FE data library: other statistics and research
Source: data.gov.uk (2016-12-02)

Other statistics published alongside the statistical first release.

These are not National Statistics, but complement the information in the main release.

FE trends

FE trends provides an overview of adult (19+) government-funded further education and all age apprenticeships in England. It looks to provide trends between 2008/09 and 2013/14 and to give an overview of FE provision, characteristics of learners and outcomes over time.

International Comparisons Supplementary Tables

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) produces an annual publication, Education at a Glance, providing a variety of comparisons between OECD countries. The table provided here contains a summary of the relative ranking in education attainment of the 25-64 year old population in OECD countries in 2012.
The OECD statistics use the International Standard Classification of Education. Within this, “at least upper secondary education” is equivalent to holding qualifications at Level 2 or above in the UK, and “tertiary education” is equivalent to holding qualifications at Level 4 or above in the UK.

STEM

This research is the result of a Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) funded, sector led project to gather and analyse data to inform the contribution that further education makes to STEM in England.
This project was led by The Royal Academy of Engineering, and governance of the project was specifically designed to ensure that those with an interest in STEM were actively engaged and involved in directing and prioritising outputs.
The November 2012 report builds on the FE and Skills STEM Data report published in July 2011 (below). It provides further analysis and interpretation of the existing data in a highly graphical format. It uses the same classified list of S,T, E and M qualifications as the 2011 report compiled through an analysis of the Register of Regulated Qualifications and the Learning Aim Database, updated with the most recent completions and achievements data taken from the Individualised Learner Record and the National Pupil Database.

FE STEM DATA PROJECT:
NOVEMBER 2012
REPORT

FE STEM data project:
November 2012 report
Author: Matthew Harrison, Director, Engineering and
Education, Royal Academy of Engineering
ISBN: xx-xxxx-xxxx
Copyright, Royal Academy of Engineering, 2012
Available to download from:
www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/
other_statistics_and_research
Acknowledgements
The contributions made by those who have
participated in the FE STEM data project since 2011
are acknowledged with particular thanks to
Jane Imrie (NCETM), Daniel Sandford Smith
(Gatsby Charitable Foundation), Ruth Wright
(Engineering Council) who have helped with the
classifications used in this report and Rhys Morgan
(Royal Academy of Engineering) who provided the
geographical mapping software used.

Royal Academy of Engineering
Introduction
1
Notes

3
Section 1
Overview of STEM in the FE and skills sector in England
4
Section 2
Year on year trend analysis
6
Section 3
Young people aged 16–18 years
9
Section 4
Analysis of apprenticeships
11
Section 5
Diversity
13
Section 6
Access to higher education courses
15
Section 7
Adults over the age of 25
16
Section 8
Regional variations
17
Table of contents

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
1
The term ‘STEM’ groups together the subjects of Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics. These subjects account for a significant proportion
of the qualifications achieved in the FE and skills sector and have been prioritised
by successive UK governments on account of the important role they play in
the economy1.
The Royal Academy has led the FE STEM Data Project since its inception in 2010
and has quantified the contribution to STEM education and skills made by the
FE and skills system in England through its 20102 and 20113 reports. This latest
report augments previous analysis with a further year of data (2010/2011) and
looks at key features in the data in greater depth.
The general process undertaken for the FE STEM Data project is:
1. To classify the qualifications included in the Learning Aims Database as
variously S, S-related, T, T-related, E, E-related, M, M-related, Numeracy
and non-STEM. This was undertaken from scratch for the 2010 report and
the same classification reused for the 2011 report. A full updating of the
classification was undertaken for this report, comprising more than 15,000
qualifications. In addition, the Apprenticeship frameworks provided through
the National Apprenticeship Service have also been classified for the first
time in this report.
2. To use the classifications above and the data from both the Individualised
Learner Record and the Schools QSR datasets to produce a single Microsoft
SSAS OLAP Data Cube that can be accessed using conventional spreadsheet
software. The granularity of the Data Cube is at Aim level, with the data
comprising Learning Aims for the academic years 2007/2008 through to
2010/2011.
3. To analyse the Data Cube to produce charts and figures that exemplify the
extent and nature of STEM provision in the FE and skills sector in England
using data for 16– to 18-year-olds in schools for comparison as appropriate.
Introduction
1
Matthew Harrison (2012), Jobs and growth: the importance of engineering skills in the UK economy,
Royal Academy of Engineering www.raeng.org.uk/jobsandgrowth
2
Andy Frost, Clive Greatorex, Matthew Harrison, David Mason (2010), FE and Skills STEM Data
Summary report, October 2010, Blue Alumni / Royal Academy of Engineering
www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/other_statistics_and_research
3
Matthew Harrison (project leader) 2011, FE STEM Data Project July 2011 report, Royal Academy
of Engineering www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/other_statistics_and_research

