Adult Education in Wales: Local Authority Provision 2000

The data that relates to 'Maintained Courses' are provision of courses by local education authorities (LEAs) at adult education centres, evening institutes, other further education centres and community centres, which are not included in the student record collected by the FEFCW. There is also information on enrolments onto courses that LEAs contract out or provide assistance for; these may also be included in the FEFCW student record if a FE provider delivers the course.

• 25,200 enrolments were recorded in 1999/2000, fairly evenly split between daytime and evening only courses. Three quarters (75 per cent) of these enrolments were by women.
• In 1999/2000, there were 185 establishments in Wales where local authority provided adult education.
• Cardiff, with 37 per cent of the Welsh total, had the highest number of enrolments, although only around 10 per cent of the adult Welsh population live in Cardiff.
• The courses followed have traditionally been 'general' in nature: comprising, for example, foreign ('holiday') languages, physical education, sport and fitness, and practical crafts and skills. Such courses accounted for almost 84 per cent of all the enrolments in 1999/2000, compared to over 70 per cent a year earlier.
• In addition to LEAs providing courses at their own centres, in 1999/2000 there were a further 36,000 enrolments to courses provided under assisted and contracted out arrangements. This is an increase of 25 per cent on the total in 1998/99.

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 3507
E-mail: post16education@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next update

August 2001