Interim Participation Snapshot for 16–19-year olds
Latest data shows that participation amongst Scotland’s young people is now over 92%
SDS has today published the Interim Participation Snapshot for 16–19-year olds, providing an overview of the learning, training or work status of Scotland’s young people. At 92.2%, the participation rate for 16-19 year olds had increased by 1.7 pp compared to the same point last year (90.5%).
As with this year’s Annual Participation Measure, the increased participation rate can be attributed largely to improved data quality by the inclusion of HMRC employment data. Since April 2023, HMRC has shared monthly data extracts for 16-24 year olds in paid employment, for statistical purposes only.
The use of HMRC data has had a positive impact by increasing the participation rate and reducing the number in an unconfirmed status. However, it’s worth noting that there had been a slight increase in participation prior to the inclusion of HMRC data.
The data is drawn from the SDS Customer Support System (CSS) which includes data shared by data sharing partners. This management information helps SDS and other partners to ensure we are doing all that we can to support the future plans of young people across the country and enables Scottish Government to better understand the youth labour market.
Sharon McIntyre, head of the career service at SDS said: “The inclusion of HMRC data takes us another step closer to being able to build a full picture of how Scotland’s young people are participating and I’m delighted to see that the rate continues to remain high. This is testament to the hard work, commitment and resilience of our young people and of SDS careers advisers working in partnership with schools and local partners to support pupils throughout their time at school and through their transitions. We continue to work closely with schools and local partners to ensure we do all we can to support all young people.”
The information is drawn from SDS’s CSS dataset which, with data feeds from statutory data sharing partners, is maintained as a shared dataset on behalf of Scottish Government. The dataset is the source of regular management information to data sharing partners on the education, training and employment status of 16–19-year-olds in Scotland via the 16+ Data Hub, and is the source of the Annual Participation Measure, a key indicator in the National Performance Framework.
The interactive report is produced using data collected by SDS and a range of partners, including local authorities, colleges, the Student Award Agency for Scotland, the Department for Work and Pensions, HMRC and the Scottish Funding Council, which is shared through the 16+ Data Hub.
The next Interim Participation Snapshot will be published in May 2024.
View the Interim Participation Snapshot
The updated interactive report provides an overview of participation at a national and local authority level