FE Choices Learner and Employer Satisfaction Surveys 2015 to 2016

FE Choices provides consistent and comparable information for learners and employers to help them make informed choices about publicly funded education and training. It also provides consistent management information on key performance indicators. FE Choices comprises a set of performance indicators that cover aspects of a college or provider’s provision including success rates, learner destinations and satisfaction levels of learners and employers.

Learner Satisfaction Survey

This report provides an overview, at a national level, of the findings from the FE Choices Learner Satisfaction Survey 2015 to 2016, which took place between November 2015 and April 2016.

The Learner Satisfaction Survey provides a rich dataset, which can be analysed by a wide range of variables including age, level of study and gender. Additional analysis is provided by subject area and apprenticeship framework. This level of detailed analysis is possible because of the robust methodology employed by the survey, the large number of responses and the matching of learner responses to the ILR. All differences highlighted between groups are statistically significant.

Key Findings:

• Over 80% of respondents would recommend their learning provider to friends or family. Just over a third (35%) would be extremely likely to recommend the learning provider.
• Learners aged 25 or over were more likely to recommend (93%) the learning provider than 16 to 18 year olds (76%). 16 to 18 year old classroom based learners appeared to be the least likely to recommend (75%).
• Female learners were slightly more likely to recommend (85%) the learning provider than male learners (78%).
• Learners studying at entry level were considerably more likely to recommend (94% of respondents) compared to those studying at Level 3 or above (77%).
• Learners living in the areas of highest deprivation ^[1] were slightly more likely to recommend their provider (84%) than other learners.
• 87% of Learners attending Private Sector Public funded institutions would recommend their provider whilst 77% would recommend at a General FE College (including tertiary).
• 87% of learners at providers rated as outstanding by Ofsted would recommend the learning provider. This compares with 70% of learners at providers who were rated as inadequate. (based on Ofsted scores from the 2012 to 2013 academic year onwards).
• Learners living in the Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly and Tees Valley LEP areas were more likely to recommend than learners in any other LEP area, with 87% being extremely likely or likely to recommend. Northamptonshire LEP had the lowest percentage of learners who would recommend their learning provider (74%).

Employer Satisfaction Survey 2015 to 2016

More than 60,000 employers took part in the 2015 to 2016 FE Choices Employer Satisfaction Survey representing over 20% of all employers who received training funded by the Skills Funding Agency between August 2015 and February 2016. Participating employers provided

feedback on 689 providers including General Further Education (FE) Colleges, independent learning providers, other public-funded organisations, and Special and Specialist Colleges.

As in previous years of the survey, employers were very positive about the training received by their employees. More employers were satisfied on these measures compared to the 2014 to 2015 survey.

Key findings:

• 78% were satisfied with the overall quality compared with 73% in 2014 to 2015.
• 82% were satisfied with the professionalism of the staff delivering the training (78% in 2014 to 2015).
• 78% were satisfied with the flexibility of the training (74% in 2014 to 2015).
• 80% would be advocates of the training provider (77% in 2014 to 2015).

^{[1] Defined as learners whose home postcode is in the 10% most deprived Super Output Areas in England according to the rank of Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2010}