• 48.0 per cent of Buckinghamshire residents are qualified to at least degree level
• More than 19 in every 20 residents are qualified to at least NVQ level 1
• Buckinghamshire has very low levels of residents holding technical qualifications, ranking 2nd or 3rd lowest for attainment at each of NVQ levels 1, 2 and 3
• 51.4 per cent of Buckinghamshire’s economically active residents are qualified to at least NVQ level 4, with only 3.4 per cent holding no qualifications
• 55.8 per cent of all employed women living in Buckinghamshire hold degrees, compared to 47.8 per cent of men.

Buckinghamshire’s educational attainment is among the highest in the country, with 48.0 per cent of working age (16-64) residents holding at least degree level qualifications, the 2nd highest share among county councils, ranking 4th among Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), well above the 38.2 per cent recorded across Great Britain. There were 13,800 people with no qualifications living in Buckinghamshire in 2006, representing 3.4 per cent of working age residents.

Educational attainment is particularly high in South Bucks and Chiltern, where 54.9 and 51.6 per cent of working age residents respectively hold degree level qualifications, the 22nd and 33rd highest shares of all local authority districts in Great Britain. At 5.5 per cent (6,500 residents), Aylesbury Vale has the highest share of residents with no qualifications among Buckinghamshire’s districts, also recording the lowest share of residents with degree level qualifications at 44.5 per cent.

The national distribution of degree level attainment by local authority is presented in the map on the following page.

Table 1: Qualifications held (cumulative), working age (16-64) residents, 2016

Source: Annual Population Survey, ONS 2017

Buckinghamshire’s strength on the cumulative measures is driven by the high share of working age residents with degree level attainment.  When considered by NVQ level a different pattern emerges.  Although 56,480 Buckinghamshire residents have a highest qualification at NVQ level 3, this represents only 17.5 per cent of working age residents, below the national share and the 5th lowest among LEPs.  At 16.8 per cent, Buckinghamshire’s share of residents with a highest qualification at NVQ level 2 is the 2nd lowest of any county council area and 3rd lowest among the 38 LEPs, ahead of London and Oxfordshire.  The full results are presented in table 2 and charts 1 and 2 below.

Table 2: Highest qualifications held (residents aged 16-64), 2016

Source: Annual Population Survey, ONS, 2017

Chart 1: Highest qualification held (GB=100)

Source: Annual Population Survey, ONS, 2017

Of all Buckinghamshire’s economically active (i.e. employed or unemployed) residents, 51.4 per cent hold degrees, rising to 55.6 per cent for women.  Only 3.4 per cent of Buckinghamshire’s economically active residents have no qualifications (3.5 per cent for men).

All Buckinghamshire’s districts have a higher share of residents holding at least degree level qualifications than the country as whole.  All other levels are underrepresented in all districts, with the exception of South Bucks where 18.3 per cent of working age residents hold highest qualifications at NVQ level 1, the 71st highest share reported among the 380 local authorities in Great Britain.

All age groups in Buckinghamshire have educational attainment above the national level.  Residents in their 30s have the highest educational attainment, with 61.8 per cent holding degree level attainment, ahead of residents in their late 20s (56.0 per cent) and 40s (55.6 per cent). 

Table 3: Degree level attainment by age, 2016

Source: Annual Population Survey, ONS, 2017

Educational attainment is higher among women than men, with 49.8 per cent of working age women in Buckinghamshire holding degree level qualifications compared to 46.3 per cent of men, while 4.8 per cent of men hold no qualifications compared to 3.8 per cent of women.  Of those in employment, 55.8 per cent of women hold degree level attainment compared to 47.8 per cent of men, while only 3,200 women with no qualifications are employed, representing 3.2 per cent of all working age resident women, compared to 5,100 men (3.8 per cent of all employed male residents).

An overview of NVQ levels can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/compare-different-qualification-levels