ENGLAND Lifelong Learning UK is the Sector Skills Council responsible for supporting the development of the lifelong learning workforce. We are an employer-led organisation with one agenda – to ensure that the lifelong learning workforce is the best that it can be. We understand that having a world class lifelong learning workforce is pivotal to having a world class UK workforce. We do this by working in each of the four UK nations to: • develop national occupational standards and ensure qualifications meet employers needs • provide authoritative labour market intelligence for the sector • raise employer engagement, demand and investment in skills.
Information and Advice Service Tel: 020 7936 5798 Email: advice@lluk.org www.lluk.org
The lifelong learning workforce is made up of approximately 1.2 million people across the UK working to deliver and support lifelong learning in five interrelated areas: • community learning and development • further education • higher education • libraries, archives and information services • work based learning From April 2009 career guidance is also included in the lifelong learning sector, although data on the career guidance workforce is not included in this factsheet.
This factsheet uses information from our own research and other sources to give a picture of the lifelong learning workforce in England. Published 2009
Information from primary research carried out by Lifelong Learning UK and existing sector specific sources is used where UK-wide sources such as the Labour Force Survey are limited. These rely on standard industrial classification, which is an imperfect match to the areas of work in the lifelong learning sector: for example, they do not sufficiently cover youth work, publicly funded work based learning, or archives and records management.
The lifelong learning sector in England There are approximately 44,000 employers in the lifelong learning sector in England1, including: • 369 further education colleges, including general further education colleges, specialist colleges and sixth form colleges • 133 higher education institutions • over 41,500 community learning and development providers, including adult and community learning, community development, community education, development education, family learning, working with parents and youth work • approximately 545 libraries and archives services • over 1,150 LSC-funded work based learning providers. It is likely that there are many other privately funded and voluntary organisations who also provide work based learning in England.
The lifelong learning sector in England accounts for a total output (at basic prices) of approximately £12 billion. The Gross Value Added for the sector in England is over £3 billion2.
The lifelong learning workforce in England Approximately 850,000 people work in the lifelong learning sector in England. This is around 76 per cent of the lifelong learning workforce in the UK. Figure 1 shows how the workforce is distributed in England. Figure 1: Distribution of the lifelong learning workforce in England 48,982 6%
198,575 23% 306,620 36%
82 per cent employ less than 10 staff. This is in line with the lifelong learning sector throughout the rest of the UK.
263,257 31%
Table 1: Employers by size of workforce in the lifelong learning sector in England Size band Percentage (number of employees) of employers Less than 10 10 to 49 50 to 199 200 or more
30,000 4%
Community learning and development Further education Higher education Libraries, archives and information services Work based learning
82 12 3 2
SOURCES: Labour Force Survey3, Lifelong Learning UK archives survey data4, Staff Individualised Record 2007/ 20085, Higher Education Statistics Agency staff record 2007/20086, estimates from the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services and the National Youth Agency.
SOURCE: Annual Business Inquiry 20062
Age 48 per cent of the lifelong learning workforce are aged between 45 and 64, compared to 38 per cent across all sectors in England3. This is most evident within the libraries workforce, where 61 per cent are aged 45 or over. In Table 2 the age band with the most staff is highlighted for each area of work. Table 2: Age profile of the lifelong learning workforce in England (percentage)
Age band
ACL / WBL
Archives and records management
Under 25 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
7 16 23 28 22 4
5 18 21 25 19 12
Further education
Higher education
Libraries
Lifelong learning staff in England
7 18 26 28 19 2
4 24 27 25 18 1
6 14 20 32 28 1
6 18 24 27 21 3
SOURCES: Lifelong learning staff in England3, ACL / WBL3 refers to the Adult and Community Learning workforce with some Work Based Learning providers (Lifelong Learning UK is working to improve data collection from these individual workforces). Archives and records management4. Further education5. Higher education6. Libraries3 is based on classification “Libraries and archives”, although staff working in archives are under-represented.
Gender 59 per cent of the workforce in England are women, compared to 46 per cent across all sectors in England3. Figure 2: Gender profile of the lifelong learning workforce in England Lifelong learning staff in England
41%
59%
ACL / WBL
34%
66%
Archives and records management
40%
60%
Further education
36%
64%
Higher education
47%
53%
Libraries
29%
71%
0%
20%
40%
60%
Male Female
80%
100%
SOURCES: Lifelong learning staff in England3, ACL / WBL3 refers to the Adult and Community Learning workforce with some Work Based Learning providers (Lifelong Learning UK is working to improve data collection from these individual workforces). Archives and records management4. Further education5. Higher education6. Libraries3 is based on classification “Libraries and archives�, although staff working in archives are under-represented.
