Calendar year 2022

Participation in education, training and employment age 16 to 18

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Introduction

This annual release contains the Department for Education's official measures of participation in education training and employment and NEET (not in education, employment or training) for 16 to 18 year olds in England.

  • 16-17 year olds are required to remain in education and training in England following raising the participation age (RPA) legislation in 2013.
  • 18 year olds in this release are in the first year post compulsory education.

Much of the narrative focuses on these two age groupings but individual ages are discussed where appropriate. Other key analyses is by gender, type of learning (e.g. full-time education/apprenticeships), institution type, highest qualification level being studied and labour market status (e.g. employed/unemployed/inactive).

Revisions to previous estimates

This release includes new data for 2022 and revised estimates of participation in education, training and employment and NEET rates from 2011-2021 following improved population estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 

In summary, the revised population estimates suggest that participation rates were slightly underestimated pre-pandemic and slightly overestimated during and after (post 2019). Revisions are however marginal and do not change previous trends.

The revisions section of the main content provides details to changes in highest and lowest participation and NEET rates and full details of the timeseries changes can be found in the methodology document accompanying this release.

Caution when interpreting these estimates

This release is using 2021 census based interim population estimates for the first time.  Therefore, estimates of participation and NEET in this release should be used with some caution and may be subject to future revision.

Also, some caution should be taken when considering single age and single year estimates of proportions of young people in employment and NEET as these are estimated from the labour force survey (LFS) and sample size variation can impact on the accuracy of estimates.

See methodology for further information. 


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About this release

These are the Department for Education's official measures for 16 to 18 years olds:

  • participation in education and training
  • those not in education, employment and training (NEET)

The estimates relate to a snapshot of activities at the end of the calendar year, and are based on academic age, defined as ‘age at the start of the academic year’ i.e. age as at 31 August. 

These statistics provide new estimates for end 2022 and present recent changes in the context of historical trends. They also update previous estimates of participation and NEET from 2011-2021 following the availability of new census data which has led to revisions to the 16-18 population data.

Information is drawn together from various post-16 data sources to give a coherent and comprehensive picture of participation and employment. Sources include administrative data from schools, further education, apprenticeships and higher education. Wider training and employment rates are estimated from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). 

The release includes analysis by age, gender, type of learning, institution type, labour market status and highest qualification aim.

The accompanying methodology provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality, and explains the production process for the data.

It also includes reference to other published data on participation and not in education, employment and training (NEET) rates, including estimates for the wider 16-24 age group and by local authority.

Raising the participation age policy

Raising the participation age (RPA) legislation was introduced in 2013/14, requiring 16-17 year olds in England to remain in education or training. Further details are given in the ‘Related policy’ section of the methodology.

Feedback

We welcome feedback on any aspect of this publication at post16.statistics@education.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Participation: headlines

The overall age 16/17 participation rate has increased in the latest year following a lower rate in 2021 at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 2022 rate of 89.6% is still lower than other years post 2013 legislation which raised the participation age (RPA) to 18.  Since RPA, participation in education and apprenticeship rates had been relatively stable at around 91% and remained at that level until 2020. 

Looking at individual ages:

Age 16:  Participation rate up 1.2 percentage points compared to last year to 93.7%, record high was 95.7% in 2017. The increase was driven by a notable increase in full-time education with slight decreases in apprenticeships and part-time education.

Age 17: Relatively stable, down 0.3 percentage points compared to last year to 85.4%, record high was 88.6% in 2018. Decreases in full and part-time education offset an increase in apprenticeship participation in 2022.

Looking at the wider age group 16-18, there has been a decrease in the participation rate to 78.7%. This has been mainly driven by a decrease in participation of those in post compulsory education, age 18. 

Age 18: Participation rate down 2.9 percentage points compared to last year to 57.5%, record high was 65.0% in 2014.  The decrease in participation in the latest year continues a post-pandemic trend (post 2019) driven by:

  • a decrease in full-time education studying qualifications at level 3 or below in General FE colleges and schools. This could be partly reflective of the changes in the way grades were awarded during the pandemic with more young people attaining these qualifications pre- 18
  • a decrease in part-time education
  • a decrease in apprenticeships.

The proportion of 18 year olds studying in higher education institutions has remained relatively stable post 2019. 

Note: 16-17 year olds are required to remain in education and training in England following raising the participation age (RPA) legislation in 2013.

The measure in ‘education and apprenticeships’ includes those in full and part-time education, or on an apprenticeship. Overlaps are removed to give a definitive estimate of the proportion participating.