2 Royal Academy of Engineering
The Data Cube holds the following dimensions:
n
STEM categories (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, Numeracy)
n
STEM-related qualifications
n
Funding stream
n
Qualification framework
n
Age bands
n
Learner attributes including gender, ethnicity, learning difficulty and/or
disability, prior attainment level. It should be noted that prior attainment
level are not high quality data, but are better for those on Level 2 and Level 3
qualifications than other Learning Aims.
n
Institution attributes including type, government office region, subregion
n
Academic year
n
Qualification level
n
Qualification name
n
Local education authority
n
Provider name

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
3
n
S, T, E and M qualifications are taken to be those that contain learning outcomes
that are deeply rooted in science, mathematics or engineering and/or are of a
‘technical’ or ‘technology-application/use’ nature.
n
S, T, E and M qualifications are deemed distinct from other qualifications
because they can, for those who wish it, provide the required foundation for
progression into further study or employment in an S, T, E or M related field.
n
To take account of the modular nature of some qualifications, they are deemed
to lie within S,T,E or M when the majority of the assessment objectives are
science-, technology-, engineering- or mathematics-focused (and /or the
qualification is recognised as a pre-requisite for progression in S,T,E or M).
n
They are deemed to be S-, T-, E- or M-related when science, technology,
engineering or mathematics feature in many learning objectives (and/or the
qualification provides a degree of learning that will aid progression in S, T, E or M).
n
They are deemed to be outside of S, T, E or M if S, T, E or M does not feature in at
least some learning objectives for all learners (not just those who take S, T, E or
M related options within the qualification).
n
By convention adopted by the FE STEM Data project, qualifications allied to
medicine (such as nursing) and qualifications allied to agriculture and animal
keeping are deemed outside of STEM.
n
Mathematics has been further subdivided into mathematics and numeracy in
order to distinguish the ‘life skills’ associated with numeracy qualifications from
mathematics as a pure/applied discipline.
n
There is a significant quantity of both mathematics and numeracy embedded in
qualifications of all types and in a wide range of subjects. This is not accounted
for in the analysis presented here.
n
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, charts show data for qualifications achieved
by learners at all levels in the FE and skills sector in England for the academic
year 2010/11.
n
‘Achievements’ are defined as the number of achievements for a particular
qualification in a given year and is the preferred measure because it describes
what the FE and skills sector has produced in that year. However, care should be
taken when considering achievement data aggregated across more than one
qualification as this will not necessarily equate to the number of learners because
learners can achieve more than one qualification in a given year. For robust
comparison with schools data it was necessary to use ‘Completions’ and where
this has been done it is stated in the charts. A full definition of the terms
‘Enrolments’, ‘Completions’ and ‘Achievements’ can be found in Section 3 of the
October 2010 report.
n
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, charts which represent data for all of STEM
show combined data for S, T, E and M and ‘S-, T-, E- and M-related’ qualifications.
n
“Hybrid” qualifications are those that are classified as combinations of S, T, E, M
and numeracy.
n
When interpreting the data it should be noted that learners cross borders and
that some local authorities (LAs) collaborate on provision.
n
Regional and LA data are associated with the place where learning took place.
n
For reference, the following are examples of the various ‘Levels’ of qualifications
quoted in this report: ‘Level 1’ – GCSE grades D–G; ‘Level 2’ – GCSE grades A*–C,
Intermediate Apprenticeships; ‘Level 3’ – A Levels, Advanced Apprenticeships;
‘Level 4’ and above – Higher Apprenticeship, HNC/HND and Foundation Degree.
Notes

