2017.

The number of apprenticeships being undertaken across Somerset, England and the Heart of the South West LEP area has increased since 2013/14.  In 2015/16, 5250 apprenticeships were started in Somerset, an increase of 7.4% on the previous year.  Somerset had the largest rise compared to England and the Heart of South West LEP area which had a rise of 2% and 6.7% respectively.

The number of apprenticeship achievements has slowed in recent years. In 2015/2016, 2,750 apprenticeship achievements (or completions) were recorded in Somerset, an increase of 4.2% on the previous year.

 Apprenticeship achievements in the Heart of the South West LEP area and England, increased by 0.2% and 4.2% in 2015/2016 respectively.