What is the Annual Participation Measure?

The Annual Participation Measure (APM) is published every August, outlining the status of all young people aged 16-19, whether in school or post-school.

The Scottish Government’s Opportunities for All commitment offers a place in learning or training to every 16-19 year old who is not in employment, education or training. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) worked with the Scottish Government to develop the Participation Measure which appraises the impact of Opportunities for All, and the support provided by partner agencies, in relation to the age 16-19 population.

The Participation Measure is drawn from customer records on the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Customer Support System (CSS), which is updated by SDS Advisors and by partners (local authorities/schools, Colleges, SAAS, DWP etc) via the 16+ Data Hub. It gives all partners the ability to better understand the impact of interventions and the outcomes they deliver at every transition point for 16-19 year olds.

Previous publications and general information about the APM can be found via this SDS link – Participation Measure Summary Page.

Skills Development Scotland also produce an interactive APM report to allow partners to compare data which can also be found on the summary page.