European Commission

Education and Training Monitor 2023

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Comparative report

Introduction

The Education and Training Monitor is the European Commission’s annual report on EU education and training systems, and their progress towards reaching the EU-level targets adopted as part of the 2021 Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area (EEA)1. It comprises this comparative report, 27 country reports and an online Monitor Toolbox with the most prominent data and sources used to analyse education and training systems in the EU2.

The comparative report looks at the most noticeable differences across EU countries and striking changes over time. It tracks progress towards reaching the seven EU-level targets (Box 1) and complements them with numerous supporting indicators to shed light on context and possible policy levers. The 2023 edition starts off with a special focus on the teaching profession, zooming in on teacher shortages across EU countries, as well as their various efforts to make teaching more attractive. This special focus is a direct response to the 2021 EEA strategic framework Resolution and the 2023 Council Resolution on the EEA3.

Box 1. Seven EU-level targets

  1. Early childhood education and care

    By 2030, at least 96% of children between 3 years old and the starting age for compulsory primary education should participate in early childhood education and care

    Latest EU average

    Total Female Male
    92.5% [2021] 92.6% [2021] 92.4% [2021]

  2. Early school leaving

    By 2030, the share of early leavers from education and training should be less than 9%

    Latest EU average

    Total Female Male
    9.6% [2022] 8.0% [2022] 11.1%% [2022]

  3. Underachievement in basic skills

    By 2030, the share of low-achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science should be less than 15%

    Latest EU average

    Total Female Male
    • Reading: 22.5% [2018]
    • Mathematics: 22.9% [2018]
    • Science: 22.3% [2018]
    • Reading: 17.5% [2018]
    • Mathematics: 22.9% [2018]
    • Science: 21.2% [2018]
    • Reading: 27.4% [2018]
    • Mathematics: 22.8% [2018]
    • Science: 23.2% [2018]

  4. Underachievement in digital skills

    By 2030, the share of low-achieving eighth graders in computer and information literacy should be less than 15%

    Latest EU average

    Total Female Male
    [*] [*] [*]

  5. Work-based learning in vocational education and training

    By 2025, the share of recent VET graduates who benefit from exposure to work-based learning during their vocational education and training should be at least 60%

    Latest EU average

    Total Female Male
    60.1% [2022] 59.3% [2022] 60.8% [2022]

  6. Tertiary educational attainment

    By 2030, the share of 25-34-year-olds with tertiary educational attainment should be at least 45%

    Latest EU average

    Total Female Male
    42.0% [2022] 47.6% [2022] 36.5% [2022]

  7. Adult learning

    By 2025, at least 47% of adults aged 25-64 should have participated in learning over the previous 12 months

    Latest EU average

    Total Female Male
    [**] [**] [**]

Source: for target 1, Eurostat (UNESCO OECD Eurostat [UOE] joint data collection; for targets 2, 5, 6, and 7, EU Labour Force Survey [LFS]); for target 3, OECD (Programme for the International Assessment of Students [PISA]); and for target 4, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement [IEA] (International Computer and Information Literacy Study [ICILS]). Note: [*] an EU average for underachievement in digital skills is not shown due to the limited number of EU countries with available data in ICILS 2018 (ICILS 2022 data, covering 22 EU countries, are expected towards the end of 2024); [**] data underpinning the 2025 EU-level target for adult learning in the preceding 12 months have not yet been made available (chapter 6 uses EU Labour Force Survey data referring to a 4-week window instead, alongside data from the 2016 Adult Education Survey).

The comparative report brings together the latest evidence and follows recent European Commission reports on, for instance, COVID-19 learning deficits and investment in education. Firstly, a 2023 report from the European Network on Economics of Education (EENEE) provides a comprehensive analysis of research done across many European countries between 2020 and 2022 to understand how COVID-19 affected learning outcomes4. Overall, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on learning outcomes was mixed. It ranged from no effect in a few countries and major negative effects in other countries. Countries with advanced levels of digitalisation and more intensive use of ICT in education before the pandemic recorded lesser negative effects. Socio-economically disadvantaged students suffered greater learning losses, raising concerns about the impact of the pandemic on equity in education5.

Secondly, a 2023 European Commission report shows that there are both significant opportunities for investing, as well as difficulties in investing, in the education sector in the pandemic’s aftermath. On the one hand, EU countries are receiving considerable support for investment in education and skills is available to EU countries between 2021 and 2026 through the Recovery and Resilience Facility and Cohesion Policy funding6. On the other hand, competition for public funding among the various policy sectors is likely to increase, due to the expenditures needed to support the digital and green transitions, and to address the challenges of population ageing.

