skills
economy
Employer training activity in the South West of England
This data insights describes how employers in the South West invest in developing their workforce.
The South West region is one of 12 International Territorial Level 1 areas (ITL1) in the UK. It comprises Gloucestershire and Wiltshire; West of England; North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset; Devon; and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
The indicators are drawn from the Employer Skills Survey (Department for Education), a national survey based on telephone interviews with employers. This robust methodology captures employer-reported information on training activity, skills development practises, and workforce investments across industries. By combining participation rates with measures of training intensity, this section provides a comprehensive picture of workforce development trends in the South West and how they compare across sectors and over time.
85.2%
Percentage of South West establishments that provide job-specific training, 2023/24
31.7%
Percentage of South West establishments that provide supervisory training, 2023/24
91.7%
Percentage of health and social work establishments in the South West that provide training, 2023/24
6.93
Trainees receive more training days on average than employees (3.90) across South West industries
Establishments providing staff training (%) by type in the South West, 2023/24
This visualisation shows the percentage of South West establishments providing different types of staff training in 2023-2024.
Job-specific training is the most common type, delivered by 85.2% off establishments providing training, followed by health and safety or first aid training at 75.5%, and online training or e-learning at 70.8%.
In contrast, management training (35.2%), extensive induction training (35.9%) and supervisory training (31.7%) are less common.
There is a 53 percentage point (pp) gap between the most and least common training types (85.2% versus 31.7%). The data suggests employers prioritise role-specific, compliance and digital training, while leadership and supervisory development is less prevalent.
Establishments providing staff training (%) by industry in the South West, 2023/24
This visualisation shows the percentage of South West establishments providing staff training in 2023-2024, broken down by industry.
58.6% of establishments across all industry groups provide training, but participation rates vary between sectors. Health and social work report the highest rates at 91.7%, followed by education at 78.6%, and arts and other services at 66.7%, all above the regional average.
In contrast, wholesale and retail 47.6%, manufacturing 48.6%, and the primary sector and utilities 49.0% record the lowest levels of training provision.
There is a 44 pp gap between the highest and lowest industries (91.7% versus 47.6%). The data shows training activity is strongest in public service-oriented sectors and comparatively weaker in goods-producing and retail industries.
Number of training days per employee and trainee in the South West, by industry, 2023/24
This visualisation shows the average number of training days per employee and per trainee in the South West by industry in 2023-2024. Across all industry groups, employees received 3.90 days of training on average, compared with 6.93 days of training for trainees, highlighting consistently higher intensity for staff formally identified as ‘trainees’.
Information and communication record the highest training intensity by sector for both employees (6.44 days) and trainees (9.95 days). This is followed by education (5.64 and 6.51 days respectively) and business services (4.26 and 7.71 days respectively).
In contrast, manufacturing (1.04 employee days; 2.11 trainee days) and primary sector and utilities (1.63; 3.44) report the lowest levels of training.
The gap between employee and trainee training days is evident across all industries ranging from around 1-4 days difference, with construction showing one of the largest gaps (3.18 versus 7.59 days).
