Education and Training Monitor 2024

1. Learning for sustainability

Policies related to learning for sustainability (LfS) are incorporated into various legal acts and strategies. The Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development of 2012 specifies key competencies and themes for sustainable development education. It advocates a holistic and integrated approach to LfS and promotes interdisciplinary and participatory learning methods. A list of educational and civil society stakeholders and their roles in promoting sustainability (Receuil des Acteurs de l'Éducation au Développement Durable) was published alongside the strategy in 2012 and updated in 2019. The National Plan for Sustainable Development and other strategic documents in Luxembourg refer to LfS in broad terms, without providing a single, unified definition. These documents underscore the importance of integrating sustainability into various educational levels and developing related key competencies. LfS is promoted through a range of incentives, including financial support, pedagogical programmes and dedicated platforms.

Luxembourg University is committed to sustainability. Though there is no reference to LfS in the Higher Education Act, sustainability is mentioned in the university’s strategic documents (Luxembourg University, 2018). In 2009, Luxembourg University created a sustainable development cell that aims to integrate sustainability into education and research with civic engagement. The university is a member of the International Sustainability Campus Network, whose members strive to become models and laboratories for the sustainable use of resources, social coexistence within campuses, and sustainable university design. The university offers several study programmes linked to LfS, e.g. the Certificate in Sustainable Development and Social Innovation or the Master’s in Sustainable Development.

Learning for sustainability features both in initial teacher education and in continuous professional development and is to receive more emphasis. In line with the national strategy, Luxembourg University integrated LfS into the training leading to the Bachelor’s in Educational Sciences from the 2012/2013 academic year onwards. This is implemented through a compulsory course and a related interdisciplinary educational module. Continuous professional development linked to LfS is organised by the Institute of Teacher Training (IFEN). The current primary school curriculum does not overtly include LfS, nor does it incorporate related educational concepts. However, its ongoing revision is planned to incorporate sustainability as a key interdisciplinary theme. The 2023 coalition agreement (Government, 2023) announces the revision of the secondary school curriculum by 2027, where LfS is to be included explicitly.

Luxembourg has taken several measures to adapt its vocational education and training (VET) offer to the needs of the green transition. The National Centre for Continuous Vocational Training (CNFPC) has modernised its offer and infrastructure to include new courses focusing on Industry 4.0 and green skills such as waste management, circular economy and energy efficiency. New initial VET (IVET) programmes in green and digital occupations have been introduced, including the technician diplomas ‘Smart buildings and energies’ and ‘Smart technologies’. Luxembourg also uses supplementary standardised certifications that are integrated into IVET curricula, for example a certificate in safety handling of hazardous gases. To address the expansion of skills provision for the green transition, the Ministry of Education has introduced monitoring of green skills in IVET curricula to both highlight the ‘greening’ of technical and transversal skills (i.e. energy saving, resource reuse) and detect where policy measures can be introduced most effectively.

2. Early childhood education and care

Participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) under the age of 3 is relatively high, but from the age of 3 it is below the EU average. In 2023, 60.0% of children under the age of 3 participated in formal childcare, which is one of the highest rates in the EU and well above the EU average (37.4%). In 2022, 90.5% of children from the age of 3 participated in formal ECEC, below the EU average (93.0%) and the EU-level target (96%) for 2030. Compulsory education starts with 2 years of preschool from the age of 4, which can be supplemented with an optional year from the age of 3.

New programmes are available to train professionals working in ECEC. A 3‑year programme leading to the vocational aptitude diploma (DAP) in education was launched in German in September 2022 and in French in September 2023. The programme is accessible for lower secondary graduates and leads to a diploma allowing them to work in various child and youth care services. A 3-year ‘DAP Inclusion’ programme was also introduced in September 2023 to train professionals working with people with special needs including in childcare settings.

3. School education

School outcomes are strongly linked to pupils’ socio-economic status and linguistic background. Luxembourg’s average competence levels, as measured by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey in 2018, were significantly lower than the EU average in all three areas tested¹. The score gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students was the largest one observed across all EU countries. National data show that at the time of starting school, pupils have the essential basic skills to begin acquiring literacy. However, from the start of year 3 in primary school, from the age of 8, many pupils’ performance in German reading comprehension and maths falls noticeably, particularly of pupils from a disadvantaged background or those whose first language is neither German nor Luxembourgish (Hornung et al., 2021). In its 2024 country-specific recommendations, the Council of the EU recommended that Luxembourg takes measures to improve the performance of the school education system and promote equal opportunities for all students, in particular by adapting teaching to the needs of disadvantaged students and those from various linguistic backgrounds (EU Council, 2024).

