Number of training contracts down 16%
updated on 07 April 2011
The Law Society's annual statistical report reveals that the number of training contracts available in the year ending 31 July 2010 fell by 16.1%. There were 4,874 registered training contracts last year, compared with 5,809 the previous year; the annual number of training contracts has now dropped 23% from its 6,303 peak in 2007-08.
As the number of training contracts decreases, the number of LPC places available is on the rise; the total availability for full and part-time courses in 2011-11 was 15,166 - up 5% on the previous year. However, despite this rise in places, the number of students enrolling on the course fell by 24.3% between 2009 and 2010; total enrolments in 2009 were 9,337, while in 2010 were only 7,064. It could be that fewer students are enrolling on the course because of concerns over employment prospects in the highly competitive legal job market; the Law Society issued a warning at the tail end of 2009 urging wannabe lawyers to think carefully before enrolling on the course (see "Law Society warns students off law").
On the diversity front, the report shows that women trainees still outnumber men; this year 63.4% of trainees are female, compared with 61.7% the year before. There was little change to the number of black or other ethnic minority trainees, with the figure remaining static at around 20%.