4 Royal Academy of Engineering
Section 1: Overview of STEM in the
FE and skills sector in England
6.67 million qualifications were achieved in the FE and skills sector in England in
2010/2011.
1.65 million of these were in STEM and STEM-related subjects or in numeracy.
Each STEM subject contributes fairly evenly to the 25% of post-16 achievements
that are in STEM subjects4. ‘Hybrid’ qualifications are those that were classified as
combinations of S,T,E,M and numeracy.
4
In Figure 1.3 of the 2011 report the equivalent figure was 28%, although much of the three
percentage point difference is due to rounding effects in the production of that figure. Less than
one percentage point difference is due to the effects of the reclassification undertaken for the
2012 report or differences in uptake of STEM qualifications.
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Numeracy
Hybrids
Not STEM
75%
Figure 1 : Proportions of
funded qualifications
achieved in the FE and Skills
Sector in 2010/11 (includes
STEM-related)

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
5
The number of qualifications achieved at each qualification level varies between
STEM subjects. Numeracy qualifications are predominantly achieved at lower
levels; technology, engineering and mathematics at lower and intermediate levels
(Level 2); and science and hybrid qualifications at advanced level (Level 3).
Relatively few STEM qualifications at Level 4 and above are funded by the
Skills Funding Agency in the FE and skills sector in England and therefore few
achievements at Level 4 and above are shown in this report. Many more, funded
in the Higher Education sector through the Higher Education Funding Council
and through the Student Loan Company are achieved in England but are not
shown here5.
5
These are routinely reported by the Higher Education Statistical Agency
n
Entry level
n Level 1
n Level 2
n Level 3
n Level 4 and above
n Mixed, unclassified
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Numeracy
Hybrids
Figure 2 : Numbers
of funded STEM
(including STEM-related)
qualifications in the FE and
skills sector 2010/11

6 Royal Academy of Engineering
Section 2: Year on year trend analysis
This report provides the first opportunity to inspect trends as data have now been
collected over four years. Care should be taken with trend analysis but it does
appear that over the period 2007–2011:
n
The number of achievements in science, engineering and hybrids has held.
n
The number of achievements in technology qualifications has dropped
significantly.
n
The number of achievements in mathematics and numeracy varies between
years but with no obvious overall trend.
n
2007/08
n 2008/09
n 2009/10
n 2010/11
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Science Technology
Engineering Mathematics
Numeracy
Hybrids
Figure 3: Numbers
of funded STEM
(including STEM-related)
qualifications achieved
in the FE and skills sector
over four academic years

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
7
Comparing the number of STEM achievements with those in non-STEM subjects
shows that trends for STEM subjects broadly follow those for non-STEM subjects.
However, growth in non-STEM subjects seen at Level 2 is not replicated for
STEM subjects.
n
2007/08
n 2008/09
n 2009/10
n 2010/11
2,000,000
1,800,000
1,600,000
1,400,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
-
Entry Level: STEM
Entry Level: Not STEM
Level 1: STEM
Level 1: Not STEM
Level 2: STEM
Level 2: Not STEM
Level 3: STEM
Level3: Not STEM
Level 4+: STEM
Level 4+: Not STEM
Mixed, unclassified: STEM
Mixed, unclassified: Not STEM
Figure 4: Numbers of funded
STEM (including STEM-related)
qualifications achieved in the
FE and skills sector over four
academic years

8 Royal Academy of Engineering
6
Office of National Statistics
7
Association of Colleges (AoC), 2012 College Enrolment Survey, September 2012
Inspecting trends for both young people (aged 16–18) and adults (aged 19+), the
general trend for STEM achievements among adults is mostly downward (with
the exception of engineering and mathematics). The trends for young people are
often more positive.
The number of 16- to 18-year-olds in England dropped by more than 10% in
the period 2007–20116. Despite this, the number of qualifications (all subjects)
achieved by 16- to 18-year-olds in the FE and skills sector rose by 17% from 2.3
million to 2.7 million.
Looking for the latest evidence, the Association of Colleges 2012 College
Enrolment Survey7 of one-third of Colleges in England would suggest that there
may be a current upward trend in STEM across all ages:
n
51% of colleges surveyed reported a rise in enrolments for engineering
courses, compared to 12% reporting a decline.
n
37% reported a rise in science enrolments. 17% reported a decline.
n
35% reported a rise in mathematics enrolments. 16% reported a decline.
n
2007/08
n 2008/09
n 2009/10
n 2010/11
450,000
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
-
Science: Young people
Science: Adults (19+)
Technology: Young people
Technology: Adults (19+)
Engineering: Young people
Engineering: Adults (19+)
Mathematics: Young people
Mathematics: Adult (19+)
Numeracy: Young people
Numeracy: Adults (19+)
Hybrids: Young people
Hybrids: Adults (19+)
Figure 5: Numbers of funded
STEM (including STEM-related)
qualifications achieved in the
FE and skills sector over four
academic years

