The Adult Education Survey

Eurociett/UNI Europa Joint Conference 4th December 2008, Bruxelles

Sadiq Kwesi Boateng

European CommissionEurostat, Unit F4 Education

Contact persons at Eurostat: Sadiq-Kwesi.Boateng@ec.europa.eu, Lene.Mejer@ec.europa.eu

Methodology

Proposed EU standard questionnaire and classification of activities. Also standardised tools for validating data and a standard quality reporting format.

Different schema for sampling: Simple random, stratified simple random, multi-stage stratified, multi-stage, multi-stratified sampling.

Interview: CATI (by telephone), CAPI/PAPI or a combination of the two (computer or paper assisted face to face interview)

Proxy interviews allowed in only a few countries Weighting methods by mainly gender and age AES as stand-alone survey in most countries, few included in

other surveys (mainly labour force surveys) Reference period for education and training activities - 12

months

Formal, non formal education and informal learning

Formal education is education provided in a system of schools, colleges, universities and other formal educational institutions and normally intended to lead to a certification. Examples are secondary and vocational courses, degree and postgraduate courses.

Non Formal Education is organised and sustained educational activity that takes place both within and outside educational institutions. Depending on country contexts, it may cover educational programmes to impart adult literacy, basic education for out of school children, life-skills, work-skills, and general culture.

Informal learning is intentional, but less organised and less structured and may include for example learning events (activities) that occur in the family, in the work place, and in the daily life of every person, on a self-directed, family-directed or socially directed basis. Examples are the use of computers, printed materials, television programmes to acquire knowlwdge

Learning activities

Formaleducation

Non formal education

Informal learning

Random learning

Adult Education Survey - results-

Data can be found on Eurostat’s website:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat

-> switch to ‘data’ mode and click on the following headings:

-> Education and Training -> Training -> Adult education survey

Data are provisional for France and Slovakia The slides on Language skills and ICT skills are not

published yet (forthcoming) and should therefore not be used for further quotation.

Participation rates - formal and non formal, AES

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

HU GR PL IT ES LV LT FR BG CY AT EE SK DE UK NO FI SE

%

< 30

30-40

40-50

>50

Participation rates by type of learning (%), AES

UK

SE

FINO

LT

SK

ES

PL

LV

DEEE

IT

ATCYBG

HU

GR

FR

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Participation in Formal education

Pa

rtic

ipa

tio

n in

no

n-f

orm

al e

du

ca

tio

n

Participation in Formal & Non Formal by sex, AES

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

DE CY AT BG FR SK IT ES GR NO PL SE UK HU FI EE LT LV

%

Male

Female

More females

In relative terms

More males

Participation in Formal & Non-Formal by educational attainment (%), AES

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Max. Lower Secondary

Upper Secondary

Tertiary

Larger relative difference

PL GR HU LT IT LV SK CY AT BG DE EE ES FR FI NO UK SE

Participation in Formal & Non-Formal by age, AES

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

25-34 35-54 55-64

Ind

ex

: to

tal p

op

ula

tio

n =

10

0

GRPLHU

SEUKFI

FR

Participation (Formal & Non-Formal) by employment status (%)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

SE AT NO ES FI UK DE GR IT CY FR HU LV EE PL LT SK BG

Employed

Unemployed

Inactive

Relative difference between the employed and the others

Larger differences

Participation in FED or NFE by occupationParticipation in formal or non formal education and training by occupation (%)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

AT BG CY DE EE ES FI FR GR HU LT LV NO PL SE SK UK

ISCO 1_3, highly skilled white collar ISCO 4_5, low skilled white collar

ISCO 6_7, highly skilled blue collar ISCO 8_9, low skilled blue collar

Non-Formal activities by fields (% average)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Agriculture and veterinary

General programmes

Services

Teacher training andeducation science

Engineering, manufacturingand construction

Science, mathematics andcomputing

Humanities, languages andarts

Health and welfare

Social sciences, businessand law

All activities

Job-related

Reasons for training (%), AES

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

To start own business

Other

To meet new people or just for fun

To increase possibilities of getting a job or changing ajob/profession

To be less likely to lose job

To obtain certificate

To be obliged to participate

To get knowledge/skills useful in everyday life

To increase knowledge/skills on an interesting subject

To do job better and improve carrier prospects

Non formal education and training activities by provider (%)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Employer

Non formal education and traininginstitutions

Formal education and training institutions

Commercial inst. where ET is not mainactivity

Non commercial inst. where ET is notmain activity

Employers organisations, chamber ofcommerce

Individuals eg. Student giving privatelessons

Non profit associations, cultural, politicalassociations

Trade unions

Non formal education and training activities by provider (%)

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

AT BG CY DE EE ES FI FR GR HU IT LT LV PL SE SK UK

Employer

NFE insts

Distribution of activities totally or partly sponsored by employers

0

20

40

60

80

100

AT BG CY DE EE ES FI FR GR HU IT LT LV NO PL SE SK UK

FED

NFE

Population by types of willingness (%)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Did not participateand did not want to

Participated anddid not want more

Participated butwanted more

Did not participatebut wanted to

Respondents who did not participate but wanted to participate in education and training (%)

05

10152025303540

AT BG CY DE EE ES FI FR GR HU IT LT LV NO PL SE SK UK

Male

Female

Most important obstacle Family responsibilities

Conflicting with workscheduleToo expensive / could notaffordHealth / old age

No facilities at reachabledistanceLack of employer support

Did not have prerequisite

Not confident going backto school

Most important obstacle - family responsibilities (%)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

AT BG CY DE EE ES FI FR GR LT LV NO PL SE SK UK

Male

Female

Most important obstacle - Cost of training (%)

0

10

20

30

40

50

AT BG CY DE EE ES FI FR GR LT LV NO PL SE SK UK

Male

Female

Most important obstacle - work schedule

05

1015202530354045

AT BG CY DE EE ES FI FR GR LT LV NO PL SE SK UK

Male

Female

Further work

Publication of remaining results of pilot AES including– More countries– More indicators– Micro-data for research purposes, first countries

beginnijng of 2009, - all by the end of 2009. Preparation of the next AES surveys to take place in

2011 or 2012. Preparation of a Commission Regulation. Funding

secured. Methodological improvements, - further harmonisation.

- Thank you very much for your attention -