Builder’s merchant and 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 courses also swings towards the younger generations, as we will explore further when analysing the data received.

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

The number has remained consistent even at Chichester College, where the percentage split didn’t rise.

The percentage splits across the four colleges:

• 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.  

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

For example, 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.
• For the 2023/24 study year, 14.9% of all enrolments onto trade courses 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 surveyed 100,000 young people and found that construction is one of the top job choices by the time students reach Year 11 and are studying for their GSCEs.

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

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.