Consistent performance measures for post-16 learning (learner destinations): August 2019 to July 2020

Learner destinations for further education institutions and school sixth forms for August 2019 to July 2020.

This report provides statistics for learners in 2019/20 and their destinations the following year, therefore, it covers a period of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and gives the first look at the potential impact on these learners.

Main points

This bar chart shows the destinations of post 16 learners for the academic years 2014/15 to 2019/20. It shows that 84% of all learners leaving post 16 education in 2019/20 had a sustained destination in 2020/21, with 85% in 2018/19, 85% in 2017/18, 84% in 2016/17, 82% in 2015/16 and 82% in 2014/15.

Of the 110,140 learners finishing a learning programme in 2019/20:

84% had a sustained destination in 2020/21 into either employment or learning, a 1 percentage point decrease compared to 2018/19 learners
54% were in sustained employment, a 7 percentage point decrease compared to 2018/19 and 49% were in sustained learning, a 3 percentage point increase compared to 2018/19
The decrease in sustained employment and corresponding increase in sustained learning may be due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Further information

This report looks at the destinations of post-16 learners (i.e. what a learner moves on to do after a programme of learning), including those undertaking work-based learning.

It is part of a set of three consistent performance measures that have been developed for post-16 education. A separate report provides information on learner achievement, though this publication has been temporarily on hold due to issues associated with examination and assessment arrangements during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These are experimental data and we will undertake further consultation with learning providers on the methodology.

Reports