In addition to the 71.8% in full-time education and 4.6% in apprenticeships, a further 2.3% in part-time education contribute to the headline 78.7% in education and apprenticeships.

Looking at wider training for overall 16-18

Therefore the total percentage of 16-18 year olds in any education and training was 83.5% at end 2022. 

Education and apprenticeships are used as our headline measure as they are the best estimate for monitoring compliance to the raising the participation age legislation (see methodology for more information).

Participation: full-time education by institution type

At ages 16-17 the proportion in full-time education increased by 0.8 percentage points to 83.7% at the end of 2022. 

  • There was an increase in the proportion of 16-17 year olds studying in General FE, tertiary and specialist colleges and a slight decrease in the proportion in state-funded schools.

16-17 year olds are required to remain in education and training in England following raising the participation age (RPA) legislation in 2013.

At age 18 most full-time study is in higher education institutions.

  • Overall full-time education decreased by 2.0 percentage points to 48.4%, the lowest rate since 2012. 

The decrease was driven by: 

  • a slight decrease in the proportion in higher education institutions, down 0.6 percentage points to 33.8%. However the proportion in HE institutions is comparable to the 2019 rate.
  • a larger decrease in general FE, tertiary and specialist colleges, down 1.1 percentage points to 10.7%. Since 2019 the proportion has decreased by 1.8 percentage points and the 2022 estimate is the lowest in the series.

Further breakdowns (e.g by part-time education) are available through the online table tool builder

Participation: full-time education by highest qualification aim

Looking at the highest qualification aim, the level of study is very different for those still in compulsory education (16-17 year olds) where most study a level 3 qualification compared with those in full-time education at age 18 where most study a level 4 qualification in higher education institutions. 

Age 16-17

16-17 year olds are required to remain in education and training in England following raising the participation age (RPA) legislation in 2013.

83.7% are in full-time education, looking at their highest qualification aim, most are studying level 3 at 66.5%, down 0.5 percentage points but remains one of the highest rates in the series. 

Of those studying for a level 3 qualification:

  • 46.6% are studying for A/AS levels, down 0.2 percentage points compared to last year
  • 0.9% are studying for T levels (introduced in 2020), up 0.5 percentage points
  • 18.9% for other types of level 3 course, down 0.9 percentage points

Of those studying other types of level 3 course, over half were studying for Tech levels or Applied General qualifications.

The proportion of 16-17 year olds studying level 2 increased by 1.2 percentage points to 12.7% in 2022. 

Of those studying for a level 2 qualification:

  • 9.6% are studying for GCSEs, up 1.5 percentage points compared to last year but this follows lower rates during the COVID-19 pandemic where differences in how qualifications were assessed impacted on the proportion taking GCSEs post-16.
  • 3.1% for other types of level 2 course, down 0.3 percentage points

Age 18

18 year olds are in the first year post compulsory education.

  • 48.4% are in full-time education (down 2.0 percentage points), lowest proportion since 2012. 

The proportion studying for a higher education qualification was 34.0%, down 0.6 percentage points. However the rate has remained relatively stable since 2019 and is still one of the highest in the series (highest was 35.5% during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020). 

With less 18 year olds studying in general FE, tertiary and specialist colleges and in schools in 2022, we also see a decrease in study at level 2 and level 3 at age 18. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen a decrease in the number of 18 year olds studying for both A'level and other level 3 technical/vocational qualifications and a decrease in GCSE study. This could be reflective of the changes in the way grades were awarded during this period with more young people attaining these qualifications pre-18.  

Further breakdowns (e.g by part-time education) are available through the online table tool builder. This includes more granular breakdowns of the other level 2 and 3 courses.

Long term trends are looked at separately for those in compulsory education at ages 16 and 17 and those in the first year post compulsory education at age 18.

Note:  All numbers published in this release are expressed as a proportion of the age 16-18 population.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revised population estimates back to 2011 and therefore have had an impact on proportions in education, employment and training for the period 2011-2021. For further detail on the changes see ‘Revisions’ section below and accompanying methodology.

Age 16-17

Following the introduction of Raising the participation age (RPA) legislation in 2013/14, which required 16-17 year olds in England to remain in education or training, participation in full-time education rose sharply in 2013, after which it remained on an upward trend, peaking in 2020 at 84.3% of 16-17 year olds.

Since the introduction of RPA, these increases in full-time education have been largely offset by decreases in apprenticeships and other training resulting in the relatively stable trend of those not in education or training (NET). In 2021 we saw the opposite with a decrease in full-time education and rise in apprenticeships. In the latest year full-time education has increased but has been offset by decreases in part-time education and other training. 