Ethnicity The ethnic profile of the lifelong learning staff in England broadly reflects that of the wider population. However, figures for black and minority ethnic groups are likely to have increased in the eight years since the 2001 census, so black and ethnic minorities may not be as well represented as this data suggests. The biggest difference is in the numbers of Asian and British Asian staff in the lifelong learning workforce. Table 3: Ethnicity of the lifelong learning workforce in England
White Mixed Asian or Asian British Black or Black British Chinese Other ethnic group
Percentage of lifelong learning workforce in England3
Percentage of whole population in England7
91.3 1.1 2.3 2.3 1.0 2.0
90.9 1.3 4.6 2.3 0.5 0.4
NOTES: Ethnicity data for whole population of England is based on 2001 census findings, which may now be inaccurate.
Disability 12 per cent of the lifelong learning workforce in England have a disability3 (as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995). Staff Individualised Record data for 2007-2008 shows that 2.7 per cent of further education staff in England have a disability. The Equality and Human Rights commission estimates that 20 per cent of the working population across the UK are disabled. It is not clear whether this disparity is as a result of under-representation or under-reporting within the lifelong learning sector.
Working pattern 64 per cent of the lifelong learning workforce in England are employed full-time, compared to 74 per cent across all sectors in England3. Figure 3: Working pattern of the lifelong learning workforce in England Lifelong learning staff in England
64%
36%
ACL / WBL
55%
45%
Archives and records management
54%
46%
Further education
41%
59%
Higher education
65%
35%
Libraries
53%
47%
0%
60%
40%
20%
80%
Full-time Part-time
100%
SOURCES: Lifelong learning staff in England3, ACL / WBL3 refers to the Adult and Community Learning workforce with some Work Based Learning providers (Lifelong Learning UK is working to improve data collection from these individual workforces). Archives and records management4. Further education5. Higher education6. Libraries3 is based on classification “Libraries and archives�, although staff working in archives are under-represented.
Occupational level 50 per cent of the workforce are employed in professional occupations such as teachers, lecturers, librarians and youth workers. 15 per cent are in associate professional occupations such as youth support workers, learning support staff, technical specialists and library assistants3. Figure 4: Occupational profile of the lifelong learning workforce in England 8%
Managers and senior officials Professional occupations
Administrative and secretarial
Percentage of the lifelong learning workforce across England Percentage of the workforce (all sectors) across England
1% 11% 6% 8%
Personal service occupations Sales and customer service occupations
50%
13% 15% 15% 14% 11%
Associate professional and technical
Skilled trades occupations
16%
1%
Process plant and machine operatives* Elementary occupations 0%
8% 7% 5%
11%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
SOURCE: Labour Force Survey3. *Figure for lifelong learning staff at this occupational level is too low to report. For examples of occupational roles in lifelong learning see Table 3.
www.lluk.org
Skills shortages and skills gaps8
Qualifications
Hard to fill vacancies are those that are difficult to find suitable candidates for. Vacancies that are hard to fill because candidates lack suitable skills, experience or qualifications are referred to as skills shortage vacancies. In England: • The vacancy rate for the lifelong learning sector is approximately two per cent, compared to three per cent across all sectors. • The hard to fill vacancy rate for the lifelong learning sector is less than one per cent, which is the same across all sectors. • 13 per cent of all vacancies across the lifelong learning sector are skills shortage vacancies, compared to 21 per cent across all sectors8. Skills gaps arise when a member of staff is not fully proficient in their role. In England: • Seven per cent of staff in the lifelong learning sector have a skills gap, compared to six per cent across all sectors. • Where skills gaps arise, employers in all sectors (including lifelong learning) frequently cite skills gaps in “soft” skills such as customer handling, problem solving and communication skills. • Unlike employers in other sectors, lifelong learning employers have also identified notable weaknesses in IT skills.
68 per cent of the lifelong learning workforce is qualified to the equivalent of National Vocational Qualification level four or above. This compares to 33 per cent across all sectors in England3. Further education: 60 per cent of teaching staff in England’s colleges are qualified to first degree level equivalent or above5. Higher education: 85 per cent of academic staff in higher education in England are qualified to first degree level equivalent or above6. Archives: The most common qualification held by archivists and records managers in England is a higher degree or equivalent4.
Training Further training is the most common route employers take to overcome skills gaps in the lifelong learning sector and across all sectors in England. Over 85 per cent of lifelong learning employers in England provided on or off the job training to staff in the 12 months before the National Employer Skills Survey 2007, compared to 67 per cent across all sectors in England8. 37 per cent of staff in the lifelong learning sector in England received work related training paid for or organised by their employer during the last quarter before the Labour Force Survey3 in 2008.
