Exploring sources on funding for lifelong learning : final project report.
Date: 2004-01-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Subjects: continuing education, financing, knowledge management, learning, professional qualifications, report, statistical method

Exploring sources on 
funding 
for lifelong learning 

Project report 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PPrroojjeecctt  
rreeppoorrtt  

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                                        ffoorr  lliiffeelloonngg  lleeaarrnniinngg  
SSttaattuuss::        FFiinnaall  
DDaattee::                  1144  DDeecceemmbbeerr  22000044  
CCoonnttrraacctt::  22000033--  22774488  //  000011  ––  000011  LLEE22  5522SSTTAATT  
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                                      LLuuxxeemmbboouurrgg  

        European Research Associates 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
I  

Acknowledgement 

The  issue  of  lifelong  learning  is  a  very  important  one  and  a  lot  of  prominence  deservedly, 
continues  to  be  given  to  it  as  evidenced  by  various  national  and  international  policies  in  this 
respect.  Apart  from  the  motivation  of  an  individual  for  self-improvement  through  continuing 
vocational education and training, (which he or she hopes should improve prospects of improved 
situation especially on the job market), there is the urgent need for the European Union to address 
the issue of competitiveness of its economy and as part of this, to position its workforce in the state 
needed to address this issue. The culture of continuing self improvement has to be built into the 
system. 

This  study  focused  essentially  on  a  review  of  statistical  information  available  on  the  resources 
devoted  to  lifelong  learning.  It  covered  a  number  of  national  and  international  data  sources  and 
also used information based on some past studies. All these aimed to contribute to the capacity of 
the EU to formulate policies on this issue, monitor them and evaluate their effectiveness. 

A  number  of  persons  have  contributed  substantially  to  the  project  in  the  course  of  the  fourteen 
months which it lasted, and we would like to take the opportunity to thank them for their support. 

A large amount of information came from the national statistical offices for the study and we are 
greatly  appreciative  of  the  support  of  the  contact  persons  in  these  NSIs.  We  are  grateful  to  the 
Secretariat of the OECD and to CEDEFOP for the insight into past efforts on related issues and for 
a range of useful information. 

We  are  grateful  to  the  members  of  the  European  Research  Associates  network  who  acted  in 
advisory  capacity  to  the  project,  and  especially  to  Dr.  Philippos  PAPADOPOULOS  who 
supervised the project and was charged with its quality assurance. 

Finally,  we  would  like  to  express  our  sincere  appreciation  to  members  of  the  project’s  Steering 
Committee  in  the  European  Commission,  (especially  from  Eurostat  and  Education  and  Culture 
DG) for their invaluable support and guidance all through the project. 

We  should  mention  that  while  the  project  was  fully  financed  by  the  European  Commission,  the 
views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. They 
are those of the authors. 

 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TTaabbllee  ooff  ccoonntteennttss  

Executive summary 

List of abbreviations used 
List of figures and tables 

Introduction: 

-  Objectives of the study 
-  Sequence and steps of the study 

Chapter 1: 
Assessment of statistical information needs 

EU policy context 
Information  requirements  on  funding  resources  required  for  education  and  training 
policies 

Development of statistical indicators on funding of education and training 

Existing EU indicators on education and training 
Derivation of statistical indicators according to policy needs 
Translating statistical indicators into data requirements 

Chapter 2 
Assessment of existing international data sources 

European Statistical System sources  
Assessment of the international data sources  
Current developments in ESS data collections 
Other international data collections 
Better use of existing ESS sources 

Chapter 3: 
Inventory and assessment of existing national data sources 

Inventory of national data sources  
Coverage of education and training 
Sources of funding 
Specific national data sources 
Assessment of national data sources 

Chapter 4: 
General review of the key variables 

Reconciling variables from international sources with those proposed 
Review of deficits in information collected from international sources 
Review of information contained in national sources 

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Situation of available information by policy area 

Chapter 5: 
Situation report on the key variables 

Classification of variables by type 
Key variables 

Chapter 6: 
Scenarios and methodological basis for possible future data collection 

Strategy for filling gaps 
Strengths and weaknesses of ESS sources 
Proposals for filling information gaps by policy area 
Modifying existing ESS sources 
Modifications to proposed indicators 
Recommendations 

Annexes  

Annex 1: Indicators based on policy needs 

Annex 2: Summary of information contained in national data sources: 

-  Introduction 
-  List of data source abbreviations used 
-  Type of funding sources identified in the national data sources 
-  Summary of information contained in the national data sources 

Annex 3: Overview of methodologies and other information contained in selected 
national sources 

-  Household Panel Surveys – (BE, DE, SE, UK) 
-  Adult Education Surveys (FI, UK, and USA for comparison purposes) 
-  Student income and expenditure survey 
-  Learning and Training at Work Survey 
-  Omnibus Survey 
-  General Socio-Economic Survey 
-  Expenditure  data  provided  by  Member  States  to  National  Action  Plans  for 

employment 

Annex 4: Satellite accounts of education in France 

Annex  5:  Overview  of  information  and  methodologies  of  international  data 
sources 

Annex  6:  International  publications  containing  information  on  education  and 

training 

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EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  lleeaarrnniinngg 

2

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
II  

Executive summary 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
Executive summary 

EExxeeccuuttiivvee  ssuummmmaarryy  

Introduction  
Learning  activities  undertaken  throughout  life,  with  the  aim  of  improving  knowledge  skills  and 
competencies  with  a  personal,  civic,  social  and  /or  employment-related  perspective  are  of  great 
importance.  Their  importance  is  not  only  to  the  individuals  engaged  in  such  activities,  but  also  to  the 
whole  community.  Lifelong  learning  was  given  a  high  priority  at  the  Council  meetings  of  Lisbon  and 
Stockholm. The ability of the European Union to meet the aspirations of the Lisbon Council depends very 
much on its workforce. Such workforce must possess up-to-date knowledge and skills, must be flexible 
and adaptable and must possess a culture of continuous improvement. 

Efforts are being made both at national as well as European Union levels on the issue of lifelong learning. 
As  to  be  expected,  some  will  be  more  effective  than  others.  Some  will  require  more  resources  and 
attention than others, whilst some will take more time to produce results than others. Ultimately, all these 
efforts are expected to be pieces within a jigsaw, which should result in the EU attaining its objectives. 
The  process  of  formulating  policies  within  this  field,  of  monitoring  the  execution  of  the  policies,  and 
eventually  assessing  the  results  relies  very  much  on  the  availability  of  good  quality  and  comparable 
statistical information.  

The  key  questions  are:  Exactly  what  statistical  information  is  required  for  this  purpose?  Does  this 
statistical information exist? Is it robust enough to be able to answer to the policy needs? Where does the 
information  exist  and  how  easily  available  would  these  be?  How  adequate  is  the  so-called  European 
Statistical  System  (ESS)  in  meeting  the  need?  In  situation  of  shortfalls  in  what  is  required  and  what  is 
available, what are the steps to follow in rectifying the shortfalls?  These were the basic questions, which 
this study set out to provide answers to. In particular, the project focuses on exploring resources devoted 
to lifelong learning. 

IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn  rreeqquuiirreemmeennttss  ffoorr  LLLLLL  ppoolliicciieess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  rreessoouurrcceess    
Based on the analysis of policy documents, the main policy needs could essentially be summarised into 
sixteen key areas: 

Improvement of opportunities for the unemployed by offering education/training 

1.  Resources devoted to education 
2.  Resources devoted to labour market training 
3. 
4.  Resources devoted to higher education 
5.  Efficiency of undergraduate programmes in higher education institutions 
6.  Quality assurance to meet labour market needs in higher education 
7.  Resources devoted to adult education 
8. 
Improvement of adult education opportunities 
9.  Efficiency of investments made in adult education 
10.  Improving access to vocational education 
11.  Resources devoted to training by enterprises 
12.  Individual resources devoted to lifelong learning 
13.  Lifelong learning 
14.  Integration of students with special needs in education 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

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Executive summary 

15.  Adult literacy and basic skills 
16.  Increasing mobility and exchange 

It is clear that a number of these policy areas require information which goes beyond simple information 
on funding sources (e.g. public or private sector), for example efficiency of investments, participation in 
education and training, outcomes, adult literacy, etc… However, it is important to note that without this 
additional information, a true picture of the resources that are devoted or need to be devoted will not be 
easily ascertained.  

EEsssseennttiiaall  iinnddiiccaattoorrss  aanndd  vvaarriiaabblleess    
Following  the  analysis  of  the  statistical  needs  for  the  policies  a  set  of  sixteen  headline  indicators  were 
identified  as  being  of  importance.  Breaking  down  these  indicators  resulted  in  a  set  of  ninety-nine 
variables some of which are compound indicators (in the sense that they are like indicators themselves). 
The search for the data sets needed for these variables looked at national and international sources, with, 
understandably,  great  focus  on  international  data  sources  (especially  within  the  European  Statistical 
System).  

The general conclusion is that while some of these indicators are fully catered for in terms of available 
data, most are only partially catered for or not catered for at all. Another finding was that even though 
some substitute variables could be used, in most cases, due to conceptual reasons as well as definitions, 
great care needs to be exercised in their use. 

SSttrreennggtthhss  aanndd  wweeaakknneesssseess  ooff  EESSSS  ssoouurrcceess  
The various data collections of relevance to this study have their individual strengths and weaknesses as 
sources for filling the gaps. Their strengths tend to be mostly in terms of their richness in the coverage of 
variables, while the weaknesses are mostly of a  methodological nature, as well as the actual amount of 
data, which they contain (the years of availability and in some cases, the national coverage deficiencies). 

OOvveerrvviieeww  ooff  ssiittuuaattiioonn  aaccccoorrddiinngg  ttoo  tthhee  ppoolliiccyy  aarreeaass  

1.  Resources devoted to education 
It  was  found  that  ESS  sources  could  provide  most  of  the  information  needed  for  the  variables  in  this 
policy area. Adult education is only covered if the course of studies can be assigned to a particular ISCED 
level.  The  case  study  of  the  satellite  accounts  of  education  in  France  demonstrated  the  feasibility  of 
collecting  information  on  extra-curricula  education1.  In  the  long  run,  establishing  satellite  accounts  of 
education  would  provide  a  fuller  picture  of  the  resources  devoted  to  education.  Furthermore,  it  is 
proposed  to  include  additional  questions  to  the  personal  diary  questionnaire  in  Household  Budget 
Surveys,  since  presently  the  data  collected  on  household  expenditure  on  education  only  refers  to 
educational services. 

2.    Resources  devoted  to  labour  market  training  and  vocational  guidance  and  counselling  for  the 

unemployed and other target groups 

Data is either not available or only partially available for a number of variables in this policy area. It is 
suggested  that  since  collecting  information  on  vocational  guidance  is  important  the  possibility  of 
collecting this information should be investigated further. 

1 i.e. distance learning, continuing professional education, and other types of extra-curricula education 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

5

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Executive summary 

3.  Improving opportunities for unemployed by offering education/training 
Data is available in ESS sources for almost all of the variables in this policy area with the exception of 
information on  ‘Number of labour market participants whose previous status was registered unemployed 
who found a job’.  In order to collect this information, national longitudinal data sources monitoring the 
path  of  a  person  over  time  in  various  states  (employment,  unemployment,  education,  employment 
training  etc…)  would  have  to  be  established.  It  was  advised  to  drop  this  variable,  since  establishing 
longitudinal registers would involve a huge burden both in terms of cost and time 

4.  Resources devoted to higher education 
The  study  revealed  that  data  collected  in  ESS  data  collections  does  not  fulfil  all  the  information 
requirements  in  this  policy  area.  In  fact,  ESS  data  collections  are  unable  to  provide  micro-level 
information  on  the  way  higher  education  institutions  are  allocated  their  financial  budgets  neither  by 
governments nor on their internal budgetary requirements. It was concluded that it would not be within 
the scope or objectives of any ESS source to propose the collection of data on some of these variables.  
Thus,  in  the  short-term  it  is  recommended  that  bi-lateral  contact  with  National  Statistical  Institutes and 
Ministries  of  Education  should  be  established  in  order  to  ascertain  the  availability  and  accessibility  of 
data for a number of variables in this policy area. 

5.  Efficiency of undergraduate programmes in higher education institutions 
Overall most of the data requirements needed to provide information in this policy area have been met, or 
will  be  met  in  the  near  future  with  the  forthcoming  EU-SILC  data  collection.    However,  none  of  the 
international or national data sources assessed contained information on the number of dropouts in higher 
education.  It  is  considered  that  the  best  place  to  collect  this  information  would  be  the  UOE  data 
collection. In the framework of the revision of the UOE data collection in 2005 it was proposed to include 
as ad hoc request (ie. not to be repeated on an annual basis) for the joint UOE data collection round in 
2005,  the  collection  of  information  on  “Average  duration  of  tertiary  studies”  and  “Survival  rates  in 
tertiary education”.  

6.  Quality assurance to meet labour market needs in higher education 
None of the ESS data collections evaluated contain information can meet the data requirements needed 
for  the  indicators  in  this  policy  area.  Proposing  the  collection  of  these  variables  is  considered  to  be 
outside the scope of existing ESS sources. Thus it is proposed to drop these variables.  

7.  Resources devoted to adult education 
Overall existing ESS sources can provide most of the information required for this policy area. However, 
information is not available on public subsidies given to adults for education and training. The addition of 
questions  to  the  EU-SILC  questionnaire can give an overall picture of the subsidies given to adults for 
education and training. Information on the different types of subsidies received for education and training 
could  be  cross-referenced  against  age  groups,  and  ISCED  level.  The  EU-AES,  which  is  currently  in 
development, should also consider collecting this type of financial information.  

8.  Improvement of adult education opportunities 
It was found that this policy area was not particularly well served by ESS sources. Proposing collection of 
this information is outside the scope of ESS sources. 
9.  Efficiency of investments made in adult education 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

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Executive summary 

ESS  source  are  only  able  to  fully  meet  the  information  requirements  for  two  indicators  out  of  the  six 
indicators proposed. The lack of information collected on this policy area reflects the prominence that is 
given  to  formal  education  in  ESS  sources,  which  is  due  to  the  fact  that  ISCED  is  used  to  classify 
educational activities. It is proposed that forthcoming EU Adult Education Survey take into account the 
shortfall of data in this policy area. 

10. Improving access to vocational education 
Data  needed  to  fulfil  the  requirements  of  the  indicators  in  this  policy  area  are  fully  covered  in  ESS 
sources 
11.  Resources devoted to training by enterprises 
Overall, ESS sources can provide most of the information required for this policy area. In order to rectify 
the deficits in this area it is proposed that financial data on other forms of CVT are collected in the CVTS.  

12. Individual resources devoted to lifelong learning 
Data availability in this policy area is only partial; some data is available in the EU Labour Force Survey. 

13. Lifelong learning 
There is full coverage for the data available from ESS sources in this policy area. 

14.  Integration of students with special needs in education 
The  study  revealed  that  none  of  the  ESS  data  sources  evaluated  contained  information  to  meet  the 
information  requirements  needed  in  this  policy  area.  It  was  also  observed  that  there  is  a  lack  of 
information contained in national data sources on this particular subject. There are a number of issues that 
need to be taken into consideration with respect to the collection of information of students with special 
needs,  which  are  as  follows:  reporting  burden,  confidentiality,  methodological  issues.  The  variables  in 
this  policy  area  could  be  extended  to  cover  students  from  disadvantaged  backgrounds,  learning 
difficulties etc… It is recommended that the following course of action be adopted: 
1.  Extended  the  data  to  be  collected  in  this  policy  area  to  everyone  with  special  needs  e.g.  disabled 
persons, persons from disadvantaged backgrounds, persons with learning and behavioural difficulties. 
2.  Extend the data to be collected in this policy area to cover the financial resources devoted to special 

needs education by source of funds. 

3.  Conduct a study to develop a methodology for collecting data on persons with special needs.  

15.  Adult literacy and basic skills 
The information that is required to satisfy the requirements for this policy area can be met with the data 
that  is  collected  from  the  Labour  Force  Survey,  and  the  International  Adult  Literacy  Survey. 
Nevertheless,  the  possibility  of  collecting  information  on  the  funding  of  adult  literacy  and  basic  skills 
should be explored. This aspect could be taken on board in the discussions concerning the implementation 
of the results of the Leonardo da Vinci II project “Defining an EU strategy for adult skills assessment” 2 
completed in 2004. 

2 http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/leonardo/new/leonardo2/study_en.html 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

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Executive summary 

16. Increasing mobility and exchange 
Neither  of  the  indicators  proposed  could  be  met  with  the  information  that  is  collected  by  ESS  sources. 
The UOE data collection does not collect separate information on mobility grants. Thus, it is proposed to 
add an additional item in the FINANCE-1 table of the UOE data collection to collect this information. 

SSttrraatteeggyy  ffoorr  ffiilliinngg  tthhee  ggaappss  

The gaps observed in the data could be categorised as follows: 
1.  Complete absence of a variable  
2.  Presence  of  the  variable,  however  with  the  shortcomings  of  not  being  quite  with  the  required 
concepts;  the  latest  data  being  very  out-of-date;  continuous  time  series  is  lacking  because,  for 
example, the data source is quinquennial; and/or data are missing for many countries of the EU. 
The ideal strategy is an annual survey of education expenditure covering both institutions and households. 
It is evident that this would be extremely costly and impose very heavy burdens on respondents, thus it is 
not realistic.  We therefore recommend the second-best, which is to build on existing instruments. This 
second-best  is  more  practicable  but  it  is  not  without  its  drawbacks.  It  will  be  a  patchwork  that  would 
require  great  professional  skills  to  reconcile  different  sources  and  achieve  comparability  across  both 
space and time 

CCoonncclluussiioonnss  aanndd  rreeccoommmmeennddaattiioonnss  

A  number  of  European  statistical  system’s  data  collections  were  assessed  in  order  to  evaluate  their 
potentials in meeting the information requirements set out by the examination of EU policy documents. 
The  subsequent  reconciliation  of  variables  required  for  policy  purposes  with  the  variables  that  are 
currently  available  revealed  a  number  of  deficit  variables,  which  currently  could  not  be  satisfactorily 
completed by ESS data sources.  As a way to addressing the shortfall in what is presently available and 
what the needs are, one could look at the scenario from three time-perspectives, short, medium and long 
term: 
Short-term  The  assessment  of  European  Statistical  System  sources  established  that  information  for 
some of the variables identified to meet the policy needs for information on investment in education and 
training  already  exist  and  thus  could  be  readily  used.  It  is  recommended  that  information  from  these 
existing sources should be used to meet the immediate needs identified. 