Age 18

By 2011 participation in full-time education had increased to 50.4% from a series low of 38.2% in 2001. Although this increase was partly offset by decreases in work-based learning and part-time education, the overall result was that the proportion of 18 year olds in education and training rose from 61.0% in 2003 to 69.3% in 2011.

In 2012 there was a decrease of 2.1 percentage points in the proportion of 18 year olds studying full-time in higher education institutions, the result of behavioural change due to higher tuition fees (although a 2.7 percentage point rise the year before was due to the anticipated arrival of higher fees which in turn drove a reduction in the number of people deferring entry). The decrease in full-time education was offset by increases in other participation, so the proportion of 18 year olds in education or training was unchanged.

By 2015 participation in full-time education at 18 was almost back to its 2011 level, at 50.4% and at end 2020 had increased further to 52.7%, the highest age 18 rate on record. However, participation in full-time education has decreased in the last two years and is now back at the 2012 level of 48.4%.

NEET: headlines

The 16-18 Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) rate increased by 1.3 percentage points to 8.4%. The lowest 16-18 rate was 5.8% in 2016 and the latest rate is the highest since 2012.

The increase at 16-18 was driven by a large increase in the NEET rate at age 18 , which in 2022 was 15.9%, the highest rate since 2009. The large annual NEET increase at 18 follows a low rate in 2021.

Since  Raising Participation Age (RPA) policy change in 2013, 16-17 NEET rates range from 3.4% at end 2018 to 5.7% in 2021. The latest estimate is 4.6% at end 2022 and is the first decrease in the proportion NEET at 16-17 since increases seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

16-17 year olds are required to remain in education and training in England following raising participation age (RPA) legislation in 2013.

18 year olds in this release are in their first year post compulsory education.

Two factors affect the proportion of young people NEET:

  1. the proportion not in any education and training (NET)
  2. the employment rate for young people who are NET, estimated from the Labour Force Survey

Increase in NEET rate at age 18

The large annual increase in NEET at age 18 follows an unusually low NEET rate in 2021. The 2021 NEET decrease was driven by a high proportion of 18 year olds estimated to be in employment (not in education and training) at 22.2%. In 2022 the proportion in employment was 18.5%, comparable to other recent rates. 

The trend since 2016 shows an increasing proportion NEET at age 18 driven largely by decreases in participation. 

  • the proportions studying in Higher Education Institutions in 2022 are comparable to 2019
  • it is decreases in apprenticeships and the proportion studying qualifications at level 3 or below in General FE colleges and schools that have driven NEET increases at age 18. This could be partly reflective of the changes in the way grades were awarded during the pandemic with more young people attaining these qualifications pre-18

Some caution should be taken when considering single age and single year estimates of proportions of young people in employment as these are estimated from the labour force survey (LFS) and can fluctuate year on year. Looking at trends can give a more robust insight. See methodology for further information. 

The overall 16-18 not in education, employment or training (NEET) rate fluctuated between 8% and 10% up to 2012 and then fell each year to a series low of 5.8% in 2016. 

Over recent years the 16-18 NEET rate has slowly increased with a large jump of 1.3 percentage points in the latest year to 8.4%. 

Note:  All numbers published in this release are expressed as a proportion of the age 16-18 population.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revised population estimates back to 2011 and therefore have had an impact on proportions in education, employment and training for the period 2011-2021. For further detail  on the changes see ‘Revisions’ section below and  accompanying methodology.

Two factors affect the proportion of young people NEET:

  1. the proportion not in any education and training (NET)
  2. the employment rate for young people who are NET, estimated from the Labour Force Survey

NET (not in education or training)

Considering the first factor that influences NEET, as we have seen the proportion of young people age 16-18 in education and training increased each year between 2001 to 2016, hence the size of the NET group fell in this period. 

Since 2016, the proportion in education and training has decreased, hence the NET group has increased. 

The proportion of 16-18 year olds NET at the end of 2022 was 16.5%, up 3.5 percentage points since the lowest rate at end 2016.

At age 16-17 the proportion NET has remained broadly stable at a low rate since 2013, however has increased in recent years during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion NET at the end of 2022 was 7.3%, despite a slight decrease in the latest year it is the second highest rate since 2012. 