With the rate of early leavers from education and training at 6.8% in 2023, Luxembourg already achieved the EU-level target (below 9%). However, this figure for the country should be treated with caution because of the limited sample size and the low reliability of 2023 data for Luxembourg. According to national data, the proportion of people aged 16-24 who left education and training without completing upper secondary education fell to 7.6% in 2022/2023, down from 8.1% in 2021/2022 (MENJE, 2024). This corresponds to what has been measured in the past 5 years, except for 2019/2020, when the level was exceptionally low (7.0%). Most people (46%) are aged between 17 and 18 when they drop out of school, the age for choosing between different educational paths. More than a quarter of dropouts leave the education and training system more than once – a rate that has increased by 5 percentage points over the past 5 years. The proportion of boys who drop out of school is 70% higher than that of girls (63% vs 37%). In 2022/2023, 84% of students who dropped out had repeated a school year at least once. Across the different secondary education sectors, the drop-out rate was highest in the preparatory pathway (30%), the orientation classes (CIP/COP) (35.4%) and in the vocational pathways of secondary education: 15.2% in the one leading to the vocational aptitude diploma (DAP) and 22.5% in the one leading to the certificate of vocational ability (CCP). By contrast, the rate was only 2.5% in the second cycle of academic secondary education.

Figure 1: The rate of drop-outs aged 16-24 according to national data (%)

Specialised services are available to prevent or remedy early school leaving. The National Youth Service (Service national de la jeunesse – SNJ) identifies young people who are at risk of dropping out of school or have already dropped out and contacts them individually to give them guidance. These young people are then informed of possible training and job opportunities. If a return to school or a move to work cannot be considered right away, the SNJ can propose participation in a 3-12-month voluntary programme, during which young people receive targeted support. This gives young people practical experience and improves their soft skills. More young people are taking this up, with a record number of almost 490 agreements signed in 2022/2023 (MENJE, 2024). The SNJ also organises various workshops, training and short ‘discovery’ traineeships in companies. In addition, the Social-vocational Insertion Centres (Centres d’insertion socio-professionnelle – CISP) offer long-term personalised support to young people of two different age groups: the programme ‘Relance’ for those aged 12-16 and ‘Reconnect’ for those aged 16-24. The aim is to help young school dropouts reintegrate into the education and training system.

In recent years, adolescents’ well-being and mental health has deteriorated. According to the latest report on the Luxembourg Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)² survey (Luxembourg University, 2023a), the share of adolescents reporting high life satisfaction in Luxembourg decreased (2022: 29%; 2018: 32%). Some 62% of girls reported multiple health complaints, against 35% of boys. Adolescents’ mental health was worse in older age groups: while at age 11-12, the share of young people at risk of depression was 8% for boys and 15% for girls, at age 17-18 this was 19% for boys and 34% for girls. A similar age and gender pattern was observed in the previous HBSC survey for Luxembourg and in other countries. However, in Luxembourg the difference between girls and boys in life satisfaction is the widest since 2006 in the favour of boys.

Responsibilities are reorganised as a result of the extension of compulsory schooling. As part of the new law extending compulsory schooling from age 16 to 18 by 2026, the Ministry of Education will take over the responsibility for the monitoring of compulsory schooling from the local authorities. Municipalities, which are responsible for organising schooling and are usually the first contact point for families, will continue to notify parents when their child’s compulsory schooling begins, and children will automatically be enrolled in a public school in the school district of their place of residence. However, in secondary education, parents are responsible for enrolling their child in a school. Parents of pupils who are subject to compulsory schooling and are enrolled abroad, are required to send a certificate of enrolment to the Ministry of Education (MENJE, 2023).

