Construction Colleges: A Study on The Future Of The Industry

The percentage spread of women enrolling onto trade courses at some of the UK’s largest colleges is increasing, new research has found.

Builder’s merchant and breeze block walls material supplier Travis Perkins has compiled the statistics after receiving responses to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request about construction-related courses from Bedford College, City of Glasgow College, Chichester College and Hull College.

The age split of people on these types of courses is also swinging towards the younger generations, as we will delve into further when analysing the data received.

The Number of Women Studying a Trade Qualification

At three of the four colleges which responded to the FOI request, it was found that the enrolment percentage split has seen an increase in female students for the 2023/24 student year compared to the previous year.

Even at Chichester College where the percentage split didn’t rise, the number has kept consistent.

The percentage splits across the four colleges in full are as follows:

• Bedford College – 6% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by women, up from 4% in the 2022/23 study year.
• City of Glasgow College – 21.1% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by women, up from 17.1% in the 2022/23 study year.
• Chichester College – 5.6% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by women, the same as was recorded in the 2022/23 study year.
• Hull College – 6.7% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by women, up from 6.6% in the 2022/23 study year.    

The Age of People Looking to Get Qualified in the Trade, or Upskill

While responses to the FOI request have seen colleges reporting differently on the age range of students enrolled onto trade courses, one key theme has emerged – classrooms have a greater proportion of younger students.

Here’s some statistics to explain what we mean:

• At Bedford College…
• 65.4% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by those aged 16-18, up from 58.9% in the 2022/23 study year.
• 11.1% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by those aged 19-24, up from 10.8% in the 2022/23 study year.
• At City of Glasgow College…
• 25.6% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by those aged under 18, up from 21% in the 2022/23 study year.
• 17.1% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by those aged 21-24, up from 16.6% in the 2022/23 study year.
• At Chichester College…
• 24.4% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by those aged 19-24, up from 23.2% in the 2022/23 study year.
• At Hull College…
• 71.1% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by those aged 16-18, up from 16.3% in the 2022/23 study year.
• 14.9% of all enrolments onto trade courses for the 2023/24 study year were by those aged 19-23, up from 14.8% in the 2022/23 study year.

These findings come soon after careers education national body Careers & Enterprise Company carried out a survey of 100,000 young people and found that construction is one of the top job choices by the time students have reached Year 11 and are studying for their GSCEs.

It appears there is a lot of young talent coming into the construction industry, if studies such as these are anything to go by.

What are the Most Popular Types of Trade Being Studied?

Another part of the FOI request was to obtain the most popular trade courses in the 2023/24 study year.

Subjects involving aspects of electrotechnical and electrical applications appeared in the lists of three colleges’ most popular courses. Plumbing also appears in the lists of two colleges.

However, there is a broad range of subjects which those looking to get into the trade are keen to study, as the following lists showcase:

• Most popular trade courses at Bedford College in 2023/24:
• Diploma in Electrical Installations (138 enrolments)
• Diploma in Carpentry and Joinery Level 1 FT (114 enrolments)
• Technical Certificate in Plumbing Level 2 FT (110 enrolments)
• Most popular trade courses at City of Glasgow College in 2023/24:
• Construction Crafts Skills For Work (61 enrolments)
• HND Architectural Technology With Digital Construction (SCQF Level 8) (50 enrolments)
• PDA Painting and Decorating (49 enrolments)
• Most popular trade courses at Chichester College in 2023/24:
• Non regulated provision, Level 3, Building and Construction (378 enrolments)
• Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) (299 enrolments)
• Non regulated provision, Level 2, Building and Construction (197 enrolments)
• Most popular trade courses at Hull College:
• L3 C&G Diploma in Domestic Plumbing and Heating (Natural Gas) (138 enrolments)
• L3 C&G Electrotechnical Qualification (132 enrolments)
• L1 C&G Diploma in Bricklaying (95 enrolments)

From a higher proportion of women studying trade courses to classrooms being filled with younger students and across a wide variety of subjects, there is plenty to take from the FOI request to feel positive about the construction industry’s future.