Prior to the recession in 2008, the proportion 18 year olds NET remained relatively stable between 37.0% and 39.2%. Since then it followed a downward trend with the lowest rates between 2014 and 2016 at around 27%. Since 2016, it has steadily been increasing, peaking in 2022 at 34.4%, an increase of 4.7 percentage points compared with the pre-COVID-19 pandemic rate at end 2019.   

Employment rate

Looking at the the second factor that influences NEET, the employment rate of those 16-18 year olds not in education and training (NET):

  • between the late 1990s and 2011 the general trend was for the rate to decrease meaning there was a notable decline in the proportion of 16-18 year olds in employment.
  • between 2011 and 2017 the NET employment rate rose, albeit with some fluctuations when looking at single ages.
  • Since 2017, the employment rate has shown a downward trend, and the latest figure for end 2022 is 49.0% which is 8.0 percentage points lower than 2017 and the lowest rate since 2014.

Note: Employment rates are estimated from the labour force survey (LFS). Sample sizes in the Labour are small for individual age cohorts, particularly when looking at a sub-group such as those who are NET, so caution should be taken when interpreting changes in the employment rate over the short term.

Gender breakdowns

Participation by gender

Females aged 16-18 have higher participation rates than males largely due to more being in full-time education. 

Looking at proportions participating in education or apprenticeships at end 2022:

  • age 16/17: 90.9% of females were participating, a rate stable with end 2021, compared with 88.3% of males, an increase of 0.9 percentage points. Rates for both males and females remain lower than those pre-Covid 19 pandemic.
  • age 18: 59.0% of females were participating compared with 56.1% of males. Both rates were the lowest since 2008. The female full-time education rate decreased in the latest year to 52.0%, down 2.7 percentage points, the lowest rate since 2010 and the male rate was 45.0%, down 1.3 percentage points and the lowest rate since 2009.

Institution type of those in full-time education by gender

Age 16-17

Most young people are studying in state-funded schools or general FE colleges.

A higher proportion of females study in schools than males, and a higher proportion of males study in general FE colleges then females. 

In 2022, there was an increase in the proportion of 16-17 year olds studying in General FE, tertiary and specialist colleges and a slight decrease in the proportion in state-funded schools for both males and females.

16-17 year olds are required to remain in education and training in England following raising the participation age (RPA) legislation in 2013.

Age 18

Most study is in HE institutions and there is notable variation by gender, with more females than males in HE institutions, a difference of 9.3 percentage points. 

In 2022, there have been decreases in the proportion in higher education institutions for both males and females, with a larger decrease of 0.9 percentage points for females to 38.6% compared with 29.3% of males (-0.3 percentage points). However the proportion in HE institutions is comparable to the 2019 rate.

Males are slightly more likely to study in a general FE college at 18 than females.

In 2022 there have been decreases in the proportion of both males and females in general FE, tertiary and specialist colleges, down 1.5 percentage points to 9.6% for females and down 0.7 percentage points to 11.7% for males. Both are the lowest proportions in the series.

18 year olds are in the first year post compulsory education.

Highest qualification aim of those in full-time education by gender

Age 16-17

Highest qualification aims differ by gender with 16-17 year old females more likely to be studying for A/AS levels than males, and more males studying for qualifications at level 2 or below.

In 2022, there was a decrease in the proportion in full-time education studying for a level 3 qualification, and this was driven largely by less females studying at this level, down 1.1 percentage points to 72.5% compared with 60.7% of males (down 0.3 percentage points).

More females and males were studying for GCSEs in 2022 compared with 2021, both up 1.5 percentage points to 8.4% and 10.7% respectively. 

Age 18

At age 18, as we might expect given more females are in higher education institutions than males, more females are studying for a qualification at level 4 or above.

In 2022, there was a decrease in the proportion in full-time education studying for a qualification at level 4 or above, this was driven largely by females, down 0.9 percentage points to 38.8% compared with 29.4% of males (down 0.3 percentage points).

NEET by gender

NEET rates for both genders are higher at 18 than at 16-17, however rates for females are lower than their male counterparts.

In 2022:

  • age 16/17: female NEET rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 4.1%, and male rate by 1.6 percentage points to 5.0%. The male rate is comparable to pre-COVID 19 levels however the female rate in 2021 and 2022 are the highest since raising participation age legislation in 2013.
  • age 18: there have been notable increases in the NEET rate for both males and females, both at the highest rates since 2009.

Revisions

Population revisions in 2011-2021

Following the 2021 census, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are in the process of revising population estimates for the period 2011-2021 improving the historic accuracy of the 10 year census data and addressing some methodology issues on migration data. There have been delays in ONS's annual publications of estimates and projections used historically in this release meaning they are not yet available. In order to publish this release in 2023 and improve accuracy of historic estimates, population estimate have been replaced, from 2011 onwards, by estimates from ONS’s dynamic population model (DPM) which take account of the results of the 2021 census.