Medium-term The study revealed that a number of information gaps exist, which cannot be completed 
by  information  collected  from  existing  sources.  It  can  be  concluded  that  the  room  for  modifying  some 
ESS  sources  is  very  limited.  Nevertheless,  it  is  recommended  that  the  proposals  put  forward  to  rectify 
some information deficits by modifying Household Budget Surveys (HBS), and the EU-SILC are taken 
into account. If medium term is defined as the next five years, assuming that some consensus do exist, 
both  the  CVTS  and  the  LFS,  for  example,  could  each  accommodate  one  or  two  key  questions  of 
relevance. 

Long-term  In  the  long  term,  it  is  recommended  that  a  new  data  collection  is  established  in  order  to 
provide  more  comprehensive  information  on  the  resources  devoted  to  education  and  training.  The 
assessment  of  the  Satellite  Account  of  Education  in  France  confirmed the potential of this type of data 
collection in obtaining comprehensive information on education expenditure from both public and private 
sources. However, it cannot be expected that many countries will be able to introduce satellite accounts 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

8

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Executive summary 

on  education  without  further  research,  with  the  full  involvement  of  countries  possibly  under  the 
leadership  of  one  or  more  of  them.    Thus,  it  is  recommended  that  methodological  work  should  be 
undertaken  in  order  to  resolve  the  conceptual  and  statistical  issues  that  will  inevitably  arise  in  the 
construction of a framework of this nature. 
•  The first step should be to set-up a comprehensive frame/map of what is needed. 
•  The  second  step  is  to  set  out  full  conceptual  and  definitional  frame  within  which  such  collection 

should be performed 

•  The third step is to see what existing data collection could be used to supply information for as many 

of the needed variables as possible. 

•  The  fourth  step  is  to  present  a  coherent  questionnaire  to  be  used  for  the  new  survey,  which  takes 
account of the existing surrogate questionnaires used for other data collections for relevant existing 
variables. 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

9

 
 
III  

Abbreviations & acronyms

Some of the abbreviations and acronyms used in this report are presented below. 

AES 
ALS 
BAFöG 
BHPS 
CVT 
CVTS 
COFOG 
COICOP 
CPI 
EEA 
ESF 
EURYDICE 
ESSPROS 
ESS 
ESA 95 
EU-SILC 
EFTA 
FÁS 
GDP 
ICSE 
ICLS 
IVT 
ICT 
ILO 
ISCED-97 
ISO 
HBS 
HE 
HEIs 
HESA 
ISCO-88 
LCS 
LEA 

Adult Education Survey 
Adult Literacy Survey 
State support for higher education (Germany) 
British Household Panel Survey (UK) 
Continuing Vocational Training 
Continuing Vocational Training Survey 
Classification of the Functions of Government 
Classification Of Individual Consumption by Purpose 
Consumer Price Index 
European Economic Area 
European Social Fund 
Information network on education in Europe 
European System of integrated Social PROtection Statistics 
European Statistical System 
European System of Accounts  
EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions 
European Free Trade Association 
The Training and Employment Authority (Ireland) 
Gross Domestic Product 
International Classification by Status in Employment 
International Conference of Labour Statisticians 
Initial Vocational Training 
Information and Communication Technologies 
International Labour Organisation 
International Standard Classification of Education 
International Organization for Standardization 
Household Budget Survey 
Higher Education 
Higher Education Institutions 
Higher Education Statistical Agency (UK) 
International Standard for the Classification of Occupations 
Labour Cost Survey 
Local Education Authority (UK) 

  
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
Abbreviations 

LFS 
LLL 
LMP 
NACE 

NAP 
NPISH 
NSIs 
NUTS 
OECD 
PISA 
PPS 
R&D 
SAEE 
SENDDD 

SOCX 
S&T 
UOE 
UNESCO 
UNESCO-
UIS 

Labour Force Survey 
Lifelong Learning 
Labour Market Policy 
Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European 
Community 
National Action Plan 
Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households 
National Statistical Institutes 
Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics 
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 
Programme for International Student Assessment 
Purchasing Power Standard 
Research and Development 
Satellite Account of Education Expenditures 
Special Educational Needs: students with Disabilities, learning 
Difficulties, and Disadvantages (OECD) 
The OECD SOCial eXpenditure database 
Science & Technology 
UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection on education 
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation  
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation 
Institute for Statistics 

Country codes 

The following standard country codes were used 

AT 
BE 
CY 
CZ 
DK 
DE 
EL 
EE 
ES 
FR 
HU 
IE 
IT 

Austria 
Belgium 
Cyprus 
Czech Republic 
Denmark 
Germany 
Greece 
Estonia 
Spain 
France 
Hungary 
Ireland 
Italy 

LV 
LT 
LU 
MT 
NL 
PL 
PT 
FI 
SE 
SK 
SI 
UK 

Latvia 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Malta 
The Netherlands 
Poland 
Portugal 
Finland 
Sweden 
Slovakia 
Slovenia 
United Kingdom 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

11

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
List of tables 

Figures 

Figure 1 

Tables 

Table 1 

Table 2 

Table 3 

Table 4 

Table 5 

Table 6 

Table 7 

Scope of education and learning 

Data sources and types, and examples of ESS surveys 

Objectives and limitations of ESS sources 

Statistical units and statistical population covered in ESS data collections 

Availability of data in ESS sources 

Dissemination of data of the ESS sources in hard and electronic formats 

Information on funding sources collected by ESS sources 

Inventory  of  national  data  sources  containing  information  on  the  resources 

devoted to education and training 

15 

34 

35 

36 

39 

52 

58 

66 

Table 8 

Correspondence  of  educational  activities  covered  in  the  French  Satellite 

73 

accounts with the UOE data collection 

Table 9 

Summary  of information contained in a selection of national panel surveys on 

74 

Table 10 

Table 11 

Table 12 

Table 13 

the resources devoted to education and training 

Assessment of the national data sources identified 

Reconciliation  of  information  contained  in  international  data  sources  with 

identified variables 

Coverage of variables needed for LLL policy purposes in ESS data collections 

Reconciliation  of  information  contained  in  national  data  sources  with  the 

variables identified 

Table 14 

Classification of variables by type of information being collected 

77 

89 

102 

105 

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IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn 

 IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn  

Lifelong learning was given a high priority at the Council meetings of Lisbon and Stockholm, and the 
Communication  responds  to  the  specific  mandate  of  the  Feira  European  Council.  According  to  the 
definition of lifelong learning as adopted by the Commission and the Member States lifelong learning 
encompasses 

All  learning  activity  undertaken  throughout  life,  with  the  aim  of  improving  knowledge  skills 
and competencies with a personal, civic, social and /or employment-related perspective”  

Elaborating the concept, lifelong learning, includes all learning activities: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

that are purposeful, that is, activities which are undertaken with the purpose of “improvement in 
behaviour, information, knowledge, understanding, attitude, values or skills” 
that are undertaken on an ongoing basis, which means that they are not incidental or random but 
have “the elements of duration and continuity”, in principle without any lower duration limits 
independent  of  whether  they  are  formal  or  not;  includes  different  types  of  learning  like 
apprenticeships, second-chance schools, on-the job education and training, self-learning, etc.. 
independent of source of funding, that is funded either by the private sector, the public sector, or 
the individual 
independent of mode of provision  

It  also  includes  all  learning  activities  that  are  funded  by  the  private  sector,  the  public  sector  or  the 
individual. It should be borne in mind that knowledge, skills, and competence are not solely concerned 
with  work  related  outcomes  of  education  and  training.  They  are  also  concerned  with  social  and 
personal  outcomes.  Learning  encompasses  the  entire  population  independent  of  age  and  of  labour 
market status. LLL includes all kinds of activities ranging from early childhood education to leisure 
education  for  retired  persons.  Lifelong 
learning 
(apprenticeships,  second-chance  schools,  on-the  job  or  off-the  job  education  and  training,  etc.)  after 
compulsory schooling. 

includes  different 

learning  also 

types  of 

Lifelong  learning  includes  formal  and  informal  learning  activities.  According  to  the  glossary  of  the 
International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 97) formal education refers to  

“… the system of  schools, colleges, universities and other formal educational institutions that 
normally  constitutes  a  continuous  ‘ladder’  of  full-time  education  for  children  and  young 
people, generally beginning at 5 to 7 and continuing up to 20 or 25 years old1” . 

Whereas non-formal education comprises 

“any  organised  and  sustained  educational  activities  that  do  not  correspond  exactly  to  the 
above  definition  of  formal  education.  It  may  take  place  within  and  outside  educational 
institutions,  and  cater  to  persons  of  all  ages…  Non-formal  education  programmes  do  not 
necessarily follow the ‘ladder’ system, and may have differing duration”.  

1 Glossary of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED97) 

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The  Manual  for  Statistics  on  non-formal  education  identified  the  following  basic  classification  of 
major types of non-formal programmes and activities: 

Functional literacy and life-skill training 

-  Adult literacy programmes 
-  Non-formal education for out-of school children and youth 
- 
-  Agricultural and rural development 
- 
-  Non-formal higher education 
-  Language and communication skills training 
-  Religious education 
-  Culture and leisure education  

Industrial production and service trade training 

Informal  learning  refers  to  learning  activities  /  situations  that  cannot  be  classified  as  formal  or  non-
formal education. For example, self-learning, collective learning within informal groups. 

Figure 1: Scope of education and learning 

                                              Random learning 

                                Informal learning 

                                    Non-formal 
Formal education              education        

                   Source : UNESCO (1996) Manual for Statistics on non-formal education      

Applying the set of proposed criteria from the 1996 UNESCO “Manual on Non Formal learning, the 3 
types of education can be defined as follows: 

-  Formal education is characterised as intentionally organized learning events, with regular fixed 
duration  and  schedule,  structured  hierarchically  with  chronological  succession  of  levels  and 
grades,  admission  requirements  and  formal  registration,  held  within  established  educational 
institutions and using pre-determined pedagogical organization, contents, methods and teaching 
/ learning materials. 

-  Non-formal education – refers to intentionally organized learning events, which take place in an 
institutional setting but do not fulfil one or more of the following conditions: hierarchy level-
grade  structure,  admission 
learning  methods 
(predetermined / not flexible), and duration (regular school year) and scheduling.  

requirements, 

registration, 

teaching 

/ 

-  Informal  learning  -  Finally,  the  last  type  of  education  is  informal  learning  which  is  generally 
intentional,  however  it  is  less  organised  and  structured,  and  may  include  learning  events  that 

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occur in the family, workplace, and in the daily life of every person, on a self-directed, family-
directed or socially directed basis.  

Thus, the ISCED 97 can be used for classifying both formal and non-formal educational activities in 
terms  of  levels  of  education  and  training.  ISCED  does  allow  for  data  on  formal  education  to  be 
compared internationally. However, it is difficult to provide the same level of coverage for non-formal 
education.  In contrast to formal education, non-formal learning takes place alongside the mainstream 
system of education and training, and it does not typically lead to a formalised certificate. 

Objectives of the study 

The European Commission would like to overcome the comparability and coverage problems resulting 
from  the  variety,  and  at  the  same  time  inadequacy  of  existing  data  sources  in  order  to  provide 
comprehensive,  coherent  and  relevant  information  to  policy-makers  and  various  other  users  of 
qualitative and quantitative information on lifelong learning. 

The principal objectives of this study are to address the shortfall in information currently available in 
this respect. In summary, this implies: 

-  Setting out the policy requirements 
-  Setting out the appropriate indicators to meet these policy requirements, 
-  Addressing the shortfall in current information in terms of relevance and comparability 

The  data,  which  is  currently  available  tends  to  focus  on  public  and  private  investment  in  formal 
learning, and learning in the workplace. Nevertheless, there is still a shortage of information available 
on  the  financing  of  non-formal  learning,  and  on  the  amount  co-invested  by  individuals  in  financing 
their own lifelong learning 

As  a  long  term  objective,  this  study  should  contribute  to  designing  a  statistical  system  capable  of 
addressing  future  needs  in  a  fairly  robust  manner.  This  includes  making  recommendations  on 
methodologies and strategies for future data collections if this becomes necessary. 

Sequence and steps of the study  

General scope 

The study followed four principal steps of investigation. The first step entailed a literature review of 
recent  EU  policy  documents.  A  list  of  indicators  was  formulated  based  on  the  policy  requirements 
identified  in  the  various  EU  policy  documents.  The  second  step  of  investigation  entailed  reviewing 
existing statistical information available from international data sources such as UOE data collection, 
CVTS2,  ESSPROS  etc…  The  third  involved  reconciling  the  needs  in  terms  of  indicators  (and 
imperatively, the component variables) with the available information found through the earlier steps. 
The final step involved preparing the reports and recommendations as considered appropriate. 

It  has  to  be  mentioned  at  this  stage  that  this  project  did  not  involve  the  actual  collection  of  data. 
Rather, its focus was to answer the following questions: 

•  what sort of data do exist?  

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to what extent is the availability? 
to what quality level is the data? 

• 
• 
•  where are they located?  
•  how  useful  could  the  available  data  be  for  the  purpose  of  policy  issues  relating  to  lifelong 

learning? 

•  what essential (or key data) is currently unavailable? 
•  what alternative data could be used (if any)? 
•  what  remedies  are  most  appropriate  to  meet  the  shortfalls,  now,  in  the  medium-term,  in  the 

long-term? 

Coverage in terms of time 

It  is  important  to  note  that  for  this  study,  no  time  frame  was  set  by  the  terms  of  reference  for  the 
purpose of delimiting availability of data for assessing the information available on funding resources 
on  education  and  training.  Nevertheless,  given  the  fact  that  the  indicators  to  be  formulated  were  to 
monitor the policies stemming from the Lisbon process (2000), it would be beneficial from the point 
of view of policy makers to consider data availability for a period of time before the start of the Lisbon 
process in order to assess the run-up to the process and subsequently, the overall impact. Thus it was 
decided  to  consider  data  availability  from  1995  onwards.  However,  if  it  were  found  that  data  was 
available before 1995, then this would be noted. 

Country coverage 

For the purpose of the study, in terms of geographical coverage, only the pre-May 2004 EU-Member 
States were taken into account. (The decision on this was taken at one of the earlier meetings of the 
project steering committee.) 

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iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn  nneeeeddss  ffoorr  LLLLLL    

 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg  

IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn  

The main method which was adopted for analysing the information required on funding resources for 
adult learning policies (including higher education) at EU level is through examining different policy 
documents at the EU level, and subsequently forming judgments on the statistical information, which 
is needed. In the first part of this chapter, an overview of the relevant information on funding resources 
for  education  and  training  is  given.  The  main  sources  of  information  are  various  documents  on 
relevant  EU  policies  in  this  area.  These  policies  should  form  the  basis  of  recommendations  on 
statistical indicators. 

The second part of the chapter aims to give an overview of existing EU indicators on education and 
training,  and  to  articulate  indicators  based  on  the  policy  needs  that  were  identified  in  the  earlier 
section.  

TThhee  EEUU  ppoolliiccyy  ccoonntteexxtt  

The European Council held in Lisbon in March 2000, set the goal of becoming “the most competitive 
and  dynamic  knowledge-based  economy  in  the  world,  capable  of  sustaining  economic  growth  with 
more  and  better  jobs  and  greater  social  cohesion”  by  2010.  Education  and  training  are  crucial  to 
achieving  these  goals.  In  order  for  this  role  to  be  fulfilled,  sufficient  resources  must  be  invested  in 
Member  States’  education  and  training  and  these  have  to  be  well  targeted  and  managed  in  the most 
efficient  way.    The  European  Council  called  for  a  “general  reflection  on  the  concrete  objectives  of 
education  systems”  and  for  a  “substantial  annual  increase  in  per  capita  investment  in  human 
resources”. It also pointed out that the future of the European economy (and society) would depend on 
the skills of its citizens. These skills need continuous updating, which is a characteristic of knowledge 
societies.   

A Memorandum on lifelong learning 

The Commission document “A memorandum on lifelong learning1” launched a European-wide debate 
on  a  comprehensive  strategy  for  implementing  lifelong  learning  at  individual  and  institutional  level, 
and  in  all  spheres  of  public  and  private  life.  The  Memorandum  states  the  case  for  implementing 
lifelong  learning,  and  argues  that  promoting  active  citizenship  and  promoting  employability  are 
equally  important  and  interrelated  aims  for  lifelong  learning.  It  states  that  implementing  lifelong 
learning demands that everyone work together effectively. The document highlights six key messages, 

1 SEC (2000) 1832 

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which offer a structured framework for an open debate on putting lifelong learning into practice. One 
of  the  key  messages  is  to  “visibly  raise  levels  of  investment  in  human  resources  in  order  to  place 
priority  on  Europe’s  most  important  asset-its  people”.  The  document  acknowledges  that  raising 
investment  in  human  resources  requires  moving  to  a  culture  of  shared  responsibilities  and  towards 
clear co-financing arrangements for participation in lifelong learning. 

Making a European Area of lifelong learning a reality 

The  Communication  “Making  A  European  Area  of  lifelong  learning  a  reality”  contributes  to  the 
establishment of a European Area of lifelong learning. In light of the responses to the consultation to 
the Memorandum2, together with Member States’ Employment and Social Inclusion National Action 
Plans and other inputs, building blocks3 were formulated which are consistent with the criteria used in 
the  Joint  Employment  Report  2001  for  assessing  the  coherence  and  comprehensiveness  of  Member 
States’ lifelong learning strategies. One of these building blocks is “adequate resourcing”, which calls 
for increased investment but that it should be based upon shared responsibility between the public and 
private  sectors,  and  that  value  for  money  and  quality  is  ensured.  Adequate  resources  must  be  made 
available and / or existing resources must be rechannelled across the spectrum of formal, non-formal 
and informal learning including pre-school learning. At the same time, transparency in the allocation 
of funding is essential. Furthermore, new approaches to investment are needed to account for the new 
types  of  knowledge  and  competences  that  are  required  by  the  development  of  the  knowledge-based 
economy. Fiscal and other incentives for learning are approaches, which should be developed for all 
citizens  in  and  outside  the  labour  market.  The  building  block  “Facilitating  access  to  learning 
opportunities”,  calls  for  strategies  to  address  issues  of  equal  opportunity  and  of  targeting  specific 
groups in order to ensure lifelong learning opportunities are available to all, especially those at risk of 
exclusion  such  as  people  on  low  income,  disabled,  ethnic  minorities  and  immigrants,  early  school 
leavers,  lone  parents,  unemployed  people,  workers  with  low  levels  of  education  and  training.  The 
building  block  “Striving  for  excellence”  calls  for  ambitious  targets  on  resourcing.  Progress  against 
these targets should be monitored by reference to pre-defined indicators. Data should be broken down 
by gender and other socio-economic factors. The building blocks apply at the national level, and are 
designed to aid Member States to develop and implement coherent and comprehensive strategies.  

