Andy Sawford
Shadow Minister (Communities and Local Government)
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
(1) how many people in Corby and East Northamptonshire constituency are enrolled in adult skills sessions;
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of adults in (a) Corby and East Northamptonshire constituency, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) the East Midlands who are unable to (i) read and (ii) write;
(3) how many apprenticeships were started in the Corby and East Northamptonshire constituency in each industrial sector in each of the last five years;
(4) how many new apprenticeships were started in Corby and East Northamptonshire constituency in each of the last five years; and what the (a) age group and (b) gender of each such apprentice was.
Matthew Hancock
The Minister for Universities and Science, Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) (Jointly with the Department for Education)
Final data for the 2012-13 academic year show that there were 6,000 adult (19+) learners participating in further education and skills in Corby parliamentary constituency.
The 2011 Skills for Life survey Small Area modelled estimates1 provide information on the proportion of adults aged 16-65 with above and below the ‘functional literacy’ threshold2. The data do not separate reading and writing.
The following table shows estimates for the proportion of people with below Level 1 literacy for Corby parliamentary constituency, Northamptonshire Local Enterprise Partnership3 (based on an aggregation of Northamptonshire local authority estimates) and the East Midlands region4.
| Mean estimates of the proportion of people in the East Midlands region, Northamptonshire LEP and Corby constituency with below Level 1 literacy, 2011 | |
| Area | Proportion of people with below Level 1 literacy (%) |
| Corby constituency | 16.6 |
| Northamptonshire Local Enterprise Partnership | 14.8 |
| East Midlands region | 13.8 |
| Source: 2011 Skills for Life survey small area estimates and survey. | |
Apprenticeship data are not available by industrial sector. Learners may undertake a wide range of apprenticeship frameworks within one industry. Apprenticeship starts by geography (including parliamentary constituency) and sector subject area are published in a supplementary table to the SFR:
Apprenticeship starts by geography (including parliamentary constituency) and age are published in a supplementary table to the SFR:
The following table shows apprenticeship starts in Corby parliamentary constituency by gender.
| Apprenticeship starts by Gender in Corby parliamentary constituency, 2008-09 to 2012-13 | |||||
| Gender | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
| Female | 310 | 330 | 590 | 660 | 860 |
| Male | 230 | 240 | 360 | 530 | 620 |
| Total | 540 | 570 | 950 | 1,190 | 1,490 |
| Notes 1. Geography information is based on the learners' home postcode 2. Figures for 2011-12 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years due to the introduction of the Single ILR: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140107201041/http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C05DCDD5-67EE-4AD0-88B9-BEBC8F7F3300/0/SILR_Effects_SFR_Learners_June12.pdf Source: Individualised Learner Record | |||||
1 Available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/2011-skills-for-life-survey-small-area-estimation-data accessed on
2 This is defined in the Leitch review as “the level needed to get by in life and work” (HM Treasury [December 2006] ‘Leitch Review of Skills. Prosperity for all in the global economy—world class skills. Final Report’, p. 43.) Level 1 is equivalent to GCSE grades D-G. Adults with skills below Level 1 can read or write, but their skills may be limited; for example, they may not be able to read bus or train timetables.
3 Gibson, A. and P. Hewson (2012) 2011 Skills for Life Survey: Small Area Estimation Technical Report, BIS research report 81C: available online at:
4 The regional estimate is derived from the sample-based 2011 Skills for Life survey, rather than modelled estimates.
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