A study shows encouraging results of education in European public schools. Another way of addressing the very high linguistic diversity has been Luxembourg’s increasing the number of its European public schools (EPS). In an EPS, pupils can choose between English, French or German as main tuition language instead of the trilingual system in other Luxembourgish schools. A recent study on EPS (Luxembourg University, 2023b) compares students’ learning outcomes with those in the national system. It appears that pupils in EPS achieve better results, repeat grades less often and are less likely to change education tracks than pupils in the traditional system. However, it has to be considered that EPS have a more favourable socio-economic profile than traditional schools. At the same time, newcomer pupils are over-represented in EPS, including recent arrivals from Ukraine (Figure 2). Another possible factor in the better learning outcomes in EPS is the fact that they provide primary and secondary education within a single institution. Considering the high demand – with around twice as many applicants as places – the government plans to open three more EPS in the south, which are likely to attract more disadvantaged pupils from the region (Government, 2023).

Figure 2: Distribution of Ukrainian students who were first enrolled in 2021/22 by curriculum in comparison to other student groups (%)

4. Vocational education and training

In Luxembourg, VET still attracts a high share of students. 6 out of 10 students in medium-level education³ are in programmes with a vocational orientation (60.5% in 2022). Although only one third of recent VET graduates (34.5% in 2023) had experienced work-based learning, recent VET graduates in Luxembourg had an employment rate of 80% in 2023, close to the EU average (81%).

VET in Luxembourg is becoming more skills-centred. Starting from the 2022/2023 academic year, ‘Digital Sciences’ became a subject integrated across all first-year lower secondary education classes, including VET, following a trial period in 2021/2022. In 2023/2024, this was expanded to cover the first three grades of lower secondary education, and from 2024/2025 onwards, the subject will be integrated across the entire lower secondary cycle. The subject covers six large topics linked to the human and technical dimensions of digitalisation: communication, critical thinking, Internet of Things, programming, robotics, and artificial intelligence. In 2023, the Ministry of Education continued providing new small supplementary certifications for specific skills that are in demand on the labour market in regular initial VET (IVET) programmes. These micro-credentials, issued by accredited schools, enable swift integration of occupation-specific and green skills into IVET programmes. In 2023, a pilot dataset and a longitudinal analysis of a set of indicators for a group of occupations was validated by the VET steering committee. These developments are part of the action plan for the development of data-based quality monitoring in the VET system created by the Ministry of Education.

5. Higher education

Luxembourg’s tertiary educational attainment rate is among the highest in the EU, with 60.2% of the population aged 25-34 holding a tertiary degree (EU: 43.1%). The proportion of highly skilled women in this age group exceeds that of men by 9.3 percentage points (EU: 11.2). The tertiary educational attainment rate is significantly higher among the migrant population (64.6% vs 54.3% of people born in Luxembourg). Among those born abroad, the rate of high-skilled people is higher among those born in the EU (67.0%) than among those born outside the EU (60.3%). The employment rate of recent tertiary graduates decreased by 6.5 percentage points in one year, reaching 86.7% in 2023 (EU average: 87.7%).

Luxembourg University is highly attractive to international students. In 2022, 79.4%⁴ of Luxembourgish higher education graduates had a learning mobility experience abroad, far above the EU average of 10.9% and the EU target of 23%. This is linked to the fact that a study period abroad is a prerequisite for obtaining a Bachelor’s degree at Luxembourg University and that Luxembourgish students receive a state scholarship even if studying abroad. With 20.0%, Luxembourg also tops the list in terms of the rate of graduates who obtained their degree in Luxembourg while having received their upper secondary school diploma in another country. Study programmes at Luxembourg University are bilingual, trilingual (French, German and English) or entirely in English, and graduates have good employment perspectives in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg is introducing new study programmes in education. Alongside the University’s existing 4‑year Bachelor’s degree in Education Science, a new 1-year Bachelor’s programme in Education started in 2023/2024 for people already holding a Bachelor’s degree in a subject linked to primary education. During the two-semester programme, students should develop the pedagogical and didactic skills necessary for teaching in a multilingual and multicultural school environment. Successful completion of the programme enables candidates to access the teaching profession under the same conditions as candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in Education Sciences. This new programme will entirely replace the earlier Quereinsteiger (lateral entrants) programme (MENJE, 2023). In addition, the University launches the following three new Master’s programmes linked to education as of 2024/2025: School Management and Development; Educational Development; and Inclusive Education and Accessibility. The three Master’s programmes are for holders of a higher education diploma for primary school teachers who already work in the Luxembourgish school system. These part-time, on-the-job study programmes last for 2 years.