Under “Investing time and money in learning” – A strong consensus emerged from the consultation 
that  spending  on  learning  should  be  highlighted and  reported  in  the  same  way  as  spending  on  more 
tangible forms of capital. More resources are called for in respect of non-formal learning, especially 
for adult and community learning provision. The need to give priority in resource allocation to senior 
citizens, including older workers (to give them opportunities to participate more actively in society and 
in the labour market, including the role they can play in intergenerational learning) is underlined. 

Lifelong learning practise and indicators 

European-level  statistical  collections  principally  cover  formal  learning  in  institutions  for  initial 
education and training, and some non-formal learning in enterprises. The focus on the learner means 

2  European Commission, Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a reality, November 2001 
3 The building blocks for assessing the coherence and comprehensiveness of Member States’ lifelong strategies 
are as follows: Partnership working, Creating a learning culture, Striving for excellence, Insight into demand 
for learning, Facilitating access, and Adequate resourcing. – Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a 
Reality 

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that  information  must  be  collected  from  individuals.  Information  can  be  collected  from  existing 
sources in the ESS, however new sources are required to complete the picture. 

Report of the Eurostat Task Force on Measuring Lifelong Learning 

Personal investment in time and money is an important issue.  The role of different actors of learning 
provision  (educational  institutions,  enterprises,  NGO’s,  professional  bodies,  regional  and  local 
authorities,  state  and  of  course  individuals)  also  need  to  be  clarified.  As  a  market  for  education  is 
taking shape, there is a need to collect information on the providers and the economics of providing 
teaching/training, the cost of and availability of supply. Effective policy-making requires monitoring 
and even anticipating these changes.  

Money spent and time invested are two issues which will be of central policy interest in the framework 
of lifelong learning. However, the time invested in a learning activity will not give us any information 
on the quality or the outcomes of this learning activity, an aspect that should not be overlooked. The 
focus of LLL is the individual. There is the need for information on the adequacy of human, financial 
and  material  resource  inputs  into  education  and  learning  and  their  use  for  attaining  the  learning 
objectives in quantitative and qualitative terms. System-based data should be complemented / enriched 
by  learner-centred  data  that  also  takes  formal,  non-formal  and  (intentional)  informal  learning  needs 
into account. 

The Detailed Work Programme 

The Council and the Commission on 14 February 2002 adopted a detailed work programme. The work 
programme  set  out  the  key  issues  that  needed  to  be  addressed  in  order  to  achieve  the  3  strategic 
objectives  and  the  13  associated  objectives.  The  report  addressed  various  elements  and  levels  of 
education  and  training  from  basic  skills  to  vocational  and  higher  education  whilst  considering  the 
principle  of  lifelong  learning.  A  number  of  instruments  were  identified  for  monitoring  progress, 
comparing Europe’s achievements both internally and with other countries. 

The  Detailed  Work  Programme  introduced  the  “Open  Method  of  Coordination  to  education  and 
training”.  The  Lisbon  conclusions  defined  the  “Open  Method  of  Coordination”  as  a  “means  of 
spreading best practice and achieving greater convergence towards the EU goals and indicated that it 
would  be  a  fully  decentralised  approach  using  variable  forms  of  partnerships  and  designed  to  help 
Member  States  to  develop  their  own  policies  progressively”.    The  “Open  Method  of  Coordination 
draws  on  tools  such  as  indicators  and  benchmarks  as  well  as  comparing  best  practice,  periodic 
monitoring, evaluation and peer review etc organised as mutual learning processes. The three strategic 
objectives of the Detailed Work Programme are further broken down into thirteen objectives and 42 
key  issues.  Progress  towards  achieving  the  objectives  will  be  monitored  using  relevant  quantitative 
and / or qualitative tools.  

One of the thirteen objectives is objective 1.5 “Making the best use of resources”. Three key issues are 
addressed under this objective: 

-  Increasing investment in human resources while ensuring an equitable and effective distribution 
of available means in order to facilitate general access to and enhance the quality of education 
and training 

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-  Supporting the development of compatible quality assurance systems respecting diversity across 

Europe 

-  Developing the potential of public-private partnerships 

An analysis of “The Detailed work programme on the objectives of education and training systems” 
calls  for  investments  in  certain  areas  that  have  been  identified  as  shared  priorities  of  the  Member 
States. It calls for investment in the following main areas: 

-  Training and retention of education staff 
-  New basic skills 
-  Providing access to lifelong learning to all 
-  ICT 
-  Social inclusion and active citizenship 
-  Guidance and counselling 

European Benchmarks in education and training: follow-up to the Lisbon European Council 

Member  States  were  invited  by  the  Commission  in  the  Communication  “European  Benchmarks  in 
education and training: follow-up to the Lisbon European Council4” to continue to contribute to the 
achievement  of  the  Lisbon  objective  of  a  substantial  increase  in  per  capita  investments  in  human 
resources, and to set transparent benchmarks to be communicated to the Council and the Commission. 
As of yet this invitation has not been answered by any Member States. The Communication stressed 
the need to target funds towards areas with the highest return in terms of quality. The indicator public 
expenditure on education gives an incomplete picture, as it does not include the private expenditure by 
firms (e.g. on the job and work based training) and households, which are of central importance for 
human resource development. 

Investing efficiently in education and training: an imperative for Europe 

The  Commission  Communication  “Investing  efficiently  in  education  and  training:  an  imperative  for 
Europe5”  looked at the issue of investment in education and training from a broad perspective, with 
particular focus on research and lifelong learning dimensions and the European Employment Strategy. 
It stated that the EU suffers from under-investment in human resources, identifying deficits in private 
funding in higher education, adult education and continuing vocational training. It identifies a number 
of common signs of inefficiencies in expenditure (high failure, dropout and graduate unemployment 
rates, excessive duration of studies, low attainment levels) and their possible sources, with a view to 
encouraging  Member  States  to  address  these  factors  and  to  measure  their  incremental  cost. 
Furthermore, the Communication calls on Member States to put into place policies and incentives to 
encourage  more  private  investment  from  enterprises  and  individuals  in  education  and  training  as  a 
complement  and  not  as  a  substitute  for  adequate  public  expenditure.  It  also  calls  for  level  of  public 
investment called for by the European Social Model, and to focus funding on areas where it is most 
likely to produce the highest quality of outcomes. 

In March 2003, the European Council stated that” Investing in human capital is a prerequisite for the 
promotion  of  European  competitiveness,  for  achieving  high  rates  in  growth  and  employment  and 

4 COM(2002) 629 final 
5 COM (2002) 779 final 

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moving to a knowledge-based economy”. The Council as called for the “implementation of the 10-year 
programme on the objectives for education systems, … by using benchmarks to identify best practice 
and to ensure efficient and effective investment in human resources”. 

Progress towards the common objectives in Education and Training – Indicators and Benchmarks 

The  Commission  report  “Progress  towards  the  common  objectives  in  Education  and  Training  – 
Indicators  and  Benchmarks”6,  acknowledges  that  none  of  the  indicators  on  the  list  addresses  the 
central  question  of  efficiency  of  investments.  Improvement  of  the  collection  of  data  on  private 
expenditure  on  education  and  training  and  increasing  its  validity  and  comparability  is  considered 
highly  important  for  the  follow-up  of  the  Lisbon  process.  Furthermore,  the  need  for  new  data  on 
continuing  training  of  teachers  and  trainers;  adult  education  and  competencies;  mobility  of 
students/trainees and teachers/trainers was stated.  

The  report  showed  that  there  is  a  need  for  the  development  of  new  indicators  in  the  area  of 
competencies, and that within this area, learning to learn and foreign language skills are priority. 

The role of universities in the Europe of knowledge 

The Communication debates the role of universities within the knowledge society and the economy in 
Europe,  and  on  the  conditions  under  which  they  will  be  able  to  effectively  play  that  role.  It  notes  a 
number of areas where actions is needed and raises a number of questions including how to achieve 
adequate and sustainable incomes for universities, whilst ensuring that funds are spent efficiently, how 
to concentrate enough resources on excellence, creating the conditions within which universities can 
develop  excellence.  A  number  of  inefficiencies  were  noted  including  high  dropout  rates,  mismatch 
between supply of qualifications, conditions of recruitment for researchers, lack of transparent system 
for calculating the cost of research in European Universities. 

Education and Training 2010 – The success of the Lisbon Strategy hinges on urgent reform7 

The  Communication  assesses  the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  realising  the  goals  set  out  in  the 
Lisbon European Council, and in the detailed work programme. It calls for reforms and investment to 
be concentrated on the key points in each country. This requires structured and continuous cooperation 
to develop and make the best use of human resources and achieve maximum investment efficiency.  

The Communication states that the level of mobility in education and training is inadequate, which is 
due to the lack of funding and motivation. The number of students involved in mobility programmes is 
below  what  the  Commission  considers  necessary:  by  2010,  the  number  of  participants  in  Erasmus 
should significantly be raised, as should mobility in vocational education and training.  The causes for 
the  lack  of  mobility  include  legal  and  administrative  barriers,  and  a  lack  of  funding.  A  number  of 
deficits  were  highlighted  that  need  to  be  addressed,  including  the  rate  of  early  school  leavers 
remaining high, shortage of qualified teachers and trainers, few women in scientific and technological 
fields, too few adults participating in adult learning, nearly 20% of young people fail to acquire key 
competences (reading, writing and arithmetic) and the new ones (foreign languages, entrepreneurship, 

6 28th October 2003 
7 COM (2003) 685 final  

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impersonal  and  civic  competences,  information  and  communication  technologies).  Concerning 
language learning, there is no language proficiency indicator. 

In  order  to  tackle  these  deficits,  three  linchpins  were  identified,  one  of  which  is  to  “concentrate 
reforms and investment on key areas”. The necessary increase in resources to achieve the Lisbon goals 
should come from a combination of sources: public sector, private sector, and the Structural Funds and 
the European Investment Bank. Contributions from the private sector are particularly needed in higher 
education, and adult education and training.  The increase in resources must result in an increase in the 
number  of  beneficiaries,  level  of  qualification  and  quality  of  learning.  These  factors  related  to  the 
greater efficiency of the actions are as crucial as the level of investment.  

Under the second linchpin “Make lifelong learning a concrete reality”, the Communication states that 
it is essential to increase the awareness of disadvantaged groups8 of the advantages of education and 
training,  make  systems  more  attractive,  more  accessible  more  tailored  to  their  needs.  Thus  the 
Communication calls for emphasis to be placed on prevention, early detection and individual follow-
up  of  those  at  risk.  Placing  emphasis  on  disadvantage  groups  in  society  has  featured  in  many 
Communications including the “Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘2000 Broad 
Economic Policy Guidelines’”, which said that “greater attention must also be paid to ensuring that 
sections of the EU’s population are not left behind by progress in the knowledge-based economy. A 
special effort has to be made with regard to less skilled workers”. 

Under the linchpin “Establish a Europe of education and training”, Member States are called upon to 
provide  the  necessary  financial  support  for  mobility,  in  the  context  of  and  beyond  the  Community 
programmes. 

Employment guidelines 

The  Employment  guidelines  place  emphasis  on  the  development  of  human  capital  and  lifelong 
learning.  The  Employment  Guidelines  represent a set of objectives, which until 2003, were grouped 
under four "pillars" (employability, entrepreneurship, adaptability, equal opportunities) together with 
horizontal  objectives.  Following  the  debate  on  the  impact  evaluation  and  future  of  the  EES,  the 
Commission made a formal proposal of Guidelines and Recommendations on 08 April 2003. One of 
the objectives it calls on Member States to foster is quality and productivity at work.  Improved quality 
at work is interlinked with the move towards a competitive and knowledge-based economy. It can help 
increase  labour  productivity.  Quality  at  work  can  be  grouped  under  two  broad  dimensions:  job 
characteristics and the wider labour market.  

The importance of lifelong learning is emphasised in the Employment Guidelines by devoting a whole 
guideline, guideline 4 to lifelong learning.  

Guideline 4 “Promote development of human capital and lifelong learning” calls on Member States to 
implement  lifelong  learning  strategies,  in  order  to  equip  individuals  with  the  skills  for  a  modern 
workforce  in  a  knowledge-based  society.  It  calls  for  an  increase  in  investment  by  enterprises  in  the 

8 e.g. People with low levels of literacy or qualifications, older workers, groups living in disadvantaged areas or 

outlying regions, and people with learning difficulties or with disabilities. 

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training of adults in order to promote productivity, competitiveness, and active ageing. In accordance 
with national priorities, policies will aim in particular to achieve the following outcomes by 2010: 

-  At least 85 % of 22-year olds in the European Union should have completed upper secondary 

education, 

-  The European Union average level of participation in lifelong learning should be at least 12,5 % 

of the adult working-age population (25 to 64 age group). 

Policies will aim in particular to achieve an increase in investment in human resources. In this context, 
it is important that there is a significant increase in investment by enterprises in the training of adults 
with  a  view  to  promoting  productivity,  competitiveness  and  active  ageing.  Efficient  investment  in 
human capital by employers and individuals will be facilitated. 

The issue of education and training is not only confined to guideline 4, as it is also mentioned in the 
following guidelines: 

Guideline  1:  Active  and  preventative  measures  for  the  unemployed  and  inactive    -  This  guideline 
focuses  on  offering  jobseekers  access  to  effective  and  efficient  measures  in  order  to  enhance  their 
employability  and  chances  of  integration,  with  special  attention  given  to  people  facing  the  greatest 
difficulties in the labour market. It calls on Member States to ensure that  

-  Every unemployed person is offered a new start before reaching six months of unemployment in 
the case of young people and 12 months of unemployment in the case of adults in the form of 
training,  retraining,  work  practice,  a  job,  or  other  employability  measure,  combined  where 
appropriate with ongoing job search assistance, 

-  By  2010,  25  %  of  the  long-term  unemployed  participate  in  an  active  measure  in  the  form  of 
training, retraining, work practice, or other employability measure, with the aim of achieving the 
average of the three most advanced Member States; 

Guideline 2: Job creation and entrepreneurship. One of the areas it calls for policy initiatives to focus 
on  are  promoting  education  and  training  in  entrepreneurial  and  management  skills  and  providing 
support through training to make entrepreneurship a career option for all. 

Joint Employment report 2003/2004 

The Employment Taskforce has highlighted the importance for Member States to increase investment 
in human capital. Member States and social partners are encouraged to: 

•  Raise  levels  of  human  capital,  which  includes  giving  everyone  a  right  of  access  to  secondary 
education  and  a  minimum  level  of  basic  skills;  promoting  access  by  a  larger  share  of  young 
people  to  university;  increase  access  to  training  throughout  the  life-cycle,  with  particular 
attention  for  the  low-skilled  and  other  disadvantaged  people;  and  Member  States  must  set 
transparent  and  ambitious  targets,  to  complement  those  at  European  level  for  establishing 
effective lifelong learning systems 

•  Share costs and responsibilities, which includes guaranteeing a sufficient level of investment by 
employers as well as a fair sharing of costs and benefits between them, through a combination 
of compulsory and voluntary schemes, such as sectoral or regional training funds, and through 
other measures such as tax credits and support services. 

•  Facilitate access to lifelong learning, including improving the identification of individual needs 

and access to training. 

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IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn  rreeqquuiirreemmeennttss  ffoorr  LLLLLL  ppoolliicciieess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  rreessoouurrcceess    

Based on the analysis of policy documents one can essentially summarise the main policy needs from 
these documents into 16 key areas as follows: 

1.  Resources devoted to education 
2.  Resources devoted to labour market training 
3.  Improvement of opportunities for the unemployed by offering education/training 
4.  Resources devoted to higher education 
5.  Efficiency of undergraduate programmes in higher education institutions 
6.  Quality assurance to meet labour market needs in higher education 
7.  Resources devoted to adult education 
8.  Improvement of adult education opportunities 
9.  Efficiency of investments made in adult education 
10. Improving access to vocational education 
11. Resources devoted to training by enterprises 
12. Individual resources devoted to lifelong learning 
13. Lifelong learning 
14. Integration of students with special needs in education 
15. Adult literacy and basic skills 
16. Increasing mobility and exchange 

In  order  to  be  able  to  monitor  these  policies,  it  is  essential  to  have  adequate  and  at  the  same  time 
available,  valid  and  comparable  statistical  information.  A  number  of  these  policy  areas  require 
information which goes beyond simple information on funding sources (e.g. public or private sector), 
for  example  efficiency  of  investments,  participation  in  education  and  training,  outcomes,  adult 
literacy, etc… However, it is important to note that without this additional information, a true picture 
of the resources that are devoted or need to be devoted will not be easily ascertained.  

EExxiissttiinngg  EEUU  iinnddiiccaattoorrss  oonn  eedduuccaattiioonn  aanndd  ttrraaiinniinngg  

Structural indicators 

The  Lisbon  European  Council  invited  “the  Commission  to  draw  up  an  annual  synthesis  report  on 
progress  on  the  basis  of  structural  indicators  to  be  agreed  relating  to  employment,  innovation, 
economic reform and social cohesion”. They have been used in the Commission’s Spring Report and 
other  Commission  documents  to  provide  statistical  support  for  policy  messages  and  to  measure 
progress towards the Lisbon objectives. Unlike in previous years, in 2003, the Commission proposed a 
short-list of 14 structural indicators one of which is concerns education and training: 

Spending on human resources, here defined as public expenditure on education, measures the amount 
of  resources  devoted  to  improving  human  capital.  If  the  resources  are  used  efficiently,  spending  on 
human  resources  increases  the  productivity  of  workers  contributing  to  higher  living  standards.  In 
addition, spending on human resources is important for social cohesion by ensuring that everyone has 
access  to  the  education  and  training  they  need  to  participate  in  an  increasingly  knowledge-based 
society. 

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The European goal of becoming the most dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world would be 
empty  if  it  did  not  entail  measurable  policy  measures  in  areas  of  relevance.  Thus  indicators  and 
benchmarks  are  required  to  measure  progress  in  achieving  the  overall  goal.  The  Conclusions  of  the 
European  Council’s  Summits  in  Lisbon  (2000),  Stockholm  (2001),  and  Barcelona  (2002)  has 
culminated in an on-going process in finding relevant reference points for progress in contributing to 
the Lisbon ambitions.  

The Detailed Work Programme 

Using indicators and benchmarks in the area of education and training, became explicit in the Detailed 
Work Programme on the implementation of European common objectives in the field of education and 
training.   

The Council set five European benchmarks for the improvement of education and training systems in 
Europe up to 2010, one of which concerns the participation in lifelong learning. It states that: 

By 2010, the European Union average level of participation in Lifelong Learning should be at 
least 12.5% of the adult working age population (25-64 age group) 

This  benchmark  was  defined  as  an  average  level  of  European  performance.  It  is  not  a  target  set  for 
individual countries but a common European target in average performance.  

