Market Intelligence for College Governors

April 2016 Using data and labour market intelligence www.rcu.co.uk
Market Intelligence for Governors
Using data and labour market intelligence to
understand a college’s market position

Governors and Market Intelligence Data
“College governors must satisfy themselves that
they have a complete picture of how the
college is operating by triangulating the
information they receive with other sources of
information”
FE Commissioner Letter to Chairs February 2014

Governors and Market Intelligence Data
Strategic decision making needs to be supported by
good quality market intelligence data...
...and then related to your specific values and
vision.

“Each review’s considerations and recommendations will be
based on robust evidence, taking account of analysis and
mapping data”
“Colleges need to own the process, accept the need for
change and proactively work together to explore options and
solutions”
“The importance of a strong evidence, base based on accurate
and timely data”
Reviewing post-16 education and training institutions:
guidance on area reviews (Page 15)
HM Government
Area Review and Data

• Should we develop strategic partnerships with other
organisations?
• Is the current curriculum meeting the needs of
employers and the local community?
• Should the college be investing in more capacity to
deliver STEM courses and advanced manufacturing?
• Is our curriculum being delivered in the most cost
effective way?
• What areas provide the most opportunities for
generating commercial income?
Examples of Strategic Questions:

Categories of Data:
Local Profile
• Claimant Count
• Current population
education level
• Industry profile
• Deprivation
• GDP/GVA per head
• Age profile
• Ethnicity Profile
• Transport
infrastructure
Skills Demand
• Job vacancies
• Skill shortage
vacancies
• Wage rates
• FT/PT vacancies
• Gender profile
• Local insight
• Occupations and
industries (SOC
and SIC)
Skills Supply
• SFA funded
courses
• Learner profile
• HEFCE funded
courses
• Full cost provision
• Competitor
analysis
• Gap analysis
Skills Need
• Skill needs
projections
• LEP priorities
• Growth sectors
• Local strategic
plans

1. Is the data being presented understandable
and clear?
2. Is the data source reliable and timely?
3. What conclusions can be drawn from the data –
are these conclusions valid?
4. Does the data help in holding the college to
account?
5. Does the data support strategic decision
making? – is it providing ‘intelligence’ or
‘insight’.
Key Questions for Governors:

• A lot of data is already in the public domain but
it is often hard to find and difficult to use
• Commercial web based tools can simplify the
analysis of data allowing colleges to focus on
making strategic decisions
• The RCU Vector Tool gives detailed information
on competitors, market penetration and market
share
• The RCU LMI Tool looks at the link between
skills demand and skills supply in your local
area
Data and Labour Market Intelligence Tools:

RCU Vector Market Intelligence Tool
Vector includes detailed information on your learners and those
attending other local providers enabling you to analyse your current
penetration in key market segments, market share and the coherence
of the curriculum offer in comparison with others.

Vector is an online market intelligence tool which has been designed specifically
for the FE Sector. Currently, around 140 colleges in England use Vector.
The tool supplies:
• Interactive online maps and charts.
• Detailed 3 year trend analysis of all post-16 learners in your recruitment area.
• Provides details on college market share in comparison to other FE and Sixth
Form Colleges, School Sixth Forms and Private Training Organisations.
• Detailed curriculum tables showing what courses are being offered and the
number of enrolments at all providers, by subject area and qualification level.
• School Leaver Projections.
What is Vector?

• Bespoke recruitment areas designed to be representative of the local catchment
area served by the College.
• Typically above 80% of all your College learners living within the defined
recruitment area.
Local Recruitment Area Summary

• Example shows high market
share for Level 2 Health,
Nursing and Social Care
around College campuses.
• Market share drops very quickly
between inner and outer wards.
• Compare to provider analysis
charts to find out where else
learners go to study.
Market Share Map by Local Authority Ward Area

• Chart shows demand at your college in comparison to other providers in the local area.
• Provides an indication as to which provider routes are most attractive to students across
different subject areas, qualification levels or even based on local geography.
Analysis of Learners by Provider Type

• Chart shows three year recruitment trend for the college and other providers (by type).
• Showing how learner trends at your college compares to other providers within the
local area.
3 Year Trends by Area, Subject and Level

• Chart shows course level enrolments at the college and other providers (by type).
• Broken down by year, geography, subject area and qualification level.
• Used to inform planning and to identify strengths or gaps in the curriculum offer.
Curriculum Analysis Table

• Chart shows a five year
forecast of the number of
16 year old school leavers.
• This chart can be broken
down by local authority
ward.
• Can be used alongside
college applications or
enrolment data to identify
areas where the impact of a
declining or increasing
cohort would be greatest.
Year 11 School Leaver Projections

