FE/WBL Early Leavers Research

A Report to Department of Education, Learning and Skills

June 2006

Focusing on…

• Understanding and quantifying early leaving

• Explaining regional variations • Variations by occupational/learning

route and industrial sector• Particular groups that are more likely

than others to be early leavers• Barriers to completion in FE and WBL• Provider variations

Methodology

• Four main elements:– Secondary research– Analysis of Learner Data and Learner

Surveys– Qualitative survey of a sample of Early

Leavers– Stakeholder consultations

Results of previous studies suggest…

• No one reason for early leaving - relating to personal circumstances, experience of course, place of study, alternative opportunities.

• Some have cycles of attending, withdrawing and returning.

• Early leaving not necessarily a ‘failure’ (though Skillbuild evaluation questioned if meeting needs).

Key findings include…• Factors associated with quality and standards of

the provider may be the differentiating factor. Where standards and provision are good learners are less likely to be early leavers.

• Non completers on apprenticeships have problems with travel, financial difficulties, and family circumstances or social life that got in the way of training.

• Lack of clear career direction, not getting their first choice option, and/or not being aware of what the course entails are shown to underpin learners’ decision to leave.

• Failure to achieve key skills may account for low achievement on Apprenticeship Frameworks.

Differences between sectors affected by…

• Lack of opportunities/commitment by employers in some of the newer Framework sectors to offering the full range of experience required.

• Methods used to recruit learners, the length and demands of the different frameworks (range of qualifications included), and arrangements for delivery (provision of on and off-the-job training).

• Differences in the standard between providers.• Labour market context for different industries.

Patterns in Early Leaving

• Analysis of learners with expected end date between the 1st Sept 04 & 1st Sept 05. 311,500 learners (285,000 FE learners + 27,000 WBL).

• Overall early leaving FE and WBL equates to one in six of all learners (16%)

• Variations between programmes: – 15% in FE – 28% in WBL overall (including 41% in

Apprenticeships).

• Wide variation across providers.

South East comes off worse…

• South East has highest FE learners terminating before the end of the LP (at least four percentage points above others).

• South East has the highest level of early leaving from WBL (accounts for 52% of all unsuccessful learners from WBL).

• South East has above the average early leaving on MAs and FMAs

Some differences by learner group…

Patterns in Early Leaving by Learner Characteristics

Further Education Work Based Learning

High

Young people

16-19 Women

Mixed ethnic

origin Black ethnic

origin 20+ years 25+ years (MAs)

Young people

20-24 Economically

inactive People with L1/L2 quals Mixed ethnic origin

Chinese ethnic origin

Women Employed people

(MAs) Entry & Pre-entry qualifs

LLDD

Men

Unemployed and

seeking work

People with L4/L5

qualifications

25+ age groups

Disabled learners

People in rural

areas People in rural areas

Low

Further Education• Most prevalent reasons for non completion are:

– not being happy with the course (13%), – wrong choice (11%), – got a job (9%), – health reasons (9%).

• Younger age groups are most likely to give wrong choice of course as the reason for early leaving.

• More men than women left due to getting a job or health reasons. A fifth of people aged 55+ left for health reasons.

• Only 44% of FE non completers were extremely or very satisfied with their learning experience, compared to 76% of completers. Satisfied learners are less likely than average to be a non completer.

Work Based Learning• Employment reasons important for WBL early leaving:

– A third left before because they get another job(33%) – 6% left because they lost the job or made

redundant/company closed down, – 2% had changed positions.

• Over one in ten on WBL said they quit because it was the ‘wrong course’, and 4% changed their minds/didn’t enjoy it. SkillBuild leavers were most likely to leave due to wrong course compared to the other WBL strands.

• Personal reasons were the next biggest factor in the decision to leave.

• ‘Too much work’ affected 6% of early leavers (more on Modern Apprenticeships).

• WBL leavers have lower satisfaction ratings than completers.

Early leaving by sector framework

• On Apprenticeships, the highest rates of early leaving are associated with: – Health care and public services– Hospitality– Leisure, sport and travel– Retailing and customer services– Management and professional

Socio-Economic Indicators• Learners in the most densely populated areas tend to

have higher rates of non completion. Lack of choice/options is probably an issue in rural areas.

