OREANDA-NEWS. Of the 22 million pupils in the European Union (EU) studying at upper secondary level in 2014, almost 11 million (or 48%) were enrolled in vocational education. In twelve EU Member States, more than half of all upper secondary pupils studied vocational programmes.

Vocational education at upper secondary level was somewhat dominated by men, who accounted for 56% of pupils, compared with 44% women. This pattern can be observed in almost all Member States.

Ensuring that young people develop the skills and competences needed by the labour market by promoting vocational education and training is one of the initiatives of the European Commission to tackle youth unemployment.

This information is issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, and shows only a small selection of the wide range of data on education available at Eurostat.

Highest share of upper secondary pupils enrolled in vocational education in the Czech Republic

Across Member States in 2014, the highest proportion of pupils at upper secondary level enrolled in vocational education was registered in the Czech Republic (73%), ahead of Croatia (71%), Austria and Finland (both 70%), Slovakia (69%), Slovenia (67%) and the Netherlands (66%). At the opposite end of the scale, shares of less than a third were recorded in Malta (13%), Cyprus (15%), Hungary (25%), Lithuania (27%) and Greece (31%). At EU level, almost 1 in every 2 pupils studying at upper secondary level was enrolled in vocational programmes in 2014.