Qualifications and full-time students

According to the 2011 census, students and school children aged 16 or over accounted for 76,245 persons in the Lancashire-14 area, equating to 8% of the usual resident population aged 16 or over. This was slightly lower than the national average of 8.2% for England and Wales and the North West region. However the district rates for the 16–17 year old students at school or college were fairly consistent with the national average.  

The percentages of the over-16 year old usual residents who were students aged 18 or over were much more varied and highlight those districts with a strong university / higher educational presence such as Lancaster (13,603 persons, 11.8%) and Preston (12,055 persons, 10.6%). West Lancashire also had a score higher than the national average with 6.1% in this category.

The article includes a breakdown of the highest qualification level for Lancashire local authorities. The levels are based on academic or professional qualifications ranging from Level 1 to Level 4 or higher. Definitions of these Levels are given at the end of Table 2.  

A significant percentage of the population still had no formal academic or professional qualifications, ranging from 31.3% in Blackpool down to 18.3% in Ribble Valley. This compared with a national average of 22.7% or just over a fifth of the resident population aged over 16 in England and Wales. 

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A District level analysis using interactive maps has been prepared which includes further details on rates, change since 2001 and ranking of districts.

Page updated December 2017