The new law on the organisation of higher education determines the scope of higher education in Luxembourg. The law of July 2023⁵ provides the legal basis for the quality assurance and accreditation of short-cycle programmes (brevet de technicien supérieur – BTS) and those of specialised higher education institutions and their study programmes. Specialised higher education institutions are private or foreign institutions. A BTS is awarded upon successful completion of a study programme accredited by the Ministry of Research and Higher Education. To become accredited, BTS programmes and specialised higher education institutions and their programmes are evaluated by the Dutch-Flemish accreditation agency NVAO (Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatieorganisatie), which is registered with the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education.

The Benelux and Baltic countries mutually and automatically recognise the diplomas of their higher education institutions as from 1 May 2024. It is on this date that a treaty signed between Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2021 entered into force (Eurydice Belgium, 2024). The agreement allows graduates to work with their diplomas or continue their studies in one of these countries. In 2015, the Benelux countries introduced automatic mutual recognition of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, to which associate degrees and doctorates were added in 2018. Over the last years, the Baltic countries have also started to recognise each other’s degrees. The agreement is pioneering in that it connects the two existing regional agreements. In doing so, it helps implement the European education area, in which qualifications are recognised automatically for the purpose of further learning.

6. Adult learning

Despite good overall results in adult education and training, participation of older workers and low-skilled people in learning programmes is low and skills mismatches are higher than the EU average. The proportion of people who had participated in adult learning over the previous 12 months⁶ rose to 45.2% in 2022, well above the EU average (39.5%) but below the national target of 62.5% by 2030. Whereas in 2022, participation of adults in learning was remarkable for unemployed people at 39.9% (EU: 26.0%), it was below the EU average for older workers (29.0%; EU: 29.9%) and people with a low qualification level (20.0%; EU: 18.4%). Moreover, the skills mismatch across all levels amounted to 23.8% in 2022 (EU: 20.2%), and of all small to medium-sized enterprises, 80% find it difficult to find workers with the right skills. In 2023, the share of individuals aged 16-74 with at least basic digital skills was 60.1% (EU: 55.5%) and recent annual progress in raising this percentage has been slow (European Commission, 2024). The Chamber of Commerce calls for a national skill strategy for older workers that would not leave any senior worker without any IT upskilling and would offer systematic skill assessment for 45-year-old workers, intergenerational learning collaboration and accompanying measures/coaching for older workers ‘not in employment, retirement or training’ (Idea, 2023).

To address these challenges, Luxembourg is taking further steps towards building a national skills strategy. In its report of 2023, the OECD recommended to focus on key priorities such as providing labour-market-relevant adult learning opportunities, guiding and incentivising skills choices, strengthening the governance of skills data, and attracting and retaining talent to address skills shortages (OECD, 2023). This last recommendation was addressed by a law⁷ that entered into force in September 2023 and makes it easier to hire third-country nationals. In 2023, in line with the OECD recommendation on skills governance, the Public Employment Service (ADEM) published two new sectoral skills studies on the social work activities sector and the health and care sector to support skills anticipation (ADEM, 2023). The ‘Skills-Plang’ (skills plan) bill⁸ was introduced in June 2023 to help companies forecast future job developments and future skills needs. The bill provides for assistance and significant funding to develop upskilling/reskilling pathways for businesses and individual training plans tailored to the needs of workers affected by transitions. In June 2023, the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Luxembourg launched the Digital Skills and Jobs platform, as an information hub for digital skills and opportunities in Luxembourg. The platform aims to share and promote digital skills initiatives and encourage matchmaking, which should help support growth and increase outreach. Finally, in July 2024 the government presented the offer of “Skillsbridges” training, a new format of continued vocational training. Three courses (AI in administrative teams, maintenance of green areas and construction with low carbon and bio sourced materials) are available as of September 2024; around twenty other training sessions will be added progressively. These short-term programmes targeting a wide audience in terms of qualification, sector, and employment status are expected to enable adults to adapt to new technologies and the constant evolution of the job market.