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

http://www.rcu.co.uk/



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 ShareA 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

220200

10 1020

160140

150

250230

210

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

A Level Maths (11/12 to 13/14)

Priestley College Other FE Colleges Private Training 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?



https://mides.rcu.co.uk/


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

Education