Sustained destinations following 16-18 study in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

7 Mar 2026

This data insight describes sustained destinations following completion of 16 to 18 study by students in the Greater West of England, defined here as Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

Using official statistics from the Department for Education (DfE), it presents the proportion of students who completed 16 to 18 study in state-funded schools and colleges by the end of the 2022/23 academic year, and progressed to sustained education, employment or apprenticeship destinations in the following academic year.

Comparisons are provided with England and England excluding London.

A destination is classified as sustained where participation continued for at least six months during the academic year.

35.9%

Students progressing to sustained education destinations in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

36%

Students progressing to sustained employment destinations in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

8.4%

Students progressing to sustained apprenticeship destinations in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

29.9%

Students progressing to UK higher education institutions in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

Education (16–18) sustained destinations by destination type in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

This visualisation shows the proportion of students progressing to sustained education, employment or apprenticeship destinations following completion of 16 to 18 study across local authorities in the Greater West of England, with comparison to England and England excluding London.

35.9% of students progressed to sustained education destinations, 36.0% to sustained employment destinations and 8.4% to sustained apprenticeship destinations. Across local authorities, sustained education destinations ranged from 31.1% in North Somerset to 39.8% in Gloucestershire, while sustained employment destinations ranged from 33.9% in Bristol to 38.3% in Wiltshire.

Progression to sustained apprenticeships ranged from 7.0% in Wiltshire to 10.3% in South Gloucestershire. The distribution of sustained destination types in the GWE was consistent with England excluding London, although the proportion progressing to sustained education destinations was lower and the proportion progressing to sustained employment destinations was higher.

Education (16–18) sustained education destinations in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

This visualisation presents sustained education destinations following completion of 16 to 18 study, broken down by further education, UK higher education institutions and other education destinations across local authorities in the Greater West of England.

29.9% of students progressed to UK higher education institutions, while 5.4% progressed to further education and 0.6% to other education destinations. Progression to UK higher education institutions ranged from 24.5% in North Somerset to 35.6% in Gloucestershire.

For England excluding London, 34.5% of students progressed to UK higher education institutions, 5.3% to further education and 0.8% to other education destinations.

Education (16–18) sustained apprenticeship destinations by level in the Greater West of England, 2022/23

This visualisation shows sustained apprenticeship destinations following completion of 16 to 18 study, broken down by apprenticeship level across local authorities in the Greater West of England, with comparison to England and England excluding London.

4.4% of students progressed to advanced apprenticeships (level 3), 2.5% to intermediate apprenticeships (level 2), and 1.4% to higher or degree apprenticeships (level 4 and above). Across local authorities, progression to advanced apprenticeships ranged from 3.1% in Wiltshire to 5.6% in South Gloucestershire.

Progression to intermediate apprenticeships ranged from 2.0% in Gloucestershire to 3.4% in South Gloucestershire, while progression to higher or degree apprenticeships ranged from 0.7% in Swindon to 2.0% in North Somerset.

The distribution of apprenticeship destinations by level in the Greater West of England was consistent with that recorded for England excluding London.

Caveats

These statistics are based on official Department for Education (DfE) sustained destinations data. A destination is classified as sustained where an individual participated in education, employment or an apprenticeship for a continuous period of at least six months during the academic year following completion of 16 to 18 study.

Caution should be applied when comparing results across areas due to differences in cohort size and destination recording practices. National and regional figures are rounded to reduce the risk of disclosure.