Indicators for monitoring the Detailed Work Programme 

In April 2003, the Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks adopted a list of indicators for the 
Detailed Work Programme, which were based on valid, comparable and available data. The following 
indicators cover both participation and investment in education and training. 

Objective 1.2 Developing skills for the knowledge society 

Indicators 
-  Percentage of 22 year olds having achieved at least upper secondary education (ISCED 3-4). 
-  Percentage of adults with less than upper secondary education who have participated in any 
form of education of training, in the last 4 weeks by age group (25-34, 35-54, and 55-64) 

Source(s) 
LFS, Eurostat 

Objective 1.5 Making best use of resources 

Indicators 
- 
- 
- 
- 

Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP 
Private expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP 
Total expenditure on educational institutions per pupil/student by level of education (PPS) 
Total expenditure on educational institutions per pupil/student by level of education relative to 

GDP per capita 

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Source 

Joint UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat questionnaire 

Indicators 

- 

Enterprise expenditure on continuing vocational training courses as a percentage of total 

labour costs 

Source 

CVTS, Eurostat 

Objective 2.1 Open learning environment 

Indicators 
- 

Percentage of 22 year olds having achieved at least upper secondary education (ISCED 3). 

The age group 20-24 is used as a proxy. 

Source 
LFS, Eurostat 

Objective 2.2 Making learning more attractive 

Indicators 
-  Hours in CVT courses per 1000 hours worked (only enterprises with CVT courses) by NACE 
-  Hours in CVT courses per 1000 hours worked (all enterprises) by NACE 
- 
- 

Participation rates in education by age and by level of education 
Share of the population aged 1-24 with only lower secondary education and not in education 

or training 

Source 

CVTS, Eurostat 

The indicators to cover objective 1.5 “Making best use of resources” covers the level of investment in 
human resources as set out by the Lisbon Conclusions. However they only partly cover the key issue 
of investment in human resources. The other two key issues under the objective of “Making best use 
of  resources”,  which  are  “Supporting  the  development  of  compatible  quality  assurance  systems 
respecting diversity across Europe” and “Developing the potential of public-private partnerships” are 
not addressed by the indicators for objective 1.5.  

Indicators for monitoring the Employment Guidelines in the Joint Employment Report 

The  following  key  indicators  are  used  to  monitor  Member  States  policies  in  the  Joint  Employment 
Report 2004 in relation to lifelong learning: 

Employment Guideline 4: Promote development of human capital and lifelong learning 

Indicators 
- 

Percentage  of  22  year  olds  having  achieved  at  least  upper  secondary  education  (ISCED  3). 

The age group 20-24 is used as a proxy. 

- 

Percentage  of  22  year  olds  having  achieved  at  least  upper  secondary  education  (ISCED  3). 

The age group 20-24 is used as a proxy. (Structural  indicator) 

Source 
LFS, Eurostat 

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Total public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP 

Indicators 
- 
Source 
Joint UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat questionnaire 

Indicators 

Share of employees in continuous vocational training (CVT) by gender 

Source 

CVTS, Eurostat 

Employment  Guideline  7:  Promote  the  integration  of  and  combat  the  discrimination  against 
people at a disadvantage in the labour market 

Indicator 
- 

Percentage of 18-24 year olds having achieved lower secondary education (ISCED 2) or less  

and not attending further education or training (by gender) Structural indicator 

Source 
LFS, Eurostat 

The following context indicators are used to monitor Member States policies in the Joint Employment 
Report 2004: 

Overarching objectives 

Transitions of unemployed people into employment and training from year n to year n+1 

Indicator 
- 
Source 
LFS, Eurostat 

Employment Guideline 4: Promote development of human capital and lifelong learning 

Indicator 
- 
Source 

Share of the workforce, using computers at home and / or at the workplace for work purposes 

Eurobarometer survey on ICT and employment (2002) 

Indicator 
- 
Source 

Investments by enterprises in continuous vocational training (CVT) in relation to labour costs 

CVTS, Eurostat 

Review of existing EU indicators on LLL 

It  can  be  concluded  that  despite  the  fact  the  number  of  indicators  have  been  constructed  to  monitor 
lifelong learning policies, shortfalls still exist in the policies that can be monitored by these indicators. 
For example, the amount co-financed by individuals outside institutions, in particular for non-formal 
learning is not covered by any of the above indicators 

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DDeerriivviinngg  ssttaattiissttiiccaall  iinnddiiccaattoorrss  aaccccoorrddiinngg  ttoo  ppoolliiccyy  nneeeeddss  

The  sixteen  policy  areas  identified were noted and, statistical indicators were formulated in order to 
meet these policy areas. 
Annex 1 contains the list of indicators derived from the policy needs identified. 

Headline indicators 

From each set of policy indicators, one “headline” indicator which can be regarded as representative of 
the indicators in that group was identified. 

Code 
A 

B 
C 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H 
I 

J 
K 

L 
M 
N 

O 

P 

Headline indicators 

Relative  proportions  of  public  and  private  expenditure  on  educational  institutions  for 
all levels of education 
Public expenditure on labour market training as a % of GDP 
Percentage  of  unemployed  job  training  participants  employed  after  completion  of 
program 
Cost of one study place covered by the government budget 
Cost of one study place covered by the individual 
Cost per graduate as compared to the cost per student 
Number of diplomas and degrees granted and graduation rates, by level of education 
Number  of  studies  made  by  higher  education  organisations  concerning  the  education 
quality 
Public subsidies to individuals as a percentage of total public expenditure on education 
and GDP 
Mean annual number of hours spent on adult education and training per participant and 
per capita 
Number of persons of different age groups who are acquiring further education 
Growth in the number of youth having acquired a basic qualification who dropped out 
of school without any qualifications 
Growth in the number of adults having acquired a basic qualification (ISCED level 2) 

Number of students of professional education establishments 
Number  of  hours  in  continuing  vocational  training  courses  per  participant  (total  and 
broken down by sex)  
Time spent by adults undertaking education / training 
Lifelong learning in collective agreements 
Proportion of students with disabilities integrated in education by level of education 
Number of students with disabilities in higher education programmes 
Percentage  of  the  adult  population  aged  16-65  at  the  lowest  and  highest  levels  of 
literacy 
Level of educational attainment, population aged 25 to 64 
Public expenditure on mobility grants to students in higher education institutions 
Public expenditure on mobility grants to students in higher education institutions as a 
percentage of the total grants to students 

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Translating statistical indicators into data requirements 

After having compiled a list of indicators, it was essential to decompose the indicators into their basic 
variables.  Furthermore,  after  each  indicator  was  decomposed  into  the  constituent  variables,  each 
variables was examined to determine whether the variable could be classified as a: 

-  Key variable 
- 

Context variable 

References 

The following documents were consulted in compiling the information for this chapter: 

1.  Presidency Conclusions, Lisbon European Council 23 and 24 March 2000 
2.  Making  a  European  area  of  lifelong  learning  a  reality  (November  2001)  -Communication  from  the 

Commission http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/lll/life/index_en.html 

3.  Lifelong  learning  practise  and  indicators,  (November  2001)  -  Supporting  document  to  the  Communication 
from  the  Commission  Making  a  European  Area  of  Lifelong  Learning  a  reality, Commission  staff  working 
document  

4.  Investing efficiently in education and training: an imperative for Europe COM(2002) 779 final  
5.  The role of universities in the Europe of knowledge COM(2003) 58 final  
6.  European benchmarks in education and training: follow-up to the Lisbon European Council COM (2002) 629  
7.  Employment Guidelines 2003, Council recommendation of 22 July 2003, Official Journal of the European 

Union L-197/13 

8.  Joint Employment Report 2001, 2002 
9.  A memorandum on lifelong learning SEC (2000) 1832, Commission staff working paper. 
10. Report of the Eurostat Task Force on Measuring Lifelong Learning, February 2001 
11. European Report on quality indicators of Lifelong learning (June 2002) 
12. Detailed work programme on the follow-up of the objectives of Education and training systems in Europe 

(2002/C 142/01) 

13. Structural indicators COM(2000) 594 Final, COM(2001) 619 Final, COM (2002) 551 Final, COM(2003) 585 

Final 

14. Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council,  the  European  Parliament,  the  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Employment and social policies: a framework for investing 
in quality COM(2001) 313 Final  

15. Communication from the Commission to the Council, and the European Parliament – A mobility strategy for 

the European Research Area COM(2001) 331 Final. 

16. “Education  and  Training  2010”  The  success  of  the  Lisbon  Strategy  hinges  on  urgent  reforms  COM(2003) 

685 final 

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AAsssseessssmmeenntt  ooff  eexxiissttiinngg  
iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall  ddaattaa  ssoouurrcceess  

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
CChhaapptteerr  22::  AAsssseessssmmeenntt  ooff  eexxiissttiinngg  iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall  ddaattaa  ssoouurrcceess  

  AAsssseessssmmeenntt  ooff  eexxiissttiinngg  iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall  
ddaattaa  ssoouurrcceess    

Introduction 

A  number  of  international  sources  contain  data  to  varying  degrees  on  key  variables  needed  for 
measuring different aspects of lifelong learning, and in particular, on the aspect of its funding. No 
known  international  data  source  created  exclusively for this purpose exists. Nevertheless, a deep 
review of a fairly exhaustive list of sources provided a coverage of variables considered to be of 
importance. A number of these variables are well suited for the building of indicators as discussed 
in the earlier parts of this report. Some of the variables are nevertheless of less use, for one reason 
or another. 

International  data  sources  are  ideal  for  obtaining  the  needed  statistical  information.  Not  least 
because of their wider geographical coverage, and the fact that the methodologies used as the basis 
for  compiling  the  information  would  have,  to  some  extent,  been  harmonised  (if  not  fully 
standardised). Yet, as sources of information on funding of lifelong learning, the usefulness of any 
international  data  source  would  eventually  depend  on  a  number  of  factors.  These  factors  would 
centre essentially on the: 

amount of available relevant information – variables (availability dimension) 
reliability of available information (quality dimension) 

• 
• 
•  number of countries covered by the data source (geographical dimension) 

In evaluating the usefulness of the international data sources, these three dimension were carefully 
reviewed. It was clear from the onset that the variables contained in the sources would possibly not 
match exactly, the ones identified for forming the indicators. Nevertheless, some form of best-fit 
solutions were explored. Doing this made it possible to see what alternative variables available in 
the data sources could serve (more or less) the same purpose. 
The rest of this chapter is devoted to assessing the usefulness of the information contained in the 
international data sources identified. 

Data sources and channels 

Data sources for measuring lifelong learning can be classified into two types on the basis of their 
contents and coverage of variables: 

•  Those that contain information on individual persons (i.e. which includes both learners and 

non-learners) 

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•  Those  that  contain  information  on  providers  of  lifelong  learning,  for  example,  schools, 
universities,  business  enterprises,  adult  learning  centres,  professional  associations,  local 
communities, NGO’S, etc… 

Each data source can be considered in relation to a particular type of data collection. Furthermore, 
specific policy information needs can be addressed by a particular data source.  Table 1, illustrates 
the  data  sources  and  channels  available  for  collecting  information,  and  the  data  collections 
available in the ESS system which cover the type of sources mentioned. 

Table 1: Data sources and types, and examples of ESS surveys 

Data source on 

Type of source 

Existing ESS surveys 

Individual persons 

     Household surveys 

     Labour Force Survey 

      Harmonised EU Household budget survey, 
      EU-SILC 
      EU Labour Force Survey 

Providers 

     Business survey 

      CVTS2, Labour Cost Survey 

     Industry survey 
     Agriculture survey 
     Education survey and  
     administrative reporting 

      UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection,  
      EU-LMP, ESSPROS 

Surveys of individual persons do appear to be more effective in collecting data on demand, access, 
participation, learning process, and learning outcomes. It has to be noted that there are limitations 
in collecting information from individuals, for example reliance on self-declaration, memory and 
personal  impressions  when  it  comes  to  assessing  the  quality  and  relevance  of  a  programme.  
Collection  of  data  on  education  has  traditionally  concentrated  on  supply  aspects  for  example  in 
terms of educational opportunities, capacities, facilities, and the resources input. This has resulted 
in the collection of data on educational institutions.  

The collected data would then form the basis for planning and monitoring. Collection of this type 
of  data  is  more  attuned  to  formal  education  because  of  its  organised  structure.  However,  in 
considering non-formal education, a more flexible approach is advocated1. More emphasis needs to 
be  placed  upon gathering information in non-formal education institutions and programmes. The 
resources input should relate to the same type of information that is collected on formal education, 
in other words; manpower; finance; and physical and pedagogical materials. 

European Statistical System sources 

A  number  of  data  collections  in  the  European  Statistical  System  were  examined  in  order  to 
evaluate  their  potential  for  providing  information  on  the  resources  devoted  to  education  and 
training, with a specific emphasis on adult education and training. The sections that follow go into 
further  detail  on  the  key  aspects  of  the  international  data  sources  examined.  To  obtain  a 
comprehensive review of the sources, we have looked at the following parameters: 

1.  Objectives and limitations 
2.  Statistical units and population coverage 

1 Manual for statistics on non-formal education, UNESCO, 1996. 

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3.  Sources of data 
4.  Data availability/ Periodicity of data collection 
5.  Concepts, definitions and classifications 
6.  Coverage of education and training 
7.  Geographical coverage 
8.  Accessibility 
9.  Comparability 
10.  Sources of funding 

1.  Objectives and limitations 

The European Statistical System (ESS) contains a number of surveys, which contain information 
on education and training. The degree of information contained within each of these surveys on the 
funding of education and training is limited to the aim of the survey. For example, the EU Labour 
Force Survey principle focus is collection of data on the labour market situation of the working age 
population.  Thus  collecting  data  on  whether  an  individual spent time during the past 4 weeks in 
education or training, and the duration of this education / training is within the remit of the survey. 
However, collecting information on the funding sources is not pertinent to the overall objectives of 
the survey. Table 2, shows a list of ESS sources, which contain some information on education and 
training, the objectives of the survey, and the subsequent limitations imposed. In consequence, the 
limitations imposed on a data source will have repercussions on the recommendations that can be 
made on collecting additional information on the resources devoted on education and training. 

Table 2: Objectives and limitations of ESS sources 

Name of source 

Objectives of source 

Limitations 

Only  collects  information  on 
continuing  vocational  training 
undertaken in the enterprise. 

Only  collects  information  on 
participation 
in  education  / 
training,  and  the  duration  of 
this education/training. 
Collects  information  only  on 
private household expenditure. 

Continuing Vocational 
Training Survey (CVTS2) 

EU Labour Force Survey 

Eurostat Harmonised database 
on national Household Budget 
Surveys (HBS) 

household 

information  about 

to  households,  which 

The purpose of the survey is to obtain 
some  key 
the 
training  provided  by  enterprises  for 
their employees. 
A  labour  force  survey  is  an  inquiry 
directed 
is 
designed to obtain information on the 
labour market and related issues. 
Essentially, they provide information 
consumption 
about 
expenditures  on  goods  and  services, 
with  considerable  detail 
the 
categories  used; 
information  on 
income,  possession  of  consumer 
durable  goods  and  cars;  basic 
information  on  housing  and  many 
socio-economic 
demographic  and 
the 
characteristics.  Historically, 
prime  objective  of  conducting  HBS 
in  all  the  Member  States  was  to 
collect 
information  on  household 
consumption  expenditures  for  use  in 
updating the ‘weights’ for the basket 
of goods used in the Consumer Price 
Indices (CPI). The 

in 

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Name of source 

Objectives of source 

Limitations 

EU Survey on Income and 
Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 

EU Labour Cost Survey 
(LCS) 

EU Labour Market Policy 
database (LMP) 

European Statistics on Social 
Protection (ESSPROS) 

as 

time, 

longitudinal 

to 
over 

The  EU-SILC  covers  cross-sectional 
data  on 
income,  poverty,  social 
exclusion and other living conditions 
data 
as  well 
individual-level 
(pertaining 
changes 
observed 
periodically  over  a  certain  duration) 
restricted  to  income,  labour  and  a 
limited  number  of  non-monetary 
indicators of social exclusion. 
Collection of comparable data on the 
level and composition of labour costs 
and  on  the  structure  and  distribution 
of earnings. 
The  Labour  Market  Policy  database 
to  collect 
(LMP  database)  aims 
detailed 
labour 
information  on 
market  policy  actions  undertaken  by 
Member States 
The objectives of the ESSPROS is to 
provide  a  comprehensive,  realistic 
and  coherent  description  of  socials 
protection in the Member States,  
  -  Covering  social  benefits  and  their 

financing; 

  -Geared 

to 
comparability; 

international 

  -  Harmonising  with  other  statistics, 

particularly 
accounts, in its main concepts. 

the 

national   

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat 
data collection 

The  objective  of 
the  UOE  data 
collection on education statistics is to 
provide  internationally  comparable 
data  on  key  aspects  of  education 
systems, 
the 
specifically 
participation  and  completion  of 
education programmes, as well as the 
cost  and  type  of  resources  dedicated 
to education. 

on 

Collects  information  only  on 
income  of  individuals,  thus 
expenditure  by  individuals  on 
is  excluded  by 
education 
it 
default. 
Nevertheless, 
collects 
basic 
some 
information  on  education,  for 
background purposes.  

only 

information 
Collects 
the  expenditure  of 
related 
enterprises on apprentices, and 
vocational training. 
There  are  two  limitations  in 
this collection: (i.) only labour 
market  training  is  considered 
(ii.)  the  funding  can  only  be 
public. 
There  are  two  limitations  in 
this collection: (i.) only labour 
market  training  is  considered 
(ii.)  the  funding  can  only  be 
public. 

Concentration 
collection 
systems.  

on 

of 

data 
education 

2.  Statistical units and population coverage 

The  statistical  units  of  each  ESS  source  examined  varied  along  with  the  statistical  population. 
Table  3,  gives  further  details  on  the  statistical  units  and  the  statistical  population  of  each  data 
collection. 

Table 3: Statistical units and statistical population covered in ESS data collections 

Name of survey 

Statistical unit 

Statistical population 

Continuing Vocational 
Training Survey (CVTS) 

Enterprises 

Enterprises  with  10  or  more  employees 
belonging  to  NACE  categories,  C,  D  (15  –16, 
17-19, 21-22, 23 –26, 27 –28, 29 – 33, 34 –35, 
20+36+37), E, F, G (50, 51, 52), H, I (60 – 63, 
64),  J  (65-66,67),  K  +  O.  Optionally  separate 
strata with enterprises of size 5 – 9 belonging to 
the NACE categories may be included. 

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Name of survey 

Statistical unit 

Statistical population 

The EU-LFS covers the total population usually 
residing  in  Member  States,  except  persons 
living in collective or institutional households. 