• Districts which are most deprived have higher rates of non completion. However, non achievement amongst learners who do complete from these districts is extremely low, suggesting that learners who do make it to the end of the learning programme are strongly committed to getting a good result.

• Learners located in areas with high unemployment, measured by the Benefit Claimant Rate, have higher rates of non completion than those in low unemployment areas, raising issues about commitment to learning.

Quality Issues

• FE providers with the most effective teaching, training and assessment have the lowest rates of early leaving, as do those with good quality leadership and management.

• For Apprenticeship programmes, the lowest rates of early leaving are associated with providers which have the most effective teaching, training and assessment, that meet the needs and interests of learners, and have good systems for caring, guiding and supporting learners.

• Apprenticeship providers which are assessed as effectively managing resources have almost half the average early leaving rate.

Conclusions• Age and sex are key variables – reflecting

different circumstances of men and women and younger people’s greater uncertainty about career direction.

• Duration of learning programme is also a key explanatory variable – reflecting the fact that the longer the course duration the more that can change in learners’ personal and employment situation.

• Learner aptitude an explanatory variable in FE. • Provider quality measures have a strong

influence and improvements in this field may help to reduce non completion.

Destinations

• Information on destinations is poor for both early leavers and completers.

• Early leavers are much more likely than completers to have had a change in circumstance, especially new employment/changed jobs.

• Early leavers are much less likely than completers to be continuing in learning, but are not ‘put off’ (in surveys most say they would return to learning).

Regional Patterns

• Provider practices may vary (eg. in FE average number of awards per learner varies).

• Population density is more strongly linked to early leaving than economic indicators. Lack of choice may mean learners stick with provision in rural areas, but the numbers are lower suggesting those in learning may be more committed.

• Higher unemployment areas have higher early leaving, perhaps because learners are not committed to learning.

What did Early Leavers say?

• Ninety four early leavers interviewed by telephone and face to face.

• Diverse spectrum of people but three main groups can be identified. – Unhappy with the arrangements for learning (incl

inappropriate provision) who terminated the learning fairly early on, or did not start;

– Had a change in circumstances (personal circumstances or work);

– Prevented from achieving qualification (did not submit portfolio/enter exams).

• Only one person lacked motivation to learn. • Relatively few of the early leavers we spoke to were

completely happy with the learning programme

Work Based Learning

• Most prevalent reasons for non completion of Work Based Learning were: – Pressure of work (including having to cover

for absent staff); – Getting a promotion; – Other options perceived as more attractive

(eg. another job); – Redundancy/Unemployment; – Not being able to submit portfolio.

Further Education

• The most prevalent reasons for non completion of FE were: – Not happy with choice of course;– Illness;– Extra caring responsibilities; – No time to study; – Not making sufficient progress; – College loosing student’s work.

What did Stakeholders say?

• Lack of options can lead to inappropriate referral (eg. not meeting additional support needs)

• Opportunities are being missed for Personal Advisers to work more closely with providers

• Procedures for tracking/following up early leavers vary between providers. Not all info is on the LLWR.

• Some providers…– take strategic decisions to favour provision where

success if maximised;– Employ strategies to affect recorded early leaving

rates (eg. extended induction).

Providers Perspectives

• Completion of key skills is a key issue on WBL.

• Providers can help to improve early leaving rates through:– the support offered, – having good communication between trainees,

trainers and employers,– overcoming barriers to delivering learning and – helping people to complete even after they

have changed positions or moved on. • Employers have a key impact. • Disaffected young people and pregnancy

an issue for some providers.

RecommendationsLearning Providers:

• Driving up quality of provision. • Implementing recommendations emerging from PPR,

including assessment and induction, monitoring and support.

• Closer working with Personal Advisers.

Marketing/Promotion:

• Providing good information on what is involved and what is required of learners.

• Marketing Apprenticeships appropriately. • Encouraging employers to support Apprentices.• Getting commitments/agreements with employers.

Recommendations continued

DELLS:

• Using PPR to drive up quality. • Range of available learning options and programme design. • Improving the information base. • Better consistency in tracking and monitoring.

Careers Wales:

• Targeted assistance for ‘at risk’ groups

Further Research:

• Developing evidence of what works.