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
9
Science
25%
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Numeracy
Hybrids
Not STEM
51%
1.37 million qualifications were achieved by 16- to 18-year-olds in schools in
England in 2010/2011. In the FE and skills sector it was 3.07 million.
In schools, 667,000 of these were in STEM and STEM-related subjects or in
Numeracy. In the FE and skills sector it was 956,000.
In marked contrast to STEM completions in the FE and skills sector, in schools
individual STEM subjects contribute in different degrees to the 49% of 16–18
completions that are in STEM subjects. Much higher proportions of completions
in science and mathematics and much lower proportions of completions in
engineering and numeracy are evident.
FE and skills
59%
Schools
41%
Section 3: Young people aged 16–18 years
Figure 6: Proportions of
funded qualifications
completed in schools in
England in 2010/11 (includes
STEM-related)
Figure 7: Proportions of
funded STEM qualifications
completed by 16- to 18-year-
olds in England 2010/11
(1,623,000 total)

10 Royal Academy of Engineering
STEM completions in schools are dominated by Level 3 completions, particularly
in science.
n
Entry level
n Level 1
n Level 2
n Level 3
n Level 4 and above
n Mixed, unclassified
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Numeracy
Hybrids
Figure 9: Numbers of funded
STEM (including STEM-related)
qualifications completed by
16- to 18-year-olds in the FE
and skills sector 2010/11
n
Entry level
n Level 1
n Level 2
n Level 3
n Level 4 and above
n Mixed, unclassified
180,000
160,000
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Numeracy
Hybrids
Figure 8: Numbers of funded
STEM (including STEM-related)
qualifications completed by
students aged 16+ in schools
in England 2010/11
In the FE and skills sector there is a broader mix of levels, although Level 3 still
dominates in science and also in technology.

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
11
Using the S,T,E,M (and related) classification of the Apprenticeship frameworks
provided through the National Apprenticeship Service produced uniquely for this
project, the dominance of non-STEM apprenticeships at Level 2 (Intermediate)
is self-evident.
However at the Advanced level the number of achievements in STEM and
non-STEM apprenticeships are broadly comparable.
Section 4: Analysis of apprenticeships
n 2007/8
n 2008/9
n 2009/10
n 2010/11
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
STEM
Intermediate
Non-STEM
Intermediate
STEM
Advanced
Non-STEM
Advanced
STEM
Higher
Non-STEM
Higher
Figure 10: Apprenticeship
framework achievements
2010/11 (all ages)
Figure 11: Starts in STEM
(including STEM-related)
Apprenticeship frameworks
2010/11
n
Intermediate Level Apprenticeship
n Advanced Level Apprenticeship
n Higher Level Apprenticeship
50,000
45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
-
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Numeracy
Hybrids
STEM apprenticeships are dominated by engineering apprenticeships.
Non-STEM apprenticeship starts in 2010/11
Intermediate
239,124
Advanced
104,035
Higher
1