Employment trends and future projections Despite forecasts indicating that numbers in some occupations will fall, overall the lifelong learning sector in England is likely to experience an increase in demand. It is estimated that approximately 582,000 people will need to be recruited into the sector over the next ten years to fill vacancies largely created by existing staff going into retirement. Table 3: Expected change in employment levels within each occupational group based on forecasts for the lifelong learning workforce across England Occupational groups
Examples
Managers and senior officials
Directors, Principals, CEOs, Heads of Service or Department Lecturers, teachers, tutors, assessors and verifiers, librarians, archivists, youth workers Learning support staff, assistant librarians, instructors, technicians Administrators, data entry clerks, library and archive assistants, receptionists Electricians, computer engineers, cooks Caretakers, cleaning managers or supervisors Sales assistants, call centre staff, customer service managers or supervisors Drivers Security guards, catering assistants, cleaning staff
Professional occupations Associate professional and technical Administrative and secretarial Skilled trades occupations Personal service occupations Sales and customer service occupations Machine and transport operatives Elementary occupations Overall
Workforce numbers 2007
Projected workforce numbers 2017
79,908
92,147
681,221
741,792
176,714
182,633
75,385
56,664
18,047 138,160 14,889
15,416 148,410 14,300
30,564 110,119
28,047 90,661
1,325,006
1,370,069
Working Futures III (2008). NB: This data is for the lifelong learning workforce across England. It includes the General Secondary Education workforce and excludes youth workers, record management staff and publicly funded work based learning providers. Working Futures III is produced by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research and provides a set of detailed and comprehensive employment projections.
LIFELONG LEARNING ENGLAND Did you know?
Want to know more?
The lifelong learning workforce is critical to the success of all other sectors as it provides training for other industries to up-skill their own workforces. This is essential in economic terms as there is a direct link between the acquisition and good use of skills and increasing productivity and growth. England, like the rest of the UK, needs a highly skilled workforce if it is to emerge from the current recession and continue to remain globally competitive.
For further information log on to www.lluk.org or contact our team in England Lifelong Learning UK 5th Floor, St Andrew’s House 18-20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AY Tel: 0870 757 7890 Fax: 0870 757 7889 Lifelong Learning UK 4th Floor, 36 Park Row Leeds LS1 5JL Tel: 0870 300 8110 Fax: 0113 242 5897 Email: enquiries@lluk.org
To find out more about the importance of the lifelong learning workforce and how Lifelong Learning UK works to support it, go to: www.lluk.org/the-power-of-lifelong-learning.htm
Regional summary There are regional variations in the profile of the lifelong learning workforce in England. Table 5: A regional summary for the lifelong learning workforce in England Region East East of Greater North Midlands England London East
Percentage of England’s working age population Percentage of England’s lifelong learning workforce Percentage of lifelong learning workforce who are female Percentage of lifelong learning workforce aged 45-64 Percentage of lifelong learning workforce qualified to NVQ 4 and above Percentage of lifelong learning workforce employed full time Percentage of lifelong learning workforce with skills gaps Percentage of lifelong learning employers who provide training
North West
South East
South West
West Yorkshire Lifelong Midlands and the Learning Humber England
9
11
16
5
13
16
10
10
10
n/a
8
9
17
5
13
17
9
10
11
n/a
54
57
57
64
62
60
60
57
62
59
50
46
42
54
51
48
46
51
49
48
67
68
71
62
73
66
66
67
67
68
65
56
68
63
67
60
61
65
69
64
15
13
6
5
3
9
5
4
4
7
84
81
87
93
90
87
84
89
87
86
SOURCES: Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey3, National Employer Skills Survey8. Factsheets specific to each region are available from Lifelong Learning UK. Lifelong Learning UK archives survey 2007, Further Education College Staff Individualised Record 2007/2008, Higher Education Statistics Agency staff record 2007/2008 and stakeholder estimates. 2 Annual Business Inquiry 2006. 3 Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics, four quarter average 2008. 4 Lifelong Learning UK archives workforce profile in England 2007. 5 Staff Individualised Record: Further education staff record in England 2007/2008, Lifelong Learning UK. 1
Higher Education Statistics Agency staff record 2007/2008. Office for National Statistics census 2001. 8 National Employer Skills Survey 2007, Learning and Skills Council. 6 7
Lifelong Learning UK is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 1113104. This information is available in alternative formats from Lifelong Learning UK Ref: England Factsheet July09 v1
RW09/09/FS003