Aspects of the Vocational Education and Training of Tertiary Education Graduates

Abstract

On the labour market, an important aspect is the resizing of jobs due to automation, respectively globalization. Technological changes have led to the need to acquire higher skills. The acquired knowledge and skills can lead to an increase in the ability of graduates to enter the labour market. Thus, for the member countries of the European Union, the article presents an analysis of the share of the population with age between 25 and 64 years, with a tertiary level of education. Likewise, the degree of insertion of graduates of tertiary education programs can be influenced by the economic activities carried out by economic agents. Analysis of employment rates for graduates of tertiary education programs is important. From this point of view, an analysis of the educational fields of the graduates is presented. The used comparative statistical analysis considered the study of the evolution of the number of tertiary level graduates, as well as of the educational fields, for the period 2013-2020, for the member countries of the European Union. Also, the 25-64 age group was selected, and for this the evolution of the share of people with tertiary education was studied. The importance of the degree to which graduates occupy a job after graduation, led to the selection of another indicator – the employment rate (for the period 2012-2021). The rate of participation in continuing professional education and training programs was another indicator for which a comparative statistical analysis was carried out. For all these analyses the existing database on the EUROSTAT website was used. The creation of new jobs involves, and also requires, new skills. For people in the field of work, the updating of skills, respectively their improvement, can be achieved by participating in education and professional training programs. At the same time, this subsequent participation in education and professional training programs is an indicator analysed in the article. The presented data show us that in 2021, approximately half of the population aged between 25 and 64, with tertiary education, was the majority in Ireland, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Sweden, Lithuania. The evolution of the number of graduates, at the level of the European Union, shows us that the number of graduates is increasing, so that in 2020 there were 4.24 million tertiary level graduates. It was found that in 2020 most graduates came from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland. Also, in 2020, the most graduates were for the field of business, administration, and law, followed by: engineering, manufacturing and construction, health and welfare, and education. The lowest share of graduates was for the field of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and veterinary. It was found that in 2021 the employment rate for people aged between 25 and 64, with a tertiary level of education, was high for: Malta, Poland, Hungary, Romania. The lowest values were registered in: Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus. At the same time, in the period 2013-2019, the values of the participation rate in education and professional training programs for people aged between 25 and 64, with a tertiary level of education, remained relatively constant, oscillating between 18.0% and 18.7%.