12 Royal Academy of Engineering
The FE STEM Data project approach to the classification of apprenticeships
both by framework and by the qualifications approved for frameworks allows
unique insight into the provision of technical qualifications. More engineering
qualifications ‘approved’ for Apprenticeship frameworks are achieved outside of
Apprenticeship frameworks than within, with the strongest effect being due to
the achievements of adults at Level 2.
42% of the ‘approved’ engineering qualifications achieved outside of frameworks
were NVQ-type qualifications. The remainder were VRQ-type qualifications as this
particular analysis does not include Key Skills or Functional Skills qualifications.
STEM apprenticeships are recognised for their high wage returns8 and for
their role in transition to Registered Technician status9. STEM qualifications
offer significant wage value, particularly when used in SET occupations10.
Therefore the labour market reacts positively to the type of qualifications being
analysed here. Reasons for the relatively high number of ‘approved’ engineering
qualifications being taken outside of frameworks are unclear and need further
examination. It may be that leaners or their employers are selecting only some of
the qualifications in a particular framework or that they are adding to approved
qualifications gained earlier or elsewhere. However, it is clear, when policy makers
take stock of the engineering skills pipeline, both framework and non-framework
achievements have to be assessed.
8
A recent example – NAO (2012), National Audit office report on adult Apprenticeship, February 2012
9
Technician Council (2012), Professional Technician: the future, Technician Council, 2012 (available
to download from www.professional-technician.org.uk)
10 Charley Greenwood, Matthew Harrison, Anna Vignoles (2011), Institute of Education / Royal
Academy of Engineering http://tinyurl.com/ambfecp
Figure 12: Funded and
unfunded achievements in
engineering and engineering-
related qualifications
approved for Apprenticeship
frameworks, 2010/11
n
Not achieved in framework
n Achieved in framework
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
-
Under
19
Level 1
Under
19
Level 2
Under
19
Level 3
Under
19
Level 4+
19+
Level 1
19+
Level
2
19+
Level
3
19+
Level
4+

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
13
The under-representation of women in engineering is well known as clearly
evident in the FE STEM data. However, their historical dominance of technology
qualifications is a new finding – as is the downward trend in recent years.
The finding that the hybrid qualifications are taken mostly by men is explained by
the prevalence of engineering in these qualifications.
The gender balance in other subjects is more even, with trends for men being
broadly similar to the trends for women.
In 2010/11 the percentage of achievements in non-STEM subjects by women of
all ages was 57% (2.82 million Female, 2.16 million Male).
Section 5: Diversity
Figure 13: Funded achievements
in STEM qualifications, FE and
skills sector
n
Science
n Technology
n Engineering
n Mathematics
n Numeracy
n Hybrids
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
% of all achievements
2007/08
Female
2007/08
Male
2008/09
Female
2008/09
Male
2009/10
Female
2009/10
Male
2010/11
Female
2010/11
Male
Figure 14: Funded STEM
achievements in FE and skills sector
n
2007/08
n 2008/09
n 2009/10
n 2010/11
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
% of all achievements
Asian/ Asian British
Black/African/
Caribbean/
Black British
Mixed/ multiple
ethnic group
Not known/
not provided
Other ethnic group
(incl. Chinese)

14 Royal Academy of Engineering
Learners from a range of minority ethnic groups achieve 20% of the STEM
qualifications in the FE and skills sector in England when people from minority
ethnic groups make up 14% of the UK population as a whole11. The same
proportions of achievements are seen for each minority ethnic group for non-
STEM subjects, suggesting that either learners from minority ethnic groups are
over-represented in the FE and skills sector or they achieve more qualifications
on average.
The titles used for each ethnic group are the ones used in the datasets used in
this report. No further disaggregation is possible.
In 2010/11, 338,000 STEM qualifications were achieved by learners from minority
ethnic groups. The equivalent number for non-STEM subjects was 1.02 million.
STEM achievements among most ethnic minority groups have been increasing
slightly year on year.
Figure 15: Funded STEM
qualifications achieved FE and
skills sector, 2010/11
Asian/
Asian British
8%
Black/African/
Caribbean/
Black British
6%
Mixed/ multiple ethnic group 3%
Not known/ Not provided 1%
Other ethnic group
(incl. Chinese)
2%
White
80%
11 Office of National Statistics

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
15
The achievement of Level 3 STEM qualifications in the FE and skills sector enabling
progression to STEM higher education has been analysed in previous reports.
This is augmented here with an analysis of STEM Access to HE courses.
By way of comparison, access to HE courses in nursing
2007/08
1,082 achievements
2008/09
2,056
2009/10
2,876
2010/11
3,105
Section 6: Access to higher
education courses
Figure 16: Funded
achievements in Access to HE
courses, FE and skills sector,
STEM and STEM-related
subjects
n
2007/08
n 2008/09
n 2009/10
n 2010/11
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics
Hybrids

