Skip to main content

Students (Drop-out Rates)

Volume 453: debated on Tuesday 21 November 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of students dropped out of (a) apprenticeships, (b) advanced apprenticeships, (c) other NVQ learning, (d) entry to employment, (e) train-to-gain, (f) foundation degrees and (g) workstep programmes in each year since 1997. (101855)

Figures relating to drop-out or retention have only been published with respect to NVQ learning in the further education (FE) sector and are reproduced in the following table:

NVQ aims (starts in 000s)Retention rate (percentage)

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4/5

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4/5

1997/98

1998/99

1999/2000

60

187

76

15

63

60

64

66

2000/01

49

179

75

62

59

63

2001/02

37

153

67

67

61

64

2002/03

42

158

72

71

61

65

2003/04

40

149

71

74

67

66

2004/05

43

155

72

76

70

69

Note: The number of starts (relating to the cohort of people expected to complete in each year) is shown to give an indication of the relative weightings between cohorts; it does not show the complete number of starts for that year.

Drop-out rates for foundation degree students have not previously been calculated. However, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will be publishing a document on foundation degrees later this year which will include drop-out rates as well as other statistics.

Figures for Train-to-Gain are not yet available given the recent nation roll-out of the programme in August 2006. Figures are not available for the Workstep programme funded by the Department for Work and Pensions through Jobcentre Plus.