This Statistical First Release updates the key figures in last month's DfEE Statistical First Release number 92/99 published on 26 February 1999 and the quarterly figures published on 31 December 1998.
KEY POINTS Work-based training for young people

* The number of young people in work-based training as at 27 December 1998 is 3% lower than 12 months earlier.
* The number of starts on work-based training for young people in the 12 months to 27 December 1998 is 16% lower than 12 months earlier.
* In the latest 3 months to 27 December 1998, the number of starts was 4% lower than in the same three months last year.

Modern Apprenticeships

* The number of young people on MA as at 27 December 1998 was 133,200, and has increased by 16% in the last 12 months. This represents 46% of all participants on work-based training for young people (see Figure WBTYP1).
* The number of MA starts in the 12 months to 27 December 1998 was 83,800, 6% lower
than in the previous 12 months and 36% of all starts on work-based training for young people.
* In the latest three months to 27 December 1998, the number of starts was 5% higher than in the same three months last year.
* In the three months to December 1998, 49% of starts were female the same as in the same period last year. The proportion of females is usually higher in this period.
* The proportions of MA starts from ethnic minority groups and with disabilities have both increased slightly from the early figures, but are still below the equivalent figures for OT. These figures should also be seen in a wider context; we know from other sources that young people from ethnic minorities are more likely to participate in Further Education. In the 3 months to December 1998, East Midlands and Merseyside and North West had the highest proportion of disabled starts 3%.
* The largest single sector within MA in terms of the number of trainees participating on 31 December 1998, is Engineering Manufacturing, with 15% of the total, followed by Business Administration with 13%. Overall the fifteen largest sectors account for about 88% of all MAs.
* The proportion of female participants varies widely between sectors, with very low proportions in sectors such as Construction and Electrical Installation Engineering, and very high proportions in sectors such as Hairdressing and Childcare. In some sectors, there is a fairly even balance; the proportion of females is between 40 and 60% in Retailing, Hotel & Catering and Accountancy.
* Participation by people of ethnic minority origin and with disabilities also varies. The proportion of ethnic minority participants is highest with 7% in Childcare compared with 1% in Construction and Plumbing. The proportion of participants with disabilities varies, from 1% to 5%.

National Traineeships

* The number in-training on NTr at 27 December was 23,600.
* Number of starts on NTr in the three months to 27 December 1998 was 10,100.
* 55% of starts on NTr to the end of December 1998 were female. This contrasts with early figures for MA which was male dominated.

Other Training for young people

* The number of people in training on Other Training at 27 December 1998 was 132,900, 27% lower than 12 months earlier.
* In the year to 27 December 1998, OT starts were down 36% from the previous 12 months to 136,700.
* In the latest three months, OT starts were 30% down on a year earlier.
* The proportion of leavers in the 12 months to June 1998 who were in a job 6 months after leaving the programme was 64%, compared to 65% for the preceding 12 months.
* The proportion of July 1997 to June 1998 leavers who completed their agreed training was 54%, the same as the previous 12 months.
* The proportion in a job for those who completed their agreed training is consistently higher than the equivalent proportion for all leavers. For example, 75% of those completing their training in July 1997 to June 1998 were in a job 6 months later, compared with 64% for all leavers.
* The proportion of leavers gaining any full or part qualification was 52% for leavers in

July 1997 to June 1998, the same as the previous 12 months. The proportion who gained a full qualification has risen by 1% to 45%.

* The proportion of females joining OT has increased gradually over recent years to a point where there are now almost as many females as males joining the programme.
* The proportion of ethnic minority starts has increased from 6% to 9% over the last two years.
* The proportion of starts with a disability in the latest 12 months to December 1998 was 6%, the same as the previous 12 months.
* The proportion identified as having literacy or numeracy needs has risen from 8% of starts in January to December 97 to 12% of starts in January to December 98, the year in which pre-vocational training was introduced nationally.
* Females and males find a job on leaving training and gain qualifications at about the same rate, but females are less likely to complete their training.
* OT leavers from ethnic minority groups have been consistently less likely than those of White ethnic origin to be in a job after leaving, or to gain a qualification, but the patterns vary for different ethnic groups. These gaps have remained fairly stable over the last 12 months.
* The proportions in a job, gaining qualifications and completing have all been consistently lower for those with disabilities, and those with literacy/numeracy need than the equivalent figures for all leavers. Overall, these gaps have narrowed slightly over the last 12 months.
* The characteristics of OT trainees vary by region, for example the proportion of male starts in January to December 98 was 56% in the North East and Wales, and 49% in Eastern region. The proportion of starts with a disability ranged from 3% in Wales to 9% in the East Midlands and Yorkshire & the Humber. The proportion with literacy & numeracy needs was highest in London 28% and lowest in the Eastern region (7%). The very wide variation in the ethnic minority participation from over a third in London to 1% in Wales is less surprising.
* The highest proportion of July 1997 to June 1998 leavers in a job were in the South East 72%, the lowest being the North East region 56%. The highest proportion of leavers gaining a full or part qualification were in the Eastern region 58%, the lowest in Wales 46%.