Individual private households 

This  varies  according 
underlying 
principally  concerns 
private households. 

the 

to 

the  data  source 
indicator  concerned,  but 
in 

individuals 

living 

The  statistics  refer  to  the  public  resources 
devoted to labour market measures. 

The statistics refer to education in the ordinary 
school and university system, as defined in the 
International 
of 
Standard  Classification 
Education 
(ISCED).  The  basic  unit  of 
classification  in  ISCED-97  is  the  educational 
programme. 

EU Labour Force Survey 

Eurostat Harmonised database 
on national Household Budget 
Surveys (HBS) 
EU Survey on Income and 
Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 

individual 

The  population  units  refer 
persons, 
to 
except  in  data  referring  to 
household 
characteristics 
when the  units are private 
households. 
Households and household 
members 

Individuals. 
compiled 
level and equivalised 

Data 
is 
at  household 

EU Labour Market Policy 
database (LMP) 
European Statistics on Social 
Protection (ESSPROS) 
UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat 
data collection 

EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS)  The  statistical  unit  are 
local  units  and  enterprises 
in  Council 
as  defined 
Regulation 
(EEC)  No 
696/93 of 15 March 1993: 
The  statistical  unit  is  the 
labour market measure. 
The  statistical  unit  is  the 
social protection scheme.  
In the UOE data collection 
on  education  statistics,  the 
statistical  units  collected 
are  students  enrolled,  new 
entrants 
entrants, 
and 
graduates,  foreign  students 
enrolled  and  graduated, 
repeaters, 
educational 
personnel,  class  size  and 
expenditure 

3.  Sources of data 

The data supplied to each of the ESS sources examined came either from administrative data or a 
survey, which was conducted. In the case of the UOE data collection, the data supplied came can 
come either from administrative sources or census surveys of educational establishments. Some of 
the  sources  examined  are  purely  sample  surveys  administered  by  NSI’s  in  Member  States,  for 
example Labour cost surveys, household budget surveys. 

Sources supplying information to ESS data collections 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) 
Data were produced and validated by the National Administrations competent for training statistics 

EU Labour Force Survey 
The  EU-LFS  is  a  rotating  random  sample  survey  of  persons  in  private  households.  The  sample 
design and rotation patterns are not harmonised.  

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Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 
Surveys carried out by the National Statistics Institutes using their own methodologies, which are 
not perfectly harmonised.  
Random  household  surveys  for  all  countries  except  Germany,  Czech  Republic  and  Slovak 
Republic (quota sampling).  

EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 
Under  EU-SILC  (Community  Statistics  on  Income  and  Living  Conditions),  responsibility  for 
fieldwork is delegated to national statistical offices in each country. 
In  most  cases  participant  countries  launch  a  new  survey  from  scratch  with  integrated  cross-
sectional  and  longitudinal  elements  (this  is  the  Eurostat  recommendation).  Other  countries  use  a 
combination of registers and interviews. Others seek to adapt existing national sources. 

EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 
Surveys are carried out through the appropriate national authorities, which draw up the appropriate 
methods for collecting the information. 

EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 
Administrative sources in each MS. 

European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 
Figures are collected from National Statistical Institutes or/and Ministries of Social Affairs. Most 
of the data are administrative data.   

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 
The results of the UOE data collection on education statistics are compiled on the basis of national 
administrative  sources,  reported  by  Ministries  of  Education  or  National  Statistical  Offices.  The 
national  data  collections  on  enrolments,  graduates,  personnel  etc  are  in  most  countries  census 
surveys or in some cases extractions from administrative registers. 
The  UOE  data  collection  on  education  statistics  is  an  administrative  data  collection  that  is 
administered  jointly  by  the  United  Nations  Educational,  Scientific,  and  Cultural  Organisation 
Institute  for  Statistics  (UNESCO-UIS),  the  Organisation  for  Economic  Co-operation  and 
Development (OECD), and the Statistical Office of the European Union (EUROSTAT). Data are 
reported on a voluntary basis from countries (i.e. so called gentlemen’s agreement). 

4.  Data availability in the ESS 

Availability of data is a factor, which needs to be taken into consideration when assessing whether 
a  data  source  can  fulfil  the  requirements  of  a  proposed  indicator.  A  number  of  the  data  sources 
assessed will not provide continuous data, as the periodicity of the sources is long for example 4 or 
5 years. This is the case in CVTS, LCS and the HBS.  Nevertheless, a number of data sources can 
provide data, which is continuous. It is important to note that despite the fact that data is collected 
in  all  data  collections  at  fixed  time  intervals,  difficulties  are  still  experienced  by  some  Member 
States who for a number of reasons unable to complete all the data requested. Table 4, shows the 
availability of data for each of the data sources examined. 

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Table 4: Availability of data in ESS sources 

Name of survey 

Continuing Vocational Training 
Survey (CVTS) 

Year(s) 

1993, 1999 

EU Labour Force Survey 

Since 1998 

Eurostat Harmonised database 
on national Household Budget 
Surveys (HBS) 
EU Survey on Income and 
Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 

Every 5 years: 
1988, 1994, and 
1999 
Data will be 
collected for 
2004 

Remarks 

The  survey  is  carried  out  approximately  every  6 
years.  For  CVTS1  year  of  reference  is  1993.  For 
CVTS2 year of reference is 1999 
Data  relating  to  all  25  Member  States  are  mostly 
from 1999 or 2000. Data relating the former EU-15 
are available from 1995. Data relating to the former 
EU-12 are available from 1987. Prior to that data are 
only available in electronic format from 1983.  
The next round of harmonisation of national HBS’s 
is planned for 2005. 

The  starting  date  for  the  SILC  project  under  the 
Framework  Regulation  has been postponed to 2004 
(with  data  available  at  the  end of November 2005), 
with  a  derogation  for  three  countries  (D,  NL  and 
UK) to start in 2005. 

EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 
EU Labour Market Policy 
database (LMP) 
European Statistics on Social 
Protection (ESSPROS) 
UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data 
collection 

1992, 1996, 2000  The EU-LCS is conducted every four years. 
Every year since 
1998 
Every year since 
1991 
Every year since 
1998. 

A few data on enrolments, graduates and finance are 
available since 1990 or 1995. 

Most variables are available since 1990. 

Issues of timeliness and periodicities 

Statistical information is most useful (and sometimes, only meaningful) when it is provided with a 
good level of timeliness. A data source should ideally: 

- 
takes a minimum amount of time to produce the required information;  
-  make it possible to release the information as soon as it is available; and 
- 

that the information is available on a regular basis.  

Thus  in  assessing  the  quality  of  the  source,  it  is  important  to  evaluate  the  timeliness  of  the  data 
produced. Overall, it was found that this varies between ESS sources. Set out below is an overview 
of the situation in this respect. 

Overview of timeliness of data collected by the ESS data collections 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) 
According to the CVTS2 methodology (see pg. 55), from the start of the survey in the beginning of 
2000  to  the  transmission  of  complete  and  correct  data  to  Eurostat  (March  2001),  the  collection 
should have taken approximately 15 months. 

EU Labour Force Survey 
Quarterly micro files are delivered to Eurostat 12 weeks after the end of the quarter. These data are 
available  on  the  Eurostat  web-site  immediately  after  being  validated.  Annual  averages  are 
published in the summer of the year after the reference year. 

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Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 
Between 1 and 4 years after the end of the reference period depending on the country. 

EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 
EU-SILC  (Statistics  on  Income  and  Living  Conditions)  was  launched  under  a  gentleman’s 
agreement with six EU15 countries plus Norway in 2003 and re-launched under a Regulation with 
twelve  EU15  countries  plus  Iceland  in  2004  and  remaining  three  countries  in  2005.  It  is  being 
launched in Estonia in 2004 and remaining new member states in 2005. Bulgaria and Romania will 
launch  in  2005  and  Turkey  in  2004.  Results  from  EU-SILC  should  be  supplied  to  Eurostat  by 
participant countries within 12 months of the end of the survey year: annual data for 2004 will be 
available  in  December  2005.  During  the  transition  period  until  launch  of  EU-SILC,  national 
sources are used. Due dates have been agreed for the supply of indicators to Eurostat. 

EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 
The  results  shall  be  forwarded  to  Eurostat  within  a  period  of  18  months  from  the  end  of  the 
reference year. 

EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 
Approximately between 1 and 1.5 year after the end of reference year. 

European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 
 About 22 months after the end of the year to which the data relate. 

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 
Participation,  entrants,  personnel,  language  learning:  2  years  after  end  of  the  reference  period. 
Graduates: 1.5 years after end of the reference period. Finance: 2.5 years after end of the reference 
period 

5.  Concepts, definitions and classifications 

In  general  the  concepts,  definitions,  and  classifications  employed  more  or  less  conform  to  the 
definitions  set  by  EU  regulations.  For  example,  the  definitions  of  enterprises  found  in  LCS, 
CVTS2, is the one defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 of 15 March 1993. If no EU 
regulation  exists,  then  the  definitions  used  are  generally  similar.  Regarding  the  definition  of 
unemployed  that  was  used  in  these  data  sources,  it  was  found  that  the  majority  of  these  data 
sources  used  the  definition  or  referred  to  the  definition  adopted  by  the  13th  International 
Conference  of  Labour  Statisticians2.    Nevertheless,  deviations  in  the  definitions  used  have  been 
observed, for example in the CVTS2 methodology, the definition of unemployed people is given 
as  “those  persons,  who  were  previously  unemployed  whether  or  not  they  were  unskilled  or 

2 The “unemployed” comprise all persons above a specified age who during the reference period were: a.) 
“without work”, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment b.) “currently available for work”, 
i.e., were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period, and c.)”seeking 
work”,  i.e.  had  taken  specific  steps  in  a  specified  recent  period  to  seek  paid  employment  or  self-
employment…” 

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skilled”.  This  is  in  contrast  to  the  definition  adopted  by  the  13th  International  Conference  of 
Labour Statisticians.  

In  the  UOE  data  collection,  the  classification  of  governments  by  level  is  clear  in  most  cases, 
nevertheless there are some ambiguities. If a country only has two levels of government, the lower 
level  usually  is  designated  local,  not  regional.  If  there  are  four  or  more  levels,  the  second  level 
usually is designated regional and the third, local. If a city (such as the national capital) has dual 
status as both regional and local government, its expenditure is reported as expenditure of regional 
level of government (e.g. the Stadtstaaten Hamburg, Bremen and Berlin in Germany). The use of 
ISCED  allows  comparing  education  systems  between  Member  States.  However,  problems  arise 
with regard to the degree structures, since they differ between Member States. 

The  Eurostat  Harmonised  Household  Survey  is  slightly  more  problematic  when  it  comes  to  the 
concepts and definitions used since they differ between Member States. Given that the Household 
Budget surveys are output harmonised, Eurostat does not emphasise use of same questions, same 
survey structure or sample designs in the surveys, but some importance is put into harmonising the 
concepts and definitions. It is obvious that the combination of having microdata and the aim of an 
output  harmonisation  of  the  HBS  means  that  Eurostat  can,  as  far  as  all  the  basic  variables  are 
available  in  the  original  data  set,  redefine  terms  in  order  to  follow  the  recommended  approach. 
This is what is done for example for determining the reference person. The consequence is that the 
output produced by Eurostat might not be strictly comparable with each national output but it will 
be comparable between countries. 

A  common classification was developed by Eurostat for use in data collection surveys including 
ECHP,  LFS,  HBS  and  subsequent  presentation  of  indicators  relating  to  income,  housing, 
education, healthcare, etc.. Rather than focussing on “couples” and/or “families”, the classification 
is  constructed  by  reference  to  the  numbers  of  adult  members,  their  age  and  gender,  and  the 
numbers of dependent children living with them. 

An overview of the classifications employed in each data collection, and an overview of the main 
concepts and definitions employed in these data collections is presented below. 

Highlights of classifications used in ESS data collections 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) 
Classifications  proper  to  the  CVT  statistics  are  fully  harmonised  with  the  classifications  used  in 
other fields of the European system of statistics. The classification of the economic activities is in 
accordance to NACE Rev.1.1 

EU Labour Force Survey  
The division of the population into employed persons, unemployed persons and inactive persons 
follows the ILO definition. Other concepts also follow broadly the recommendations of ILO. 
The  country  codes  conform  to  the  ISO  3166,  with  the  exception  of  Greece  and  the  United 
Kingdom which are coded as EL and UK respectively. The regional codes are the NUTS II and the 
corresponding  statistical  regions  for  the  EFTA  and  Candidate  Countries.    The  education 
classifications,  the  level  and  field  of  completed  and  current  education,  are  based  on  ISCED-97. 

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The classification of occupation uses ISCO-88 (Com) on 4 digit level for the main job and 3 digit 
level for the previous occupation. The classification of economic activity uses NACE rev. 1 on the 
3 digit level for the main job and the 2 digit level for the other job descriptions. The classification 
of professional status is based on ICSE-93. 

Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 
COICOP-HBS  1997  (Classification  Of  Individual  Consumption  by  Purpose  adapted  for  the 
Household  Budget  Surveys  –  revision  of  1997),  which  is  upwards  compatible,  the  COICOP 
classification revised by the OECD in 1995. Other classifications used for certain cross-sectional 
variables are: NUTS-1 for geographic regions, ISCED for education levels and ISCO-88 (COM) 
for occupations. 

EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 
Income data collected under EU-SILC is defined in accordance with international standards as they 
existed  at  the  date  of  drafting  the  legislation.  In  particular,  the  Canberra  Manual  guidelines 
(published 2001) have been taken into consideration where appropriate by the task force of experts 
responsible  for  drafting  the  EU-SILC  legislation.  EU-SILC  implementing  regulation  number 
1983/2003 on updated definitions, defines households in terms of sharing household expenses and 
(for non-permanent members) in terms of duration of stay and (for temporarily absent members) in 
terms  of  duration  of  absence.  However,  participant  countries  are  free  to  adopt  the  common 
household definition from their national statistical system instead. Under EU-SILC, the attainment 
levels  of  individuals  are  classified  according  to  the  ‘International  Standard  Classification  of 
Education’  version  of  1997.  Under  EU-SILC,  the  occupational  status  of  individuals  is  classified 
according to the ‘International Standard Classification of Occupations’ version of 1988. 

EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 
The  classification  and  definitions  used  are  standard  international  classifications,  thus  ensuring 
comparability  and  compatibility  between  Member  States.  In  addition  the  data  source  contains 
variables, which are pertinent to the education and training in the workplace. 

EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 
The classifications used are specifically derived in order to ensure comparability between Member 
States.  The  source  contains  information  on  labour  market  training,  which  could  be  further 
exploited. 

European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 
The classifications used are specifically derived in order to ensure comparability between Member 
States.  
UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 

The  UOE  data  collection  on  education  statistics  is  based  on  the  International  Standard 
Classification of Education (ISCED). The standards on international education statistics are set by 
the three international organisations jointly administering the UOE data collection: 

• 

• 

the United Nations Educational, scientific, and Cultural Organisation Institute for Statistics 
(UNESCO-UIS), 
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and, 

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• 

the Statistical Office of the European Union (EUROSTAT). 

Highlights of concepts and definitions employed in ESS data collections 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) 
The  definition  of  enterprises  is  taken  from  “Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No  696/93  of  15  March 
1993. 
Initial vocational training are training measures or activities, which the enterprises finance partly 
or wholly for their apprentices or others who have a special training contract. 
Working  contract  is  a  work-agreement  between  the  enterprise  and  its  employees.  A  working 
contract can be formal (written) or informal (oral agreement). 
Labour costs of persons employed – The estimate of total labour costs represents all expenditure 
borne by employers in order to employ workers. It should include direct labour costs, : Direct pay, 
Benefits  in  kind,  And  indirect 
Other bonuses and gratuities, Payments for days not worked,  
labour costs :   Statutory  social  security  contributions  and  family  allowances,  Non-statutory 
payments, Other social expenditure, Vocational training costs (gross), Taxes, less subsidies 
Unemployed people  are those persons who were previously unemployed whether or not they were 
unskilled or skilled. 
Unskilled  people  are  those  persons  who  do  not  have  skills  and  were  previously  employed  in 
another enterprise. 
Learning circles are groups of employees who come together on a regular-basis with the primary 
aim to learn about the requirements of the work organisation, work procedures and work place. It 
is a form of individual learning within groups. 
Quality  circles  are  working  groups  with  the  aim  to  discuss  about  the  problems  and  search  for 
problem-solving in the production and on the work place. Participants have to be integrated in the 
planning and controlling procedures of the enterprise. A moderator co-ordinates quality circles. 

EU Labour Force Survey 
The main statistical objectives of the Labour Force Survey is to divide the population of working 
age  (15  years  and  above)  into  three  mutually  exclusive  and  exhaustive  groups  -  persons  in 
employment,  unemployed  persons  and  inactive  persons  -  and  to  provide  descriptive  and 
explanatory data on each of these categories. Respondents are assigned to one of these groups on 
the  basis  of  the  most  objective  information  possible  obtained  through  the  survey  questionnaire, 
which principally relates to their actual activity within a particular reference week. The definitions 
of  employment  and  unemployment  used  in  the  Community  Labour  Force  Survey  closely  follow 
those adopted by the 13th International Conference of Labour Statisticians: A person is considered 
as  having  an  employment  if  he  or  she  did  any  work  for  pay  or  profit  during  the  reference  week 
"Work" means any work for pay or profit during the reference week, even for as little as one hour. 
In  accordance  with  the  ILO  standards  adopted  by  the  13th  and  14th  International  Conference  of 
Labour  Statisticians  (ICLS),  for  the  purposes  of  the  Community  labour  force  sample  survey, 
unemployed  persons  comprise  persons  aged  15  to  74  who  were:  (a)  without  work  during  the 
reference week, i.e. neither had a job nor were at work (for one hour or more) in paid employment 
or self-employment; (b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or 
self-employment  before  the  end  of  the  two  weeks  following  the  reference  week;  (c)  actively 
seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in the four week period ending with the reference week 

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to seek paid employment or self-employment or who found a job to start later, i.e. within a period 
of at most three months. 
A  person  on  lay-off  is  one  whose  written  or  unwritten  contract  of  employment,  or  activity,  has 
been  suspended  by  the  employer  for  a  specified  or  unspecified  period  at  the  end  of  which  the 
person  concerned  has  a  recognized  right  or  recognized  expectation  to  recover  employment  with 
that employer. 

Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 
It is important to note that different definitions are employed in household budget surveys in the 
EU Member States.  The EU Household budget Surveys are output harmonised by Eurostat, and 
has put forward the following recommendations for harmonising the concepts and definitions used 
in Member States. The following recommendations have been put forward by Eurostat: 
Definition  of  household:  In  all  Household  Budget  surveys  in  the  EU,  the  household  is  defined 
more clearly as a social unit which meets one or more conditions of 'living together' in addition to 
having  a  common  residence.    It  is  recommended  that  the  definition  of  the  household  for  the 
purpose  of  HBS  is  based  on  the  first  two  criteria  shown  above;  co-residence  and  sharing  of 
expenditures.  This  definition  isolates  the  units,  which  from  a  HBS  perspective  form  a  whole  for 
studying patterns of consumption expenditures and income (see EU-SILC). 
Household  members:  It  is  recommended  to  use  for  the  HBS  the  same  definitions  of  Household 
Membership proposed for the EU-SILC project. 
Head of household and reference person: It is recommended that the assignment of the reference 
person  should  be  based  on  objective  criteria.  For  the  tabulation  of  consumption  patterns  in  the 
Household  Budget  surveys,  the  appropriate  criteria  is  the  contribution  to  household  income,  by 
preference the person to be chosen should be the adult contributing most to the total income of the 
household. 

EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 
Main definitions: 
Initial sample: refers to the sample of households or persons at the time it is selected for inclusion 
in EU-SILC. 
Sample persons: means all or a subset of the members of the households in the initial sample who 
are over a certain age. 
Panel  duration:  means  the  number  of  years  over  which  sample  persons,  once  selected  into  the 
sample, belong to the panel to obtain or compile longitudinal information. 
Sample household: means a household containing at least one sample person. A sample household 
shall be 
included in EU-SILC for the collection or compilation of detailed information where it contains at 
least one 
sample person aged 16 or more. 
Detailed information: refers to personal information (health, access to health care, detailed labour 
information, activity history and calendar of activities) required for at least one sample person aged 
16 or over in each household. 
Co-residents  (non-sample  persons):  all  current  residents  of  a  sample  household  other  than  those 
defined above as sample persons. 
Rotational design: refers to the sample selection based on a number of subsamples or replications, 
each of them similar in size and design and representative of the whole population.  

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For  the  cross-sectional  and  longitudinal  components  of  EU-SILC,  the  following definitions shall 
apply: 
Age: refers to the age at the end of the income reference period. 
Household members: refers to the conditions required to classify a person as a household member, 
as  laid  down  in  Annex  I  to  Commission  Regulation  (EC)  No  1980/2003  (1)  on  definitions  and 
updated definitions. 
The household members are the persons belonging to one of the following categories: (1)Usually 
resident, related to other members; (2) Usually resident, not related to other members; (3)Resident 
boarder, lodger, tenant ;(4) Visitor ;(5)Live-in domestic servant, au-pair ;(6) Resident, absent from 
dwelling in the short-term (e.g. holiday, work, education); (7) Children of household, in education 
away  from  home  ;  (8)  Long-term  absence  with  household  ties:  working  away  from  home;  (9)
Temporary absence with household ties: in hospital, nursing home or other institution are members 
of the household if they: (a)share household expenses and for categories (3) (4) (5) (b)currently 
have no private address elsewhere or their actual or intend duration of stay is 6 months or more for 
category (6) (b)currently have no private address elsewhere and their actual or intend duration of 
absence  from  the  household  is  less  than  6  months  for  categories  (7)  and  (8),  irrespective  of  the 
actual or intended duration of absence, the person (b)currently has no private address elsewhere, is 
partner or child of a household member, and who continues to retain close ties with the household 
and consider this address to be his/her main residence and for category (9) (b)the  person  has  clear 
financial ties to the household and the actual or expected duration of absence from the household is 
less than 6 months. 
Institution:  refers  to  old  people's  homes,  healthcare  institutions,  religious  institutions  (convents, 
monasteries),  correctional  and  penal  institutions.  Basically,  institutions  are  distinguished  from 
collective  households  by  virtue  of  the  fact  that,  in  the  former,  the  resident  persons  have  no 
individual  responsibility  for  their  housekeeping.  In  some  cases,  old  people's  homes  can  be 
considered as collective households on the basis of that rule. 

EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 
Apprentices : This covers all employees who do not yet fully participate in the production process 
and  work  either  under  an  apprenticeship  contract  or  in  a  situation  in  which  vocational  training 
predominates over productivity 
Employer’s  social  contributions  for  apprentices  -  They  consist  of  the  payments  made  by 
employers for the benefit of their employees to insurers (social security funds and private funded 
schemes).  These  payments  cover  statutory,  conventional, contractual and voluntary contributions 
in  respect  of  insurance  against  social  risks  or  needs.  Employers'  actual  social  contributions  are 
recorded in the period during which the work is done. 
Vocational  training  costs  paid  by  the  employer  -  These  include:  -  Expenditure  on  vocational 
training  services  and  facilities;  Depreciation,  small  repairs  and  maintenance  of  buildings  and 
installations, excluding staff costs; Expenditure on participation in courses; The fees of instructors 
from outside the enterprise; Expenditure on teaching aids and tools used for training; Sums paid by 
the  enterprise  to  vocational  training  organisations,  etc.  Subsidies  linked  to  vocational  training 
should be deducted. 
Enterprise: “the enterprise is the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit 
producing  goods  or  services,  which  benefits  from  a  certain  degree  of  autonomy  in  decision-
making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or more 
activities at one or more locations. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit”. 

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Local  unit:  “the  local  unit  is  an  enterprise  or  part  thereof  (e.g.  a  workshop,  factory,  warehouse, 
office, mine or depot) situated in a geographically identified place. At or from this place economic 
activity is carried out for which - save for certain exceptions - one or more persons work (even if 
only part-time) for one and the same enterprise”. 

EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 
Institutional  training  –  programmes  where  most  of  the  training  time  is  spent  in  a  training 
institution (school/college, training centre or similar) 
Workplace training – programmes where most of the training time is spent in the workplace. 
Alternate training – programmes where training time is evenly split between a training institution 
and the workplace. 
Periodic cash payments are cash payments issued at regular intervals, such as each week, month or 
quarter. 
Lump sum payments are cash payments issued on a single occasion or in the form of a lump sum. 
Reimbursements  are  payments  that  reimburse  the  recipient  in  whole  or  in  part  for  certified 
expenditure on specified goods and services. 
Reduced social contributions are full or partial exemptions to obligatory social contributions. 
Reduced  taxes  are  full  or  partial  exemptions  to  taxes  or  other  obligatory  levies  other  than  social 
contributions.  
Ear-marked taxes - taxes or other charges which are levied by central government specifically to 
generate  funds  for  public  labour  market  interventions  and  which  cannot  by  law  be  used  for  any 
other purpose. 
Unemployed - participants previously without work, available for work and actively seeking work. 
Expenditure  relates  to  the  value  of  all  benefits  provided  to  individuals  or  to  organisations  as  a 
result of the measure. 

European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 
A social protection scheme is a distinct body of rules, supported by one or more institutional units, 
governing the provision of social protection benefits and their financing. 

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 
Educational institutions are defined as “entities that provide instructional services to individuals or 
education-related services to individuals and other educational institutions”. 
An  institution  is  classified  as  public  if  it  is:  i.  Controlled  and  managed  directly  by  a  public 
education authority or agency or 
ii.  Controlled  and  managed  either  by  a  government  agency  directly  or  by  a  governing  body 
(Council, Committee, etc.), most of whose members are either appointed by a public authority or 
elected by public franchise. 
An  institution  is  classified  as  private  if  it  is  controlled  and  managed  by  a  non-governmental 
organisation    (e.g.  a  Church,  a  Trade  Union  or  a  business  enterprise),  or  if  its  Governing  Board 
consists mostly of members not selected by a public agency. 
The theoretical ages refer to the ages as established by law and regulation for the entry and ending 
of a cycle of education. 
A  student  is  defined  as  any  individual  participating  in  educational  services  covered  by  the  UOE 
data collection. 

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Stock  data  refer  to  the  characteristics/attributes  of  a  specific  pool  of  students  for  the  reference 
period under consideration. 
Flow data refer to individuals who join the pool during or at the end of the reference period. 
New  entrants  to  a  level  of  education  are  students  who  are  entering  any  programme  leading  to  a 
recognised  qualification  at  this  level  of  education  for  the  first  time,  irrespective  of  whether  the 
students  enter  the  programme  at  the  beginning  or  at  an  advanced  stage  of  the  programme.  New 
entrants  to  the  tertiary  level  of  education  are  students  who  have  never  entered  any  tertiary  level 
before. 
Re-entrants to a level of education are students who were not included in the enrolment statistics at 
that  level  in  the  previous  reference  year,  but  had  been  included  during  some  year  prior  to  the 
preceding reference year. 
Continuing  students  are  students  who  were  included  in  the  enrolment  statistics  at  that  level  the 
preceding reference year. 
Graduates  are  those  who  successfully  complete  an  educational  programme  during  the  reference 
year of the data collection. 
Students enrolling in the same grade or year of study a second or further time should be classified 
as repeaters except if the new programme is classified as “higher” than the previous one. 
Current expenditure is expenditure on goods and services consumed within the current year. 
Expenditure on compensation of personnel includes gross salaries plus expenditure on retirement 
and  on  other  non-salary  compensation  (fringe  benefits).  Salaries  means  the  gross  salaries  of 
educational personnel, before deduction of taxes, contributions for retirement or health care plans, 
and other contributions or premiums for social insurance or other purposes. 
Expenditure on retirement (pension schemes) means actual or imputed expenditure by employers 
or  third  parties  to  finance  retirement  benefits  for  current  educational  personnel.  Expenditure  on 
other  non-salary  compensation  includes  spending  by  employers  or  third  parties  on  employee 
benefits other than pensions. 
Capital expenditure is expenditure on assets that last longer than one year. 
Intramural expenditures are all expenditures for R&D performed within a statistical unit or sector 
of the economy, whatever the source of funds. 

6.  Coverage of education and training 

In  making  an  assessment  of  any  data  source  on  its  capacity  to  meet  the  policy  requirements 
identified in the earlier part, it is of utmost importance to elucidate the coverage of education in the 
data  source.  It  is  evident  that  the  education  and  training,  which  covered  in  each  of  these  data 
collections  varies  between  data  sources.  For  example  CVTS  concentrates  on  training  in  the 
workplace,  whereas  the  UOE  data  collection  concentrates  on  formal  education  in  educational 
institutions. Thus, not one single data source covers information on all the forms of education and 
training needed to meet the policy requirements identified. The following types of education and 
training are covered by the ESS data collections: 

I.  Compulsory education 
II.  Initial Vocational Training  
III. Continuing Vocational Training 
IV. Labour market training 

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Adult education and training covers all forms of education and training, whether they are formal, 
non-formal  or  informal.  Adult  education  and  training  covers  all  the  4  types  of  education  and 
training mentioned above. Nevertheless, there are gaps in the information provided, in particular 
regarding non-formal learning. In assessing each source in order to establish the coverage of adult 
education and training, it was important to establish whether expenditure data for adult education 
and training can be easily separated from the total expenditure on education and training collected. 
For example in the UOE data collection, adult or non-regular education is included if the activities 
involve  studies  with  subject  content  similar  to  regular  educational  programmes  or  that  the 
underlying  programmes  lead  to  similar  potential  qualifications  as  corresponding  regular 
educational programmes. In other words, the adult education can be classified according to ISCED 
level.  However,  programmes  or  studies  not  attributable  to  a  particular  ISCED  level  are  not 
included. Thus, the expenditure devoted adult education and training is not collected separately. 

Formal education is covered fully according to ISCED level by some of the data collections. It is 
inevitable given the wide definition of non-formal education, which was given in the introduction, 
that  the  coverage  of  non-formal  education  would  not  cover  all  aspects.  This  is  illustrated  by  the 
fact the focus on non-formal learning in ESS sources tends to be restricted to continuing vocational 
education.    According  to  the  Manual  for  Statistics  on  non-formal  education  the  following  basic 
classification of major types of non-formal programmes and activities were identified: 

Functional literacy and life-skill training 

-  Adult literacy programmes 
-  Non-formal education for out-of school children and youth 
- 
-  Agricultural and rural development 
- 
-  Non-formal higher education 
- 
- 
- 

Language and communication skills training 
Religious education 
Culture and leisure education  

Industrial production and service trade training 

Coverage of education and training in ESS sources 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS2) 

Continuing  Vocational  Training  in  enterprises.  Continuing  vocational  training  measures 
and  activities  include  continuing  vocational  training  courses  (CVT  courses)  and  other 
forms  of  continuing  vocational  training.  It  includes  courses  that  were  designed  and 
managed by: 

a.) The enterprise itself (managed internally) 
b.) Organisations not part of the enterprise (managed externally) 

Other forms of continuing vocational training are also included: 

c.) Planned periods of training, instruction or practical experience, using the normal tools 

of work, either at the immediate place of work or in the work situation 

d.) Planned learning through job rotation, exchanges or secondments 
e.) Attendance at learning/quality circles 
f.) Self-learning through open and distance learning 
g.) Instruction at conferences, workshops, lectures and seminars at which the purpose of 

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the employees attending the events is to learn/receive training 
Continuing vocational training measures and activities do not include: 

-  Measures  for  measures  initiated  by  and  entirely  financed  by  the  labour  market 

authorities; 

-  Any  continuing  vocational  training  financed  wholly  by  an  individual  employee  and 

undertaken entirely in their own time; 

-  Initial  vocational  training  provided  for  apprentices  and  others  who  have  a  training 

contract that are not supported by a working contract.  

EU Labour Force Survey 

Type of instruction: 

-  Class-room instruction 
-  Instruction  in  a  working  environment  (without  complementary  classroom  instruction 

at a school or college including conferences, seminar, workshop) 

-  Instruction  combining  both  work  experience  and  complementary  class-room 

instruction (including any form of 'dual system' or 'sandwich courses') 

-  Other type of instruction 
-  Not applicable  

Level of this education or training:  
General education 

-  Primary or lower secondary (ISCED 1-2) 
-  Upper secondary or post-secondary not tertiary (ISCED 3-4) 

Pre-vocational or vocational education or training 

-  Lower secondary (ISCED 2) 
-  Upper secondary or post-secondary not tertiary (ISCED 3-4) 

Tertiary education 

-  ISCED 5a 
-  ISCED 5b 
-  ISCED 6 

Training  that  is  not  allocated  to  the  ISCED  classification  (e.g.:  language  courses, 
computer courses, seminars...) 
Not applicable  

Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 

Education  as  defined  by  ISCED.  The  data  that  is  actually  collected  on  household 
expenditure on education refers to educational services only. This means that it does not 
include expenditures on educational materials such as books and stationary or educational 
transport  services,  catering  and 
support  services  such  as  health  care  services, 
accommodation.  Instead  household  expenditure  on  these  other  items are collected under 
the aggregate general headings of for example, health, transport, books, etc… 

EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 

The  data  source  was  not  specifically  designed  to  cover  information  on  education  and 
training. However, information is collected on the educational attainment of the individual 
and whether the individual was in receipt of any educational allowances or grants.  

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EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 

Initial Vocational Training – apprentices  
Continuing Vocational Training in enterprises 

EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 

The  main  category  for  collecting  information  on  labour  market  training  is  Category  2 
‘labour  market  training’  collects  information  on  the  following  types  of  training: 
Institutional  training,  workplace  training,  integrated  training,  special  support  for 
apprenticeship. 
However, other categories also collect information on certain forms of training as follows: 
-  Category  4  ‘Employment  incentives’  –  including  programmes  offering  temporary 
placements for the purpose of in-work training and where there is an identifiable training 
input 
-  Category  5  ‘integration  of  the  disabled’  on  sheltered  employment  -  programmes 
providing rehabilitation or training of disabled persons through work-based activities in a 
sheltered  (protected)  environment,  and  Other  rehabilitation  and  training  -  programmes 
providing rehabilitation or training of disabled persons other than through sheltered work 
provisions. 
- Category 7 ‘Start-up incentives’ for certain countries. This category collects information 
on programmes that promote entrepreneurship by encouraging the unemployed and target 
groups to start their own business or to become self-employed. Thus training persons on 
how to set up an enterprise is within the remit of this category. 

European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 

The  unemployment  function  includes,  among  other  benefits,  benefits  that  “contribute  to 
the cost of training or re-training people looking for employment”. They are as follows: 
-Vocational  training  allowance:  payments  by  social  security  funds  or  public  agencies  to 
targeted groups of persons in the labour force who take part in training schemes intended 
to develop their potential for employment. 
-Vocational  training:  payments  made  by  social  security  funds  or  public  agencies  to 
institutions which provide professional training to people without a job or at risk of losing 
their job shortly to develop their potential for further employment 

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 

Education as defined by ISCED.  
Data  on  special  education  (educational  services  to  mentally,  physically,  or  emotionally 
disadvantaged students and other groups with special learning needs) whether offered in 
schools or in special educational institutions is included if the main aim is the educational 
development of the individual. All students in special education programmes are assigned 
to specific ISCED levels either directly or by estimation.  
Adult  or  non-regular  education  is  included  if  the  activities  involve  studies  with  subject 
content similar to regular educational programmes or that the underlying programmes lead 
to  similar  potential  qualifications  as  corresponding  regular  educational  programmes. 
Programmes  or  studies  classified  as  adult  education  that  are  not  similar  to  regular 
educational programmes are not included.  Courses or classes for adults that are primarily 

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for  general  interest  or  personal  enrichment  and  /or  for  leisure  or  recreation  should  be 
excluded.  Student  in  programmes  designated  as  adult  or  non-regular  education  are 
assigned to the appropriate ISCED levels.  Most importantly adult education is not treated 
as  a  separate  level  of  education  and  no  adult  education  should  be  reported  under  the 
heading “Not allocated by level”. 
It does not include the following types of education and training: 
-  Vocational  and  technical  training  in  enterprises  is  excluded,  with  the  exception  of 
combined school and work-based programmes that are explicitly deemed to be parts of the 
education system.  
- Entirely work-based education and training for which no formal education authority has 
oversight is not covered in this data collection. All continuing training of employees by 
their employers is excluded. 

7.  Geographical coverage 

Apart  from  considering  whether  each  of  the  aforementioned  ESS sources covers all the Member 
States,  it  is  also  important  to  consider  the  extent  to  which  the  Candidate  Countries  are  covered 
(BG, RO, HR, and TR). 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) 
CVTS1 covered the then EU12 Member States. 
CVTS2  covers  EU  Member  States  (except  Cyprus,  Malta  and  Slovakia),  Norway  and  two 
Candidate Countries (Bulgaria and Romania)  

EU Labour Force Survey 
The EU-LFS covers all the territories of the Member States of the European Union, the EFTA 
countries, as well as Bulgaria and Romania. In case of Cyprus, however, the data only refer to the 
territory under the control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.  

Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 
10 Member States for 1988 (BE, DE, EL, ES, FR, IT, LU, NL, PT and UK) 
15 Member States for 1995 
15 Member States and 12 Candidate Countries (all except Turkey) for 1999. 

EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 
European  Union  and  neighbouring  countries,  with  some  comparative  information  for  other 
countries: 

-  Aggregates: EU25, (temporarily: EU15, ACC10), Eurozone 
-  Countries: EU25 member states, IS, NO, CH 

Comparable  data  compiled  for  non-participant  countries  (eg.  BG,  HR,  RO,  TR)  cannot  be 
considered to be fully comparable due to differences in the underlying data sources. 

EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 
1996 data: EU-15, CZ, LT 
2000 data: EU-25, IS, BG and RO 

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EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 
It only covers EU-15 + Norway. There is no mention in New Cronos on the question of whether 
the collection will be extended to the 10 New Member States. 

European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 
Data  relate  to  the  members  States  of  the  EU-15,  Hungary,  Malta,  Slovenia,  Slovakia,  Iceland, 
Norway  and  Switzerland.  Total  are  calculated  for  EU-15,  EU-12  and  The  European  Economic 
Area: EEA (except Liechtenstein).  

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 
The UOE data collection on education statistics covers the 25 EU Member States, the EFTA/EEA 
countries  (Iceland,  Liechtenstein,  Norway  and  Switzerland),  the  candidate  countries  (Bulgaria, 
Romania and Turkey), South-East European countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and FYR 
of Macedonia) as well as OECD Member States situated outside Europe (Australia, Canada, Japan, 
Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, United States) and other countries (e.g. Israel). The dissemination of 
education statistics by Eurostat is generally limited to the 25 EU Member States, the EFTA/EEA, 
Candidate and South-East European countries. 

8.  Accessibility  

Data  in  the  ESS  system  are  disseminated  through  a  database  regularly  update  and  on  Eurostat's 
New Cronos website (Information from this site have since late 2004 been made freely available to 
the public.) http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat. All publications relevant for education and training 
statistics can be downloaded free of charge from the following address:   
http://forum.europa.eu.int/Public/irc/dsis/edtcs/library?l=/public/publications. Printed publications 
still have to be purchased. 

Table 5: Dissemination of data of the ESS sources  

Name of survey 

Name of publication 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS2) 

EU Labour Force Survey 
Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household 
Budget Surveys (HBS) 

EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-
SILC) 
EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 
EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 

European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS2) 
– Data 1999 
Labour Force Survey results 
Diverse  publications  (SiF,  Pocket  Books  and 
totally 
Panorama)  have  used  partially  or 
information from the HBS 
No results  

Sif publications 
Labour  Market  Policy 
-  Expenditure  and 
participants  [Annual  publication]  Available  for 
1998,1999,2000, 2001, 2002 
Publication: ‘Social protection: expenditure and 
receipts 1992 to 2001’ 
‘Key  Data  on  Education’  and  ‘Key  Data  on 
languages’.  Free  publications  – 
‘Education 
across Europe’, Statistics in Focus 

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9.  Comparability 

In general, the intention of data sources in the ESS is to collect comparable information. On closer 
examination of these data sources, it was found that wherever possible these data sources conform 
to the definitions set by EU regulations. Nevertheless, there are some specific remarks that need to 
be  taken  into  account  regarding  comparability  for  some  data  sources.  An  outline  of  some  of  the 
issues that need to be considered with regard to comparability is presented below: 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS2) 
The  common  European  questionnaire  was  used  as  the  basis  for  the  survey.  Any  deviations  from 
the common questionnaire were noted in the national sampling plan, including deviations from the 
recommended sequence of questions. Precise methods for data capture are determined nationally.  
All  countries  that  participated  in  CVTS2  wrote  a  national  sampling  plan  which  contained  the 
following: description of the sampling frame; sample selection; 
Data  collection  issues;  treatment  of  non-response;  data  processing  and  data  transmission.  All 
deviations from the common agreed survey approach and survey guidelines had to be clearly stated 
in the national sampling plan. 

EU Labour Force Survey 
The  LFS,  like  all  surveys,  is  based  upon  a  sample  of  the  population.  The  results  are  therefore 
subject to the usual types of errors associated with random sampling. Based on the sample size and 
design  in  the  various  Member  States,  Eurostat  implements  basic  guidelines  intended  to  avoid 
publication of figures that are too small to be reliable or to give warning of the unreliability of the 
figures. 

Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 
The Member States supply micro-data files (with records for individual households and household 
members),  which  are  harmonised,  standardised,  aggregated  and  tabulated  by  Eurostat.  The 
Candidate Countries supply aggregated tables following a template proposed by Eurostat. There is 
no  legal  basis,  hence  each  country  has  its  own  targets,  methodology  and  survey  programming. 
Data supplied by each country are not perfectly harmonised. After each round, some harmonisation 
efforts have been carried out and each new round of data collection is better harmonised than the 
previous  one.  However,  some  problems  of  comparability  among  countries  still  remain.  More 
recent  data  are  better  harmonised  than  old  data  and  data  from  the  Member  States  are  better 
harmonised than data from the ‘Old’ Candidate Countries. 

Where  comparability  is  important,  the  HBS  is  of  very  limited  value,  because  only  private 
expenditures are covered, whereas the bulk of total education expenditures, or actual consumption, 
is financed by the government directly to households. As a consequence, budget shares for other 
products  in  the  HBS  can  also  not  be  compared  adequately  between  countries.  Even  for  private 
expenditures, there might not be much scope for increasing comparability because the HBS is not a 
Eurostat  survey  but  belongs  to  Member  States.  The  Eurostat  Working  Group  concerned  has 
achieved some degree of ex post harmonisation but that related much more to tabulations from the 
data than to the content of the HBS.    

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To improve the comparability situation, Eurostat proposed a method to impute publicly financed 
aggregate expenditure on health and education to household and the individual level, respectively. 
The proposed method makes use of certain auxiliary variables to estimate household consumption 
expenditures in the relevant fields. Aggregate levels of actual final consumption are taken from the 
National  Accounts  (NA),  which  by  definition  are supposed  to  be  comparable  between  countries. 
To allocate the NA aggregates to the households in the case of education, the UNESCO-OECD-
EUROSTAT database is used. The allocation principle is that the NA total on education is directly 
allocated to the individuals in the household according to their age and education level. Data on 
participation rates by age group and education level, and unit education costs by education level 
for each of the EU countries from the common UOE data collection is used to allocate education 
the household education consumption by age.   

The education and age specific participation rates are multiplied by unit education costs per pupil 
per education level to derive the individual education consumption by age group and age specific 
participation  rates  are  multiplied  by  the  education  costs  per  pupil  per  education  level,  to  get  the 
individual  education  costs  by  age  class).    This  imputation  has  led  to  the  recommendation  by 
Eurostat that the concept of actual use of education services will not be included in the conceptual 
base of household consumption expenditure of HBS for the round of 2005. It should be noted that 
the allocated benefits might not be as comparable as might first appear because of the following 
reasons: 
1.  Public  expenditure  as  a  share  of  total  education  expenditure  varies  between  countries.    This 
would not be a problem if the data on household       expenditure is complete and comparable. 
2.  The  allocation  methodology  has  to  be  comparable.    Some  Member  States  might  want  to  use 
additional auxiliary variables such as the geographical catchment area and social class (because 
there is evidence that publicly funded household education benefits vary by these factors also). 
3.  Strictly  speaking,  the  results  can  be  misleading.    The  reason  is  that  net  benefits  should  be 
calculated taking account of the taxes that finance the education benefits.  These net benefits are 
not distributionally neutral.  The problem about allocating taxes is that they are unhypothecated.  

EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 
Missing survey data is imputed using procedures specified in EU-SILC implementation regulation 
1981/2003. This includes income data, household composition data and other elements. Population 
totals  (numbers  of  individuals  living  in  private  households)  are  estimates  and  may  differ  from 
figures  published  elsewhere  by  Eurostat.  There  is  a  comprehensive  validation  procedure  applied 
prior  to  finalisation  of  the  EU-SILC  database  for  a  particular  cross-sectional  and  longitudinal 
“wave” (year of survey plus any re-working of prior year data). Source data is initially reviewed at 
national  level.  It  is  subsequently  submitted  to  Eurostat  for  multilateral  validation  together  with 
detailed quality report, following which bilateral contacts are pursued as necessary. Finally a draft 
UDB is circulated.  

The  specific  data  validation  procedures  employed  vary  with  the  specific  nature  of  the  variables 
underlying each indicator. Errors, whether arising from input data or calculation methodology, are 
corrected as soon as possible following their identification, and replacement figures are published. 

EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 

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Surveys are carried out through the appropriate national authorities, which draw up the appropriate 
methods  for  collecting  the  information.  Employers  and  other  persons  required  to  supply 
information  shall  reply  to  the  questions  completely  and  within  the  time  limits  set.  However,  in 
order to reduce the burden on enterprises, surveys need not be carried out if the national authorities 
have information from other appropriate sources or are able to produce estimates of necessary data, 
where  some  or  all  of  the  characteristics  have  not  been  observed  for  all  the  units  for  which  the 
statistics have to be compiled.   

The statistical offices have to ensure that the results reflect the true situation of the total population 
of  units  with  a  sufficient  degree  of  representativity.  For  this  scope,  they  forward  to  Eurostat  a 
report  enabling  to  evaluate  the  quality  of  the  statistics.  The  quality  report  has  to  be  transmitted 
together  with  the  data  delivery  at  the  least  24  months  after  the  end  of  the  reference  period  for 
which the data was collected. 

EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 
There  are  problems  in  comparability  with  the  data  supplied  by  Member  States  on  Category  2.4, 
apprenticeship.  Apprenticeship  is  normally  considered  to  be  part  of  the  general  education  and 
vocational training offer addressed to all young people and not only to the unemployed and those 
at  risk.  Thus  it  outside  the  scope  of  the  database.  According  to  the  methodology,  only 
apprenticeship schemes that support of elaborate on the apprenticeship system specifically for the 
benefit of disadvantaged groups should be included.  

The information provided to the collection does not provide an accurate reflection of the resources 
devoted to apprenticeship. Some Member States consider apprenticeship to be open to all youth, 
and  a  continuation  of  the  education  path,  therefore  they  do  not  provide  data  on  apprenticeship 
expenditure to the collection. On the other hand, some Member States consider all apprenticeship 
to be labour market oriented and provide data. However even amongst those Member States that 
provide data on apprenticeship, the data provided is not comparable as some Member States report 
data only on those participants that were previously “registered unemployed” or youth with special 
difficulties  (e.g.FI),  whereas  some  Member  States  report  data  for  all  apprentices  irrespective  of 
whether or not they were previously “registered unemployed” (e.g. FR). 

There  are  some  labour  market  measures,  which  are  not  “pure”,  in  other  words  they  cannot  be 
ascribed to one single type of action in the LMP classification. For example in the UK, the New 
Deal  programme  can  be  ascribed  to  more  than  one  category,  including  training,  employment 
incentives,  direct  job  creation.  Efforts  are  made  to  disaggregate  the  information  into  their 
constituent  components,  thus  providing  expenditure  data  for  each  component.  In  the  case  of  the 
New Deal this means that separate data should be provided for training component. Nevertheless, 
there is still the potential that data for a specific component may not be easily disaggregated for 
some labour market measures in some countries. 

European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 
The data collected from the Member States are validated by Eurostat. The process of validation is 
based on using times series evolution and using knowledge of reforms of the legislation in the field 
of social protection. ESSPROS data are subject to continuous revisions (especially for the recent 
years).  The  major  cause  is  the  revisions  of  basic  statistics  used  by  member  states  in  compiling 

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ESSPROS data. The ESSPROS data are generally recorded in accrual basis, in accordance with the 
rules of National Accounts (ESA 95). 

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 
In  many  countries,  private  expenditure  on  education  contained  in  some  indicators  is  not 
comprehensive. This is in particular true for the payments of other private entities (e.g. firms, non-
profit organisations, religious institutions) to educational institutions that are often very difficult to 
track  back  through  administrative  records.  This  can  sometimes  result  in  a  significant  under-
evaluation of private expenditure on education that has to be taken into account when interpreting 
indicators on education finance statistics. 
The classification of governments by level is clear in most cases, but there are some ambiguities. If 
a  country  only  has  two  levels  of  government,  the  lower  level  usually  is  designated  local,  not 
regional. If there are four or more levels, the second level usually is designated regional and the 
third,  local.  If  a  city  (such  as  the  national  capital)  has  dual  status  as  both  regional  and  local 
government,  its  expenditure  is  reported  as  expenditure  of  regional  level  of  government  (e.g.  the 
Stadtstaaten Hamburg, Bremen and Berlin in Germany). 

10.  Sources on funding 

The classification of financial arrangements3 was applied for each of the ESS sources in order to 
determine what types of funding sources are covered by the data collections. The classification of 
financial  arrangements  provides  a  detailed  breakdown  of  funding  sources  whilst  distinguishing 
between  public  and  private  sources.  Table  6,  shows  the  sources  of  funding  identified  in  each  of 
these data sources. It is quite clear that the information collected by ESS sources tends to focus on 
public  funding  sources.  Where  information  is  collected  on  private  expenditure  on  education  and 
training it relates predominately to enterprises and private individuals.  

There is a lack of information collected on the following sources of funds: sectoral, branch specific 
and training funds; Employer organisation related funds; Trade union and employee organisations; 
chambers  of  commerce;  religious  organisations;  charitable  organisations;  and  non-profit 
organisations. 

The emphasis on collecting information on public expenditure on education generally reflects the 
importance of education in national policy frameworks, and given that expenditure on education is 
a major outlay by national governments. 

Despite the fact that some data collections collect information on sources of funding, the type of 
information collected on the funding sources varies considerably between data collections. There 
are two types of information on funding sources that need to be taken into consideration: 

(i.)    Qualitative – Descriptive information on particular source(s) of funding 
(ii.)  Quantitative – This includes obtaining precise information on the financial resources input 

or spent on education and training. 

3  Brandsma and Kornelius ‘Towards a classification of training provisions’ June 1999 

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Overall,  with  the  exception  of  the  European  Labour  Force  Survey,  all  of  the  European  surveys 
examined  collect  quantitative  information  on  sources  of  funding  of  education  and  training.  As 
mentioned  above  the  European  Labour  Force  Survey  was  not  specifically  designed  with  the 
intention to collect information on education and training. Thus it is evident that no information is 
collected on the amount private individuals spend on their education. 

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Table 6: Information on funding sources collected by ESS sources 

CVTS 

EU-LFS  EU-HBS  EU-SILC  EU-LCS ESSPROS EU-LMP  ESA 95 

UOE 

Type of 
funding 

National ed. ministries 

Central  

Other ministries 

National Agencies, boards 

Public 

Regional  

Provisional / State 
authorities 

Local 

International 
agency 

Business 
related 
funding 
sources 

Non-
business 
related 

Other private 
entities 

Households 

Municipal 

District / Commune 

European funds 

Other international funds 

Sectoral, branch specific& 
professional training funds 

Employer organ related 
funds 
Trade union & employee 
organ 
Chambers of commerce 

Enterprises 
Religious  
Charitable  
Non-profit 

Students / families 

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Current developments in ESS data collections  

A number of modifications to the existing ESS data collections evaluated have been proposed which 
will  have  a  direct  impact  upon  the  data  that  is  currently  collected  on  education  and  training.  The 
following modifications have been proposed: 

Continuing Vocational Training Survey 

In future the CVTS will be conducted every five years. The Continuing Vocational Training Survey is 
currently under development. A number of modifications have been proposed so far: 

• 

Inclusion  of  Initial  Vocational  Training  (IVT)  in  the  survey,  which  includes  the  costs. 
Furthermore,  it  is  being  considered  whether  IVT  should  be  treated  as  a  separate  module  or 
should be integrated into the module for training costs for adults. 

•  Revision of the concept of ‘other forms of training’; 
• 

It is proposed to record separately costs for internal and external training. The costs for external 
CVT would include the following components: 

-  Fees, payments and contributions made to organisations for the provision of CVT 
-  Travel and subsistence payments 
-  Costs of training material 

The block for internal CVT would include the following components: 

-  Labour costs of internal trainers exclusively or partly involved in CVT 
-  Costs of external trainers for internal CVT 
-  Travel and subsistence payments 
-  Costs of training material and for training rooms 

•  Costs for “other“ forms of enterprise-based continuing vocational training were not assessed in 
CVTS  1  and  CVTS  2,  because  it  was  considered  as  being  too  difficult  to  collect.  It  is  being 
proposed to collect at least some basic information on these costs. For example, some data on 
participation in conferences, IT materials and IT media or on the investment in infrastructure for 
learning circles. 
In CVTS 2 a detailed list of the sources of different receipts was used in the questionnaire. It is 
proposed to merge three categories (External financial assistance from non-government sources, 
such as private foundations; Royalty payments from external bodies and persons for the use of 
training  resources  developed  by  the  enterprise;  Payments  the  enterprise  received  for  CVT 
courses provided to external bodies and persons) into a joint category (“other receipts“) in order 
to raise the response rates. It is being proposed to distinguish the following sources of receipts: 

• 

-  Receipts from Regional/Sector funds 
-  Receipts from National Funds 
-  Subsidies from EU Sources 
-  Government subsidies 
-  Government rebates on expenditures 
-  Tax concessions on the expenditures 
-  Other receipts 

• 

It  is  being  proposed  to  survey  micro-enterprises  (i.e.  less  than  10  employees),  at  least  on  a 
voluntary basis. 

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Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 

Eurostat  is  currently  developing  a  list  of  educational  goods  and  services  to  be  included  in  the 
Household Budget Survey. A proposal will be put forward to classify educational goods differently in 
the COICOP classification. 

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 

A major revision of the UOE data collection is currently being undertaken. A number of proposals are 
being considered including the: 

•  Collection  of  separate  data  on  general  education  and  vocational  education.  This  will  affect 

ISCED levels 2, 3, and 4; 

•  Netting  out  R&D  expenditure  from  the  total  expenditure  being  collected.  This  will  be 

undertaken for each level of government, and for the private sector. 

Adult Education Survey 

The  EU  Adult  Education  Survey  (EU  AES)  is  currently  under  development.  this  includes  a 
methodology and a questionnaire. It is envisaged that the EU AES will be a central statistical tool for 
measuring participation of adults in education and learning. The survey should include demographic 
and  socio-economic  information  on  the  individuals  and  their  (self-reported)  skills,  on  their 
participation in cultural, social and civic activities, on their participation in learning activities and on 
the  characteristics  of  learning  activities  in  which  the  individual  person  has  participated.  This 
information should cover all types of learning activities (formal, non-formal and informal) according 
to  the  European  Union  definition  of  lifelong  learning.  The  Task  Force,  which  was  set  up  to  make 
recommendations  on  a  EU  Adult  Education  Survey,  recommended  that  the  reference  year  for  the 
survey will be 2006, but a one-year difference will be allowed before or after the reference year. This 
would give countries the option either to prepare the AES as a separate survey, or to integrate the core 
module  in  a  national  survey,  which  would  be  appropriate  in  terms  of  technical  specifications  and 
planning.  

