Higher Skills Learners – Enrolments (Updated In-Year)

The chart shows a further fall in learners undertaking full higher level education programmes with the College so far in 2024-25, continuing the pattern from the previous year. This is largely due to individuals and employers finding alternative College routes to higher level upskilling more attractive, including modular programmes and WMCA funded adult skills programmes. In addition, the College now uses university partners to deliver more of its higher education provision on our sites. We will continue to offer and expand our traditional higher education opportunities for local people, most notably through collaboration with university partners who deliver from our sites, where there is local demand for these skills.

Higher Skills Learners – Enrolments (2022-23 Year-End Data)

Engagement and participation rates

Learner engagement trend analysis

The college considers higher skills learners as:

1. HNC/D students – those studying dedicated HE programmes on a full or part time basis.

2. Classroom based Level 4+ students – adults studying FE provision that is Level 4 or higher – including professional programmes such as Teacher Training.

3. Higher Apprenticeships- those studying a Level 4 and above through an Apprenticeship programme.

In 2022/23 we had 410 students undertaking higher level learning through classroom based and HNC/D programmes. The numbers on traditional stand-alone HNC/D programmes have continued to decline from a high point in 2017. The impact of this was more than offset by the continuing use of West Midlands Combined Authority flexibilities for HE programmes and the opening of the Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology. Meaning overall student numbers have increased compared to the previous year.

Higher Apprenticeship recruitment also increased compared to the previous year to 390 in 2022-23. These students continue to be a strategic priority for the college, and we have plans to further expand our HE apprenticeship offer, particularly through the ongoing work of the Institute of Technology and Higher Educational partners.

Travel to Learn Map

The map shows the travel to learn pattern of our Higher Education students in 2022-23. The majority of students continue to be from Dudley Borough and the wider Black Country area. Increasingly students are looking to remain in locally to study rather than travel elsewhere.

However, it also shows that the college is attracting higher level students from across the wider West Midlands, and we expect that to broaden as the Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology continues to establish itself and as we participate in the Aspire to HE project. We are pleased to see that, as we strengthen our higher-level offer and build our reputation for quality delivery of learning and skills, we are able to draw students from farther afield, with the Institute of Technology giving us a national reach in some sectors.