Record apprentice starts

Provisional data released in October by the Office for National Statistics showed a record 234,000 people started apprenticeships in 2008-09 and 126,900 people completed apprenticeships during the same period, the highest number of starts and completions ever.

The statistics also cover Learning and Skills Council funded courses. In 2008-09:

• 1,446,600 people took courses in literacy, numeracy or English;

• 1,268,500 people took level 2 qualification courses (equivalent to five good GCSEs);

• 794,000 people took courses leading to a level 3 qualification (equivalent to 2 A-levels).

See: www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfroct09