Welcome back to the start of another academic year. In recent weeks we have been busy in the Learning Plus UK office creating the Autumn update of your Post-16 LPUK Datadashboards©.We hope you find the new online format, and the Headline Measures pdf report a useful tool. Level 3 vocational qualifications always figure prominently in our Datadashboard.

So we thought it would be interesting to look at the breakdown for different institutions.  Who’s offering L3 vocational courses? And has there been a change in the places offering these courses?

Between 2011 and 2012, the number of vocational awards increased by 56,400 and:

The number of school students getting L3 vocational courses increased

Most of the students studying L3 vocational courses were at FE.  However, there was a slight drop in the overall number.

Students gaining their qualification with training providers or employers remained the same.

So although only a slight increase, there has been a move to more students studying vocational courses at schools.

Is this the case for you?  Are the number of students studying for vocational courses rising in your local schools?  Are FE colleges still the largest provider of post-16 studies in your area?

We’ll keep an eye on this and when the 2013 figures are out, we’ll let you know.

Click here to view the Big Numbers infographic.