These revised population estimates for 2021, in conjunction with analysis produced by the Greater London Authority (GLA), have been used to forecast the population for end 2022 and this release includes Participation estimates for the first time for that period.

For further detail  on the changes to the population data see accompanying methodology.

As all numbers published in this release are expressed as a proportion of the age 16-18 population incorporating these new population estimates has had a small impact on proportions in education, employment and training for the period 2011-2021. 

Given the change in the population source data, estimates in this release should be used with some caution and may be subject to future revisions.

Impact of revisions to Participation in education, training and employment estimates 2011-2021 timeseries

Full details can be seen in the accompanying methodology however in summary:

These revisions have resulted in the 2021 estimate of the proportion of 16-18 year olds participating in ‘education and apprenticeships’ being revised down from 81.2% to 79.6%, and the NEET rate being revised up from 6.4% to 7.0%.

Previously the 16-18 participation in education and apprenticeship rate was reported as:

  • Highest at 82.1% in 2020 and the revisions mean the highest is now 82.4% in 2014.
  • Lowest at 70.5% in 2001, no change.

Previously the 16-18 NEET rate was reported as:

  • Highest at 10.4% in 2008, no change.
  • Lowest at 6.3% in 2016 and the revisions mean the lowest is now 5.8% in 2016.

Standard annual revisions

Each year we update the previous year's figures from provisional to final following the availability of revised administrative data.

Other sources

Participation and NEET figures are also published in other statistics releases. The table below provides a summary of the four related releases. A more detailed comparison of the NEET and NET estimated from these sources is available in NEET age 16 to 24.

TitleParticipation in education, training and employmentNEET age 16 to 24Young people NEETLocal authority NEET and participation
ProducerDepartment for EducationDepartment for EducationOffice for National StatisticsDepartment for Education
StatusNational StatisticNational StatisticNational StatisticTransparency data
Age range16-1816-2416-2416-17
Age typeAcademic age[1]Academic age[1]Actual ageAcademic age[1]
CountryEnglandEnglandUKEngland
Regional breakdownsNoYesNoYes
LA breakdownNoNoNoYes
Data typeMostly administrativeSurveySurveyManagement information
Frequency of publicationAnnuallyAnnuallyQuarterlyAnnually
Seasonally adjustedNoNoYesNo
When to use?[2]England NEET (and participation) figures, age 16-18England/regional NEET figures, age 16-24 (includes reasons NEET) UK NEET figures, age 16-24 (published quarterly so often most timely)LA/regional NEET (and participation) figures, age 16-17 (includes pupil characteristics) 

[1] Academic age is defined as ‘age at the start of the academic year’ i.e. age as at 31 August. Actual age is defined as ‘respondents age at the time surveyed’.

[2] Left to right indicates recommended order of preference in which the statistics should be used based on most users’ needs and robustness of the data.

Sources

The Participation in education, training and employment statistics series are DfE’s (Department for Education’s) definitive statistics on participation and NEET for the 16-18 age group. As these estimates are based on administrative data reported by institutions, they are considered the most robust available. 

DfE’s October to December NEET/NET estimates using the Labour Force Survey (usually published February/March each year) is survey data where NEET/NET status is self-reported by the young person.

Age 16-17 regional and local authority NEET estimates (opens in a new tab) are published annually by DfE as transparency data. Figures on NEETs are provided as an average of December, January and February.  This information comes from local authorities NCCIS systems (National Client Caseload Information System) . Some caution should be taken if using the NCCIS figures. This is due to the estimates being based on management information which means they are not produced to the same standards as official/National statistics. Also, the NCCIS figures include ‘not known’ activity, which results in some overestimation of NEET, as can be seen in the chart when comparing the NCCIS figures to the LFS and participation figures.

Comparison of NEET estimates

The charts below show comparisons of NEET estimates from the above sources at ages 16-17 and 18. 

Labour Force Survey (LFS) response rates have seen a decreasing trend in recent decades with a notably smaller sample in 2022. As a result, additional caution should be taken when interpreting estimates of employment and wider training in this release. 95% confidence intervals are shown for estimates from the LFS and have been widening in recent years which reflects the smaller sample sizes.

Further information on the LFS and how we use this data to estimate wider participation and NEET rates can be found in the accompanying methodology.

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Methodology

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