Addressing all the current economic and social challenges in the EU, including the digital and green transitions and the new geopolitical dimension, will require major public investments in several economic sectors, while keeping public finances under control. This potential competition for funding makes it all the more pressing to improve the overall quality of investment in education. Building on previous work with EU countries, the European Commission launched a Learning Lab on Investing in Quality Education and Training in November 2022 (Box 2).

Box 2. The Learning Lab on Investing in Quality Education and Training

The Learning Lab on Investing in Quality Education and Training aims to promote a culture of evaluation in education policy and to provide knowledge and resources to identify how to make EU education systems more effective, efficient and equitable. Its activities will cover three main areas:

  • capacity building for evaluation methodologies: the Learning Lab proposes training courses on education policy evaluation methodologies to national, regional, and local policymakers and education practitioners.
  • collaborative work among EU countries: the Learning Lab created a Community of Practice, where representatives of EU countries and international organisations can discuss their experiences with impact evaluation in education and share good practices.
  • analysis and evaluation of education policies: the Learning Lab will analyse education policies, from impact assessments to in-depth analyses of existing research findings. Specific calls under the Horizon Europe programme will support research projects on education policy evaluation.

Supported by the previous edition of the Education and Training Monitor, the 2022 EEA Progress Report reviewed the progress made since 2020 towards establishing the EEA in terms of setting out key EU-level initiatives, mobilising EU funding and technical support for national reforms and investments, stepping up cooperation and co-creation under the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training, and monitoring trends in the reaching of EU-level targets7. The report drew attention to significant structural challenges that affect most EU education systems8. These include educational inequities and teacher shortages across the EU. The 2022 Education and Training Monitor focused on equity (and presented the new EU-level indicator for equity in education) and the 2023 Education and Training Monitor shifts the focus to the teaching profession.

This comparative report has 6 chapters. Chapter 1 focusses on the teaching profession, with an analysis of teacher shortages and the profession’s attractiveness. The latter is supported by an online teachers’ dashboard, in which various indicators are brought together for a system-level comparison of 27 EU countries. Chapters 2 to 6 cover the EU-level target areas and mention the teaching profession where relevant. These chapters overlap, so they should not be seen as mutually exclusive9.

The Education and Training Monitor’s comparative report and country reports are structured the same way and are backed up by the online Monitor Toolbox, with all key sources and data organised by country and theme.

Notes

  • 1.Referred to in the remainder of this report as the 2021 EEA strategic framework Resolution.

  • 2.The Education and Training Monitor covers all EU education systems. The online Monitor Toolbox also includes the results for the EEA/EFTA and candidate countries whenever data are available.

  • 3.It follows the last edition’s special focus on equity in education, with a new EU-level indicator proposed in the 2022 EEA Progress Report.

  • 4.Student performance in various subjects, such as reading, mathematics, science, and foreign languages, measured through standardised tests.

  • 5.Research has identified several types of policy interventions to remedy observed learning losses. They focus on compensatory measures for the groups of students whose learning outcomes were most affected by the pandemic, the development of adequate monitoring and policy evaluation systems, and investment in the quality of education.

  • 6.See a 2023 overview of how Cohesion Policy supports education, training, and skills here. It features further information on the available support for 2021-27 under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), the European Regional Development Fund (ERFD) and its European Territorial Cooperation strand (Interreg).

  • 7.The assessment concluded that, in the period leading up to 2025, the focus must be on implementation, ensuring quality investment and the effective absorption of funds for education and training reforms, as well as robust monitoring.

  • 8.As a follow-up, the European Commission dedicated 2023 to the EEA midterm review, a process of listening, dialogue, and joint reflection with EU countries, EU institutions and the broader education community, to take stock and maintain the momentum and commitment of all key actors to continue working together on achieving and further developing the EEA. In May 2023, the Council adopted a Resolution on the European Education Area: Looking to 2025 and beyond, which proposed to focus on priorities such as improving equity, addressing teacher shortages, and promoting mobility. The 2023 EEA midterm review process provides considerable input into the 2025 EEA evaluation report, that will in turn feed into the preparation of the next stage until 2030, including the Council’s review of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training.

  • 9.For instance, school-based initial vocational education and training features the same challenges as included under school education here, whereas the participation of adults in formal learning may involve continuing vocational education and training or higher education.