• Who are the largest providers of 16-18 classroom learning in the local area?
• How does the College rank against other providers in terms of learner volumes by
subject area and qualification level?
Competitor Analysis

Case Study – Priestley Sixth Form College
Campaign to increase perceptions and enrolments in Science &
Mathematics subjects

ILR data - Market Share and Learner Volumes • The College uses the Vector
market intelligence to monitor
it’s presence in the local
area.
• College’s market share of A
Levels (all subjects) within
the local recruitment area
was 52% in 2013/14.
• In contrast analysis showed
market share for Science and
Maths based subjects was
consistently lower and falling.
The College Overall 2011/12 2013/14
Mathematics 200 580 38% 35% -3
Biology 150 410 41% 37% -4
Chemistry 140 410 37% 34% -3
Physics 120 310 42% 40% -2
Number of learners (16-18) Market Share Change in
Market Share
A Level Subject Area

• Volume of A Level students
enrolled in Science & Maths
subjects at the College has
declined year on year.
• Chart shows a decline of 50 A-
Level Maths students at the
College.
• Similar decline within the local
School Sixth Forms.
• In contrast numbers attending
other Sixth Form Colleges have
increased slightly in the past two
years.
250
220
200
10 10
20
160
140
150
250
230
210
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
A Level Maths (11/12 to 13/14)
PriestleyCollege Other FE Colleges PrivateTraining Providers
Sixth Form Colleges School Sixth Forms Other Providers
ILR data – A Level demand and student Trends

Science & Mathematics – 16-18 learner volumes
• The College used the Vector
maps to identify population
density of target audience.
• This information was used to
calculate which bus routes the
College should focus on to attract
learners.
• Paid for bus wrap around banners
and adverts to promote Science &
Maths delivered at the College.
• College is using this as a platform
to improve conversion rate to
enrolments.
• Internal analysis shows these
students have stronger grades on
entry.
Priestley College
10% increase in Market
Share from these 3 wards

• The college has already seen an increase of 16-18 year old students and
market share in some key recruitment areas, equating to an additional 120
learners from just three local wards.
• All of this new activity has been achieved without increasing the College
marketing budget which is now being spent in a more efficient way. Vector
has enabled these efficiency savings to be made by identifying key areas for
expenditure.
Outcomes
“The information RCU provided us has
proved invaluable in supporting our
marketing strategy. Working closely with the
team at RCU has led to a number of
efficiency savings and we have been able to
achieve a great deal more from our ever
tightening budget”.
Matthew Grant – Principal, Priestley College.

Local Area Summary
• Is there an adequate supply of skills in the local area?
• What is the college’s current expertise / market strength of apprenticeships?
• What apprenticeship frameworks should the college seek to develop to address
local skill needs?
• What are the biggest and fastest growing occupations in the local area?
• What occupations have the highest skills shortages?
• What are the local skills Priorities identified by the LEP?

• Easy to use online tool developed by RCU in partnership with AoC.
• Built within the MIDES / FE Data Hub website https://mides.rcu.co.uk/
• Provides insight into how Apprenticeships map to occupations and skills
demand at a regional and sub-regional level (including LEP area, county
council and unitary authority areas).
• Highly visual and interactive format, including maps, charts and tables.
• Supports apprenticeship planning and development and mapping to local
skills needs.
• Shows provider level analysis including rankings by apprenticeship learner
volumes and quality of provision by subject area.
• Endorsed by UKCES.
• Unlimited number of users per college.
What is the LMI Tool?

Local Area Summary
The Area Summary Dashboard displays the top occupations, industries, skills shortages, priority
sector and apprenticeships in the selected area.

Maps of Occupation / Industry / Apprenticeships

Occupations Summary
The LMI Tool enables also provides a more detailed information on local demand and supply for
occupations, industry and apprenticeships.

Skills Supply vs. Skills Demand
LMI Too Dashboard

• Digital Creative, Science and Technology is
identified as a LEP priority;
• Within this area there are 380 apprentices
being trained on Framework 418;
• Identified as an opportunity for the College
who are currently not in this market;
• Other Colleges currently have 16% of the
apprenticeship market;
• Despite being a priority skills area the
proportion of overall apprentices in the area is
lower than the regional and national average;
• Data presents an opportunity for the College.

• Programmers and Software Development
Professionals identified as a growth area;
• Forecast 7% growth in jobs by 2020;
• 26% of employers report Skills Shortage
Vacancies;
• Concentration of overall jobs in the area
slightly above the national average;
• Opportunity for further Skills development.

Helps inform strategic decisions, e.g.
“Should we invest in this area?”
Analysis should also consider level of
skills required to identify whether skills
need can be met by apprentices.
Matching Skills Demand to Skills Supply
Skills Equilibrium Matrix

Market Intelligence for College Governors

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