§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in further education failed to complete their course in each year since 1997. [167874]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe Learning and Skills Council (LSC) routinely present the data in terms of retention rates for qualifications—some learners will be enrolled on more than one qualification. The retention rate is calculated as the number of qualifications completed divided by the number started (excluding transfers). The following table shows the retention rates for further education sector colleges and external institutions for each year since 1997–98.
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Retention rates in LSC funded further education (%) Year in which qualification was due to be completed Institution type 1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 Further Education Colleges 81 80 78 80 83 External Institutions n/a 76 77 80 82 All institutions n/a 79 78 80 83 n/a=not available Source: Individual Student Record