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Workforce Skills - April 2015
- Economic Factsheet - Skills - April 2015
Download this factsheet as a PDF
Qualifications (December 2014)
% of residents aged 16-64
| Area | % with NVQ 4+ | % with no qualifications | ||
| 2014 | Change (Dec 2009-2014) | 2014 | Change (2009-2014) | |
| Somerset | 33.3 | 6.8 | 5.8 | -2.6 |
| Mendip | 41.8 | 18.7 | 4.9 | -7.5 |
| Sedgemoor | 29.1 | 0.6 | 5.4 | -2.9 |
| South Somerset | 27.5 | 1.0 | 5.7 | -1.6 |
| Taunton Deane | 43.1 | 13.7 | 4.2 | -2.3 |
| West Somerset | 14.0 | -6.7 | 17.4 | 10.0 |
| Heart of the South West LEP | 33.6 | 6.2 | 5.4 | -2.9 |
| UK | 35.8 | 6.1 | 9.0 | -3.6 |
Source: Annual Population Survey, NOMIS 2015.
Somerset has a lower proportion of residents aged 16-64 qualified to NVQ4 or above than nationally (33.3% compared with 35.8%). This proportion has increased by 6.8% between 2009 and 2014. Within the County, Taunton Deane has the highest proportion of residents qualified to NVQ4+ (43.1%) and West Somerset has the lowest (14%).
Source: Annual Population Survey, NOMIS 2015
5.8% of Somerset residents aged 16-64 have no qualifications, a higher proportion than the Heart of the South West LEP area (5.4%) and less than the nationally (9%). Within Somerset, West Somerset has the highest proportion of residents with no qualifications (17.4%) and Taunton Deane has the lowest (4.2%).
Job-related training (Dec 2014)
% in employment who have recently received job-related training
| Area | Last 4 weeks | Last 13 weeks | ||
| 2014 | Change (2013-2014) | 2014 | Change (2013-2014) | |
| Somerset | 9.6 | -0.7 | 16.8 | -0.9 |
| HoSW LEP | 10.2 | 0.3 | 19 | -0.1 |
| UK | 9.6 | 0.0 | 19 | 0.0 |
Source: Annual Population Survey, NOMIS 2015
9.6% of employed people in Somerset have participated in job-related training in the last 4 weeks, compared to 10.2% across the LEP area.
Apprenticeships (2014)
Source: www.thedataservice.org.uk, 2015
The number of apprenticeships being undertaken across Somerset, England and the Heart of the South West LEP area has dropped. In 2013/14, 4190 apprenticeships were started in Somerset; a decrease of 18.6% on the previous year. Somerset had a larger decrease than England and the Heart of South West LEP area with 13.8% and 15.4% respectively.
Source: www.thedataservice.org.uk, 2015
The number of apprenticeship achievements has slowed in recent years. In 2013/2014, 2,690 apprenticeship achievements (or completions) were recorded in Somerset, an increase of 1.5% on the previous year.
Apprenticeship achievements in the Heart of the South West LEP area fell by 2.7% between 2013 and 2014.
Source: www.thedataservice.org.uk, 2015
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Did you know?
Somerset in 2025 is ranked as 93 out of a total of 153 of Upper Tier English local authorities, up from 92 in 2019. Moving from rank 92 to 93 means the authority is relatively less deprived compared to others, but the difference is very minimal. (Indices of Deprivation 2025).