Comparative report
Introduction
The Education and Training Monitor is the European Commission’s annual report on EU countries’ progress towards reaching EU-level targets in education and training, most notably the ones 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). The Monitor comprises this comparative report, 27 country reports, and an online Monitor Toolbox with key indicators and sources(2).
EU-level targets connected to the EEA
| ‘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 by 2030.’ | Chapter 2 |
| ‘The share of early leavers from education and training should be less than 9% by 2030.’ | Chapter 3 |
| ‘The share of underachievement in reading, mathematics, and science should be less than 15% by 2030.’ | Chapter 3 |
| ‘The share of eighth graders’ underachievement in computer and information literacy should be less than 15% by 2030.’(3) | Monitor Toolbox |
| ‘At least 60% of recent VET graduates should have experienced work-based learning as part of their VET programme by 2025.’ | Chapter 4 |
| ‘The share of 25-34-year-olds with tertiary educational attainment should be at least 45% by 2030.’ | Chapter 5 |
| ‘At least 47% of adults aged 25-64 should have participated in learning during the last 12 months by 2025.’ | Chapter 6 |
The comparative report features contributions from the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), the Eurydice network, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Eurostat, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The Education Committee of the Council of the EU, and the Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks (SGIB)(4) were consulted during the drafting phase.
The comparative report looks at the most noticeable differences across EU countries and striking changes over time. It tracks progress towards reaching the EU-level targets connected to the EEA and complements this with numerous supporting indicators to shed light on context and possible policy levers. In addition, reference is made to other EU-level targets tracked by the European Commission in formal childcare, vocational education and training (VET), ICT, learning mobility, and adult learning. This connects the Education and Training Monitor to other European Commission work strands such as the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan and the Digital Decade.
The 2024 edition starts off with a focus on learning for sustainability, building on a new conceptual framework for monitoring learning for sustainability. The focus on learning for sustainability is a direct response to the 2021 EEA strategic framework Resolution and the 2023 Council Resolution on the EEA, following the 2022 focus on equity in education and 2023 focus on the teaching profession.
Other EU-level targets
| ‘At least 45% of children below the age of 3 participate in formal childcare, with specific targets applying to EU countries that have yet to reach the 2002 goals.’ | Chapter 2 |
| ‘The share of employed graduates from VET should be at least 82% by 2025.’ | Chapter 4 |
| ‘In VET, the share of vocational learners who do part of their studies abroad (learning mobility) should be at least 12% by 2030.’ | Chapter 4 |
| ‘At least 20 million people should be employed as ICT specialists by 2030.’ | Chapter 5 |
| ‘The share of tertiary graduates with a learning mobility experience abroad should be at least 23% by 2030.’ | Chapter 5 |
| ‘At least 60% of adults aged 25-64 should have participated in learning during the last 12 months by 2030.’ | Chapter 6 |
With its findings, the 2024 Education and Training Monitor supports the EU’s latest political ambitions in education and training. The European Commission’s 2024-2029 Political Guidelines call “for a radical step change […] for all types of training and education”. Education and training play a key role in equipping people of all ages, from early childhood education to adult learning, with the competences essential for civic participation, engagement, and societal resilience. Equally, the 2024 Letta report on the EU single market and the 2024 Draghi report on the future of European competitiveness highlight how increased investments in education and training help respond to economic challenges to do with productivity, innovation, skills gaps, and labour shortages. This will allow the EU to be better prepared for the digital, green, and demographic transitions in an uncertain international context, while ensuring social inclusion.
The 2024 Education and Training Monitor is complemented by other European Commission monitoring reports in the field of education and training. Firstly, the 2024 European Commission report on investing in education shows that education had one of the largest drops in investment among the various public policy sectors between 2019 and 2022. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, investment in education has faced stronger competition from other public functions, and therefore receives a lower share of total public expenditure than in the previous decade. This happened as public authorities took multiple measures to support the economy and public health in 2020 2021 in response to the pandemic. Although most of the measures were discontinued or gradually phased out in 2022, new measures have since been introduced to face the energy crisis and support Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion(5).
Secondly, a 2024 European Commission report on the inclusion of displaced children from Ukraine captures another persistent challenge faced by EU education systems, as well as the deep solidarity and agility of its schools. The report presents the results of a survey for the 2023/2024 school year. An estimated 700 000 displaced children from Ukraine are enrolled in schools across the EU, from early childhood education and care to upper secondary education. The educational authorities have mobilised extensive support for students, families, teachers, and educational institutions across all levels of education, and most EU countries require children from Ukraine to attend local schools. Moreover, EU countries have implemented measures to support teachers working with Ukrainian pupils, including professional development and training, teaching materials, and staff recruitment, including from Ukraine.
Finally, a 2024 European Commission report on the OECD’s PISA 2022 results shows that the share of students not able to reach a minimum competence benchmark in reading, mathematics, and science has increased in most countries compared to the previous PISA 2018 results. At the same time, the share of students reaching a high level of competence has declined across the board in reading and mathematics compared to PISA 2018. The report also touches upon student wellbeing, noting that a sense of belonging at school is rather high, but that a sizeable proportion of students is exposed to bullying, with possible negative effects on their educational performance. The 2024 Education and Training Monitor is the first edition since the release of the PISA 2022 results, and its data are used in various sections throughout the comparative report, most notably in Chapter 3 on school education.
This comparative report has 6 chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on learning for sustainability, with an analysis of sustainability competences and the opportunities to learn about sustainability in school education. Chapters 2 to 6 cover the EU-level target areas from early childhood education and care all the way to adult learning. These chapters also touch upon learning for sustainability at levels of education and training outside of school education. All chapters of the comparative report overlap to some extent, given that education and training sectors are closely intertwined(6). The 2024 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.The EU-level target on eighth graders’ underachievement in computer and information literacy is not covered in this edition of the Education and Training Monitor. This is because the underlying data were not available during the drafting phase. The data are from the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS), as conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The online Monitor Toolbox features links to ICILS 2023 data as published on 12 November 2024.
4.The SGIB is an informal expert group advising the European Commission on evidence and monitoring of education and training systems within the open method of coordination.
5.The report on investing in education also captures the state of play on counterfactual education policy evaluation, mapping recent studies using counterfactual policy evaluation in education in Europe to assess the success of policies and programmes. The Learning Lab on Investing in Quality Education and Training aims to promote a culture of evaluation in education policy and provide knowledge and resources to identify how to make EU education systems more effective, efficient and equitable. Its activities cover three main areas: (i) capacity building on evaluation methodologies; (ii) collaborative work among EU countries; and (iii) analysis and evaluation of education policies.
6.For instance, school-based initial vocational education and training features the same challenges as included under school education in this report, whereas the participation of adults in formal learning may involve continuing vocational education and training or tertiary education.