Work-based training for adults

* The reduction of the average duration of training in recent years has led to a greater fall in numbers in training than in starts. As at 27 December 1998, there were 31,500 participants in England and Wales, compared to 45,200 a year ago, and less than a quarter of the 133,100 in July 1994, the end of the first year of Training for Work.
* 59% of those in-training on wbta as at 27 December 1998 were in Occupational Training, with a further 36% being in Pre-Vocational Training and the remaining 5% in Employed Training
* In the 12 months to 27 December 1998, there were 116,800 starts on work-based training for adults in England and Wales, a fall of 44% on the preceding 12 months.
* The proportion of leavers in a job increased steadily from 31% in 1991-92 to 45% in 1996-97. The proportion of leavers in a job for the 12 months to June 1998 was 43%; three percentage points less than a year earlier.
* The proportion in a positive outcome has followed a similar trend, and over the last couple of years has been consistently about 4-5 percentage points above the proportion in a job.
* 71% of July 1997 to June 1998 leavers said they had completed their training, the same as in July 1996 to June 1997. An upward trend in the completion rate has been evident since the earliest figures for Employment Training in 1990 although the rate seems to have levelled recently.
* Although the primary aim of WBTA is to get people into jobs, working towards recognised qualifications is an important feature of the programme. The proportion of leavers who had tried for a qualification having peaked at 63% in 1995-96 has not varied significantly in the
last 24 months.
* The proportion of leavers gaining qualifications for the 12 months to June 1998 was 45% compared to 44% for the previous year, but 38% had gained a full qualification in the current and previous years. The success rates of those who did try for a qualification have changed very little. Again, the proportion has not varied significantly in the last 24 months.
* As with OT, the differences between all leavers and completers are more noticeable for those gaining qualifications than for those in a job. The trends however are again very similar to those for all leavers: consistent increases in the proportions trying for and gaining qualifications up to 1995-96 leavers, with a slightly lower but very stable proportion for the last 24 months
* The proportions of men and women on wbta have remained fairly stable throughout the programme with men accounting for around 68-70% of participants.
* 83% of starts in January to December 98 were White, 8% were from the Black/Afro-Caribbean ethnic minority group, 5% from the Asian group and 4% from other ethnic groups. The proportion of starts from ethnic minority groups has increased from 15% to 17% over the last two years.
* In January to December 98, 22% of those who joined wbta had disabilities (much higher than the 10-11% in earlier years). The substantial increase in the proportion of wbta starts with a disability reflects the priority the Department has given to maintaining the opportunities for people with disabilities in the context of a smaller overall programme.
* Prior to participating in wbta, 48% of January to December 98 starts had been unemployed for more than a year before joining, 4 percentage points lower than the previous 12 months.
* Females are more likely than males to get a job after leaving wbta, the difference being around 9-10 percentage points in recent years.
* The proportions completing their training are very similar for males and females. There has however, been a change in the relative proportions gaining qualifications. In the last 2 years the proportion gaining a qualification has been slightly higher for males than for females, unlike earlier years when the difference was in the opposite direction.
* The proportions of leavers gaining jobs have tended to be lower among those from ethnic minority groups, but the proportions completing their training have been slightly higher. There are also significant variations between the different ethnic minority groups, with those of Asian origin consistently more likely to be in a job, than those of Black/Afro-Caribbean or Other ethnic origins.
* The proportion of people with disabilities gaining a qualification has been consistently higher than that for all leavers.
* 1997-98 was the first year since the introduction of Training for Work that people with disabilities have been as likely to be in work 6 months after finishing training. Participants with literacy/numeracy needs have been much less likely to gain jobs.
* The likelihood of getting a job or a qualification also varies with age. There has been a fairly consistent pattern that the youngest (18-24) participants are the least likely to gain a qualification, while the older participants (50+) are the least likely to be in a job 6 months later.
* Those with a longer duration of prior unemployment are less successful at getting a job. In the 12 months to June 1998 for example, 60% of those who had been unemployed less than 6 months before joining wbta were in a job 6 months after leaving, almost double the proportion of those who had been unemployed two years or more.
* The characteristics of those joining wbta vary greatly from region to region. As with OT, the biggest variation is in the proportion of ethnic minority starts: In January to December 98, 48% of starts in London were from ethnic minority groups, compared with only 2% in the North East.
* The outcomes of trainees also vary between regions; to some extent this is attributable to variations in the trainee characteristics. For July 1997 to June 1998 leavers, 48% in the South East and Eastern regions gained a job, compared with 38% in the North East.

TABLES + FIGURES Table WBTYP1 shows the number of starts on MA and OT. Table WBTYP2 shows the number in -training on MA and OT. Figure WBTYP1 shows work-based training for young people volumes. Table WBTYP3 shows the characteristics of MA starts. Table WBTYP4 shows the characteristics of MA starts by region. Table WBTYP5 shows starts in the top 15 MA Sectors. Table WBTYP6 shows the characteristics of NTr starts Table WBTYP7 shows the destinations of OT leavers. Table WBTYP8 shows the qualifications of OT leavers Table WBTYP9 shows the characteristics of OT starts. Table WBTYP10 shows the characteristics of OT starts by region. Table WBTYP11 shows the destinations and qualifications of OT leavers by characteristics. Table WBTYP12 shows the destinations and qualifications of OT leavers by region. Table WBTA1 shows the number of starts on Adult Training. Table WBTA2 shows the number in-training on Adult Training. Table WBTA3 shows the destinations of Adult Training leavers. Figure WBTA1 shows trends in Adult Training outcomes. Table WBTA4 shows the qualifications of Adult Training leavers. Table WBTA5 shows the characteristics of Adult Training starts. Table WBTA6 shows further characteristics of Adult Training starts. Table WBTA7 shows the characteristics of Adult Training starts by region. Table WBTA8 shows further characteristics of Adult Training starts by region. Table WBTA9 shows the destinations and qualifications of Adult Training leavers by characteristics. Table WBTA10 shows the destinations and qualifications of Adult Training leavers by further characteristics. Table WBTA11 shows the destinations and qualifications of Adult Training leavers by region.