Association of Colleges
College 16-18 recruitment data - January 2012
25 January 2012
College 16-18 recruitment report - January 2012
Commenting on the new 16-18 college recruitment data, Association of Colleges Chief Executive Martin Doel said:
“This new data, collected from a total of 231 institutions enrolling more than 530,000 young people aged 16-18 this year, gives us the most detailed picture yet of recruitment among colleges from September 2011 onwards and allows us to make some valuable conclusions.
“We can see, firstly, that the extended autumn term recruitment drive of colleges appears to have had a positive impact on enrolment and that’s to the credit of our members; it is encouraging to see that the decline in 16 to 18 student numbers is less than 2% and consistent with earlier studies.
“Worryingly, however, the trends related to Level 1 and Entry Level Students that were identified in earlier versions of this survey, echoed in the latest statistics about young people not in education or training, continue; the drop in the number of students leaving school with low levels of qualifications starting at college this year has been the most dramatic, even if it has improved since the previous study. In addition, the decline is steeper in the most deprived areas of the country.
“If these young people are not studying at college then they are most likely to drop out of education altogether because most schools do not provide the types of courses they need, and work-based learning routes like apprenticeships are closed to them.
“Although the recruitment picture is clearer it is, sadly, less obvious as to what is driving this decline in enrolments among those students leaving school with the fewest qualifications. Our members tell us that the loss of the Connexions service and the erosion of independent advice and guidance is likely to have had a significant impact, as have, say members, local authority transport cuts and the disappearance of the Education Maintenance Allowance. Students’ worries about employment prospects and higher education costs may also be a stumbling block to aspiration.
“There is clearly more work to be done to appreciate behaviours among this age group and we would continue to ask Government to work with AoC and partners to better understand cause and effect in this regard. In tandem, we believe that there is a need for a more co-ordinated policy programme across Government departments, predicated on robust research. Underpinning policy development should be the consistent guiding principle that Government and its agencies should eradicate the various barriers that, as indicated by our research, too many young people face when seeking to enrol on quality courses that lead to employment for themselves, and provide wider socio-economic benefits to their communities.”
View all news