16 Royal Academy of Engineering
From 2013, learners aged 25 and over will be required to fund the full cost of
courses at Level 3 and above.
Analysis of such achievements in 2010/11 allows an assessment of the proportion
of STEM achievements likely to be affected by this policy change.
Nationally, fewer than 3% of STEM achievements are likely to be affected,
although there is considerable variation between subjects:
Science
2.66%
Technology
1.42%
Engineering
8.19%
Mathematics
2.89%
Numeracy
0%
Hybrids
0.46%
Figure 17: Funded achievements
in STEM qualifications, FE and
skills sector
n
Science
n Technology
n Engineering
n Mathematics
n Numeracy
n Hybrids
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
East Midlands
East of England
London
North East
North West
South East
South West
West Midlands
Section 7: Adults over the age of 25
Yorkshire and
the Humber

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
17
Section 8: Regional variations
Figure 18: Funded
achievements in FE and skills
sector, 2010/11
The FE and skills sector provides STEM and non-STEM courses to both adults and
young people. Overall there are more achievements by adults than young people
but the proportions can vary significantly (in the East of England there is almost
an even balance whereas adult learners are in the majority in London).
Figure 19: Funded STEM
achievements FE and skills
sector, 2010/11
n
16–18 STEM
achievements
n 19+ STEM
achievements
160,000
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
East Midlands
East of England
London
North East
North West
South East
South West
West Midlands
Yorkshire and
the Humber
● East Midlands
● North East
● South West
● East of England
● North West
● West Midlands
● London
● South East
● Yorkshire and the Humber
Bubble width shows total
number of STEM
achievements (all ages)
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
16–18 achievements (all subjects)
96,000
STEM
134,000
STEM
143,000
STEM
179,000
STEM
146,000
STEM
182,000
STEM
239,000
STEM
250,000
STEM
171,000
STEM
19+ achievements (all subjects)

18 Royal Academy of Engineering
The proportion of achievements that are in STEM subjects vary around the
country, although with the exception of London, variations in the STEM proportion
at UK regional level are fairly small.
Figure 20: Percentage of
funded achievements (all
ages) that are STEM, 2010/11
20
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
East
Midlands
East of
England
London
North
East
North
West
South
East
South
West
West
Midlands
Yorkshire
and the
Humber
National
Figure 21: Ratio of funded
STEM achievements 2010/11
to size of regional population
according to 2011 Census
n 16–18 STEM achievements
n 19+ STEM achievements
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
East Midlands
East of England
London
North East
North West
South East
South West
West Midlands
Yorkshire and
the Humber
National
Variations between regions become more marked when both age and size of
population are taken into account.
Census data: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/index.html

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
19
Analysis at UK regional level masks very significant variations found at sub-
regional level. In the 2010/11 maps shown here local education authority
boundaries are used.
Figure 22: Percentage of 16–18
completions in schools that
are STEM
n >55%
n 50–55%
n 45–50%
n <45%
London

20 Royal Academy of Engineering
Low proportions of STEM in schools are not always compensated for by the STEM
achievements of young people in the FE and skills system.
Figure 23: Percentage of 16–18
achievements in FE and skills
sector that are STEM
n >35%
n 30–35%
n 25–30%
n <25%
London

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
21
The relative paucity of STEM achievement among adults is evident with few areas
of England reaching 25%.
There are some steep gradients in the proportion of STEM, particularly but not
exclusively in London.
Figure 24: Percentage of 19+
achievements in FE and skills
sector that are STEM
n >25%
n 20–25%
n 15–20%
n <15%
London

22 Royal Academy of Engineering

FE STEM data project: November 2012 report
23

As the UK’s national academy for engineering, we
bring together the most successful and talented
engineers from across the engineering sectors for a
shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in
engineering. We provide analysis and policy support to
promote the UK’s role as a great place from which to
do business. We take a lead on engineering education
and we invest in the UK’s world class research base
to underpin innovation. We work to improve public
awareness and understanding of engineering. We are
a national academy with a global outlook and use
our international partnerships to ensure that the
UK benefits from international networks, expertise
and investment.
The Academy’s work programmes are driven by four
strategic challenges, each of which provides a key
contribution to a strong and vibrant engineering sector
and to the health and wealth of society:
Drive faster and more balanced
economic growth
Foster better education and skills
Lead the profession
Promote engineering at the heart
of society
Royal Academy of Engineering
3 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG
Tel: xx-xxxx-xxxx
www.raeng.org.uk
Registered charity number 293074
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