Other international data collections 

Other international surveys that were examined were as follows: 

-  OECD database on labour market measures 
-  OECD social expenditure database 

These  data  sources  concentrate  on  public  expenditure  devoted  to  labour  market  training.  The  one 
major  drawback  of  these  OECD  data  sources  is  the  issue  of  geographical  coverage.  The  OECD 
collects information on OECD members, which means that a number of countries in the EU-25 are not 
covered.  Only  the  pre-accession  Member  States,  and  the  Czech  Republic,  Poland  and  the  Slovak 
Republic  are  covered.  Thus  it  can  be  concluded  that  the  usefulness  for  these  data  sources  in 
constructing indicators is rather limited. 
In  addition,  there  is  the  OECD’s  PISA  (Programme  for  International  Student  Assessment).  The 
programme assesses to what extent students near the end of compulsory schooling have acquired some 
of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in society. The first PISA survey, 
with  a  focus  on  reading,  was  conducted  in  2000,  while  the  second  PISA  survey,  with  a  focus  on 

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mathematics,  was  conducted  in  2003  and  also  examined  for  the  first  time  student  performance  in 
problem  solving.  The  main  focus  in  PISA  2003  was  on  mathematics,  but  the  survey  also  looked  at 
student performance in problem-solving, science and reading and at students' approaches to learning 
and attitudes to school. 

Other international publications 

In addition, research showed that the following international publications contain information on the 
funding of education and training:  

-  Key data on education in Europe 2002 (Eurydice / Eurostat) 
-  Education across Europe (Eurostat) 
-  Basic  Indicators  on  the  Incorporation  of  ICT  into  European  Education  Systems  -  Facts  and 

figures 2000/01 (Eurydice) 

-  Key topics in education in Europe - volume II  (Eurydice) 
-  Funding continuing training in small and medium-sized enterprises (CEDEFOP) 
-  Education at a glance (OECD) 
-  OECD Employment outlook (OECD) 
-  Education across Europe 2003 (Eurostat) 
-  Employment Outlook (OECD) 
-  Special Needs Education Statistics and Indicators (OECD) 
-  Annual report 2003 - projects financed and statistics (European Investment Bank) 
-  World Bank statistics on the internet 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  majority  of  these  publications  contain  statistics  derived  from  major 
international data sources such as the UOE data collection. The sources of funding that were identified 
in  these  publications  focused  on  public  resources  devoted  to  education.  Annex  6  contains  more 
information on the type of information contained in each of these publications. 

Better use of existing ESS sources 

The study has highlighted that even though a number of ESS sources contain pertinent information on 
the  resources  devoted  to  education  and  training,  only  several  are  used  regularly  by  DG-EAC.  The 
sources that are used regularly are as follows: 
-  Continuing Vocational Training Survey  
-  EU Labour Force Survey 
-  UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 

However,  other  ESS  sources,  which  were  evaluated  in  this  study,  are  not  currently  used  in  order  to 
provide useful information on education and training. The data sources in question are: 

-  Labour Cost Survey 
-  Labour Market Policy database 
-  ESSPROS 

The EU-SILC will also contain useful information, however data will not be available until the end of 
November 2005. It is advocated to make a better use of existing ESS data sources, in order to provide 
a more comprehensive picture of the resources devoted to education and training. It is envisaged that a 
better use of existing ESS sources will: 

i.  Help to fill in gaps that exist because surveys such as the CVTS are only carried out every 6 

years; 

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ii.  Provide additional information on different forms of education and training (e.g. IVT, labour 
market  training  etc…)  that  either  were  only  partially  covered  or  not  covered  at  all  by  the  4 
currently used ESS data sources; 

iii.  Allow the possibility to construct further indicators based on the policy needs identified. 

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  IInnvveennttoorryy  aanndd  aasssseessssmmeenntt  ooff  eexxiissttiinngg  nnaattiioonnaall  
ddaattaa  ssoouurrcceess  

IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn  

The  purpose  of  this  section  is  to  report  the  results  of  the  identification  and  evaluation  of  existing 
national data sources, which contain information on the resources devoted to education and training.  

The examination of national data sources essentially involved two main steps: 

1.  Identifying data sources containing information on funding of education and training 
2.  Evaluating the information contained within each data source 

Inventory of national data sources 

The  data  sources  that  were  examined  included  both  primary  sources  (e.g.  panel  surveys),  and 
secondary sources such as statistical compilations in the forms of yearbooks, etc. The following items 
were noted: 

-  Name of source; 
-  The authority responsible for the collection; 
-  Type of source; 
-  Type of learning contained in the data source (e.g. education by ISCED level). 

The table overleaf contains the inventory of national data sources containing quantitative information 
on education and training. For some of the Member States the information that is contained within a 
particular primary data source maybe duplicated many times into other secondary data sources.  For 
example, in France some of the information contained in ‘Reperes et references statistiques’ was taken 
from  the  ‘Le  Compte  nationale  de  l’education’.  In  addition,  some  of  the  data  sources  are  one-off 
publications, hence it can automatically be inferred that their usefulness will be rather limited. 

Accessibility 
The majority of the data sources identified in the inventory are freely accessible through the internet. 
Nevertheless,  some  of  the  data  sources  require  payment,  e.g.  ‘Resources  of  Higher  Education 
Institutions, ‘British Household Panel Survey’.  

Coverage of education and training 

The type of education and training covered varies between data sources. Overall from the information 
provided in table 7, it can be deduced that education as defined by ISCED level is comprehensively 
covered  by  all  of  the  Member  States  examined  in the  study.  In  addition,  labour  market  training  and 
continuing vocational training appear to be well catered for by the national data sources. 

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Information on the public resources devoted to adult education is available in DK, FI, FR, NL, ES, SE, 
and the UK. However, for the other pre 1st May Member States, no information was obtained on the 
public resources devoted to adult education. It should be noted that in some countries, in particular the 
Scandinavian  countries  the  policy  of  free  education  for  all  naturally  implies  that  the  amount  co-
invested by individuals will be small.  

In the UK, ‘The Skills Strategy White Paper’ launched in July 2003 set out the skills challenge and 
how it will be met. In particular, it a number of priorities were laid out in using public funds including 
free  learning  for  adults  without  qualifications,  to  help  them  gain  a  full  level  2  skills  foundation  for 
employability. It can thus be seen that collecting comprehensive information on the public resources 
devoted  to  adult  education  and  training  is  as  equally  important  as  trying  to  ascertain  the  private 
resources  devoted.  Nevertheless,  the  evaluation  of  national  data  sources  has  revealed  that  there  is  a 
shortage of information on this variable for a few Member States. 

A gap also exists on the amounts spent by adult individuals on their own education and training. This 
information can partly be completed by the use of surveys such as household budget surveys, but it is 
important  to  remember  that  household  budget  surveys  tend  to  focus  on  households  expenditure  on 
educational  services  only.  Thus  household  expenditures  on  items  such  as  expenditures  on  books  for 
education, school transport will not be reported. 

Annex 2, contains some summary information for each of the national data sources identified, related 
to  the  type  of  source,  data  availability,  frequency  of  availability,  and  type  of  expenditure  reported 
(direct, indirect). 

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Table 7: Inventory of national data sources containing information on the resources devoted to education and training 

Country 

Source 
code 

Name of source 

Authority responsible 

Type of source 

Type of learning 

Austria 

AT1 

Survey of education spending 

Statistics Austria 

AT2  Hochschulbericht 

AT3 

Education at a glance 

AT4 

Education  and 
Austria 

science 

in 

bm:wv 
Federal 
- 
Ministry  for  Education, 
Science and Culture 
bm:wv 
Federal 
- 
Ministry  for  Education, 
Science and Culture 
Federal 
- 
bm:wv 
Ministry  for  Education, 
Science and Culture 

available  on 

Table 
Internet 
Publication  available 
on internet 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Belgium 

BE1  Annuaire 

Statistics  portal  of  the 
French 
speaking 
community 

Publication 

Education by ISCED level 0- 6 

Higher education 

Technical and vocational colleges; and Teacher training 

Primary; 
Secondary; 
Higher education; 
Universities; 
Artistic by type(primary, secondary, higher education); 
Special ; 
Distance learning; 
Centres PMS; 
School medical inspections; 
Funds for school buildings; 
Primary; 
Secondary; 
Higher education; 
Universities; 
Artistic by type(primary, secondary, higher education); 
Special; 
Distance learning; 
Centres PMS; 
School medical inspections; 
Funds for school buildings 

 
 
 
 
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Country 

Belgium 

Source 
code 
BE2 

L'enseignement en chiffres 

French Community 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Name of source 

Authority responsible 

Type of source 

Type of learning 

BE3 

développement 

Le 
l'éducation 

de 

Ministry  of  the  French 
Community 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Denmark 

DK1 

Facts  and  Figures-  Education 
indicators - Denmark 2002 

Ministry of education 

Publication  available 
on internet 

DK2 

Statistical yearbook 2002 

Statistics Denmark 

Finland 

FI1 

Education 
Statistics and indicators 

in 

Finland 

- 

Statistics Finland 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Publication  available 
on internet 

FI2 
FI3 

Kota database 
Adult  labour  market  training 
annual statistics 

Ministry of education 
Ministry of Labour 

Database 
Publication  available 
on internet 

Hautes Écoles 
Écoles d'architecture 
Universities 
Special 
Social promotion 
Distance learning 
Centres PMS 
Primary education; 
Secondary education; 
Special education; 
Tertiary education; 
Tertiary non-university education; 
University education; 
Social promotion education; 
Artistic education; 
Distance education; 
Research; 
Primary and lower secondary education 
Upper secondary education 
Vocational education and training 
Higher education 
Adult education 
Informal learning; 
Informal  learning:  broken  down  into  theatres;  libraries, 
archives; and museums 
Comprehensive schools; 
Upper secondary schools; 
Vocational schools and colleges; 
Universities; 
Polytechnics; 
Other education. 
Universities 
Labour market training 

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Country 

Finland 

Source 
code 
FI4 

Finnish universities in 2002 

Ministry of Education 

Name of source 

Authority responsible 

Type of source 

Type of learning 

Publication  available 
on internet 
Internet 

FI5  Ministry  of  Education  budget 

Ministry of Education 

France 

FR1 

2004 

Reperes 
statistiques.  

et 

references 

Ministry of education 

Publication  available 
on internet 

FR2  Vocational 

training 

Ministry of Employment  Publication  available 

Germany 

DE1 

expenditure in 2001 
Statistics 

Federal Statistical Office  Statistics  available  on 

on internet 

internet 

DE2 

Basic and structural data 

Federal  Ministry 
of 
Education and Research 

Publication  available 
on internet 

DE3 

Finanzen 
2002 

der 

hochschulen 

Destatis 

Publication 

Higher education 

University education and research; Polytechnic education;  
General education; Vocational education; Adult education 
and training 
Primary education 
Secondary education 
Higher education 
Higher education (universities; and also IUT) 
Engineering training 
Apprenticeship 
Apprenticeship (tax) 
Artistic Education 
Special Education 
Extra-curricular 
courses;continued 
classes, individual lesons; educational television) 
Vocational training 

training;  distance 

(includes: 

activities 

training 
learning;  evening 

Education – general; 
Public schools; 
Continuing vocational education and training 
Higher education 
Training assistance 
Vocational schools; Institutions of higher education; In-firm 
training; continuing Vocational education and training 
provided by companies, private non-profit organisations; 
central, regional and local authorities 
Continuing education 
Labour market training 
Higher education 
Assistance schemes 
Higher education 

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Name of source 

Authority responsible 

Type of source 

Type of learning 

Country 

Ireland 

Source 
code 
IE1 

HEA Annual Accounts 

IE2 

Statistical report 

Education 

Higher 
Authority 
Ministry of education 

Publication  available 
on internet 
Publication 

IE3 

Report 

IE4 

Annual  report  and  financial 
statement 

Training 

National 
Advisory Committee 
FÁS  –  Training  and 
Employment Authority 

Publication  available 
on internet 
Statistics  available  on 
internet 

Higher education institutions 

Second level 
Vocational education 
Second level and further education 
Third-level 
Training 

Apprenticeship 
Bridging Foundation 
Foundation/Progression in CTWS 
Return to work 
Traineeship 
Community training 
Specialist training providers 
Pre-primary, primary, secondary, other services, professional 
education 

Italy 

IT1 

IT2 

IT3 

IT4 

Luxembourg 

LU1 

LU2 

The  municipal  and  commune 
expenditure  on  education  in 
2000 
Learning when adults 

European 

Lifelong  learning  in  Italy  -
report 2002 
Follow-up  of  the  Council  of 
the 
Union's 
resolution on lifelong learning 
Les chiffres clés de l'éducation 
statistiques  et 
nationale 
indicateurs 2000-01 
Statistics 

- 

Ministry of education 

Publication 

Ministry  of  Labour  and 
Ministry  of  Economics 
and Finance 
Ministry  of  Labour  and 
Social Policies 
Ministry  of  Labour  and 
Ministry of Education 

Ministry  of  Education, 
vocational  training  and 
sport 
Statec 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Lifelong learning 

Publication  available 
on internet 
Publication  available 
on internet 

In-work training 
Transfers to regional authorities 
Lifelong learning 

Publication  available 
on internet  

Education 

Statistics  available  on 
internet 

Education 

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Country 

Netherlands 

Name of source 

Source 
code 
NL1  Key Figures 2002 

Minstry of education 

Publication 

Authority responsible 

Type of source 

Type of learning 

NL2 

Budget for 2004 

Ministry  of  Education, 
Culture and Science 

Tables  available  on 
internet 

Portugal 

Spain 

NL3 

PT1 

PT2 

ES1 

The  education  system  in  the 
Netherlands 2004 
Statistics on education 

Ministry  of  Education, 
Culture and Science 
Ministry of Education 

Survey  on  vocational  training 
actions 2001 
public 
Statistics 
expenditure on education 2000 

on 

Ministry of social affairs 
and employment 
Ministry of education 

Ministry  of  employment 
and social affairs 
INE 

on 

ES2 

Anuario 2002 

ES3 

ES4 

ES5 

Survey 

Continuous 
Households Budgets 
Spain in Figures 2002 

Anuario  2004  (Labour  Cost 
Survey) 

INE 

INE 

Tables  available  on 
internet 
Publication  available 
on internet 
Publication  available 
on internet 

Statistics  available  on 
internet 
Statistics  available  on 
the Internet 
Publication  available 
on the Internet 
Publication  available 
on the Internet 

Adult and vocational education 
Higher professional education 
Universities 
Secondary education; Adult and vocational education; higher 
professional education; universities 
Primary education 
Secondary education 
Vocational and adult education 

Primary and secondary education 

Vocational training 

Primary education 
Secondary education 
Adult education 
University 
Vocational training 

Education in general 

Professional training 

Professional training 

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Country 

Sweden 

Source 
code 
SE1 

Educational expenditure 1998-
2002 

Statistics Sweden 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Name of source 

Authority responsible 

Type of source 

Type of learning 

Childcare 
Pre-school class 
Compulsory school 
Upper secondary school 
Higher education 
Adult education 
Compulsory school for intellectually disabled children 
Schools for pupils with impaired hearing/vision and physical 
disability 
Adult education for intellectually disabled 
National centre for flexible learning 
Swedish tuition for immigrants 
Supplementary schools 
Folk high school 
Study associations 
Employment training 
Cost for study support 
Higher education 

Municipal adult education:  
(i.) Basic adult education 
(ii.) Upper secondary adult and supplementary education 
Independent supplementary Education:  
(i.) student grants and/or government grants 
(ii.)giving entitlement to student grants 
(iii.) with government grants 
Higher education 

SE2 

NU-database 

SE3 

Statistical tables 

for 

National  Agency 
higher education 
The  Swedish  National 
Agency for Education 

Database 

Internet 

UK 

UK1  Resources  of  higher  education 

institutions 

UK2  Regions in figures 
UK3 

Student  support:  statistics  of 
for  higher 
student  support 
education 
in  England  and 
Wales 

Education 
Agency 

Higher 
Statistical 
(HESA) 
National Statistics 
Department of education 
and skills 

Publication  and  CD-
ROM 

Publication 
Publication 

Work-based training 
Higher Education 

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Country 

UK 

Source 
code 
UK4 

Education 
expenditure since 1993-94 

and 

training 

National Statistics 

Publication  

Name of source 

Authority responsible 

Type of source 

Type of learning 

UK5  Departmental report 2004 

Department 
education and skills 

for 

Publication  

UK6 

Expenditure 
education in Scotland 2003 

on 

school 

Scottish executive  

Publication  

UK7 

Education  Statistics  in  Wales 
2002 

National  Assembly  for 
Wales 

Publication 

UK8  Higher 

further 
training 

education, 
education 
and 
statistics in Wales 
2002/03  Student  income  and 
expenditure survey 

National  Council 
for 
Education  and  Training 
for Wale 
Department 
Education and Skills 

for 

UK9 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Publication  available 
on internet 

Higher education 

Compulsory education 
Support for young people 
Higher education 
Further  education,  adult  education,  skills  and  lifelong 
learning 
Compulsory education 
Support for children, young people and family 
Higher education 
Further  education,  adult  education,  skills  and  lifelong 
learning 
Adult and community learning 
Pre-school 
Primary education 
Secondary education 
Special education 
Other vocational education 
Community education 
Primary education 
Secondary education 
Education for adults 
Other continuing education 
Youth service 
Further education 
Higher education 
Further education 
Higher education 

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Sources of funding 

In order to determine what types of funding sources are covered by each national data source, the 
classification  of  financial  arrangements1  was  applied  for  each  of  the  data sources identified. The 
classification of financial arrangements provides a detailed breakdown of funding sources whilst at 
the same time distinguishing between public and private sources.  It was found that the majority of 
national data sources tend to focus on collecting information on public expenditure on education 
and  training.  Where  a  data  source  collected  expenditure  on  private  sources  of  funding,  the 
information collected related to enterprises and households. The other types of funding identified 
in the classification of financial arrangements were hardly ever covered by national data sources.  

Annex 2 contains a summary of the types of funding sources that can be identified in each of the 
national data sources examined.  

Specific national data sources 

In addition to the national data sources identified in table 7, a number of specific national primary 
data sources were also examined. 

Satellite accounts of Education in France 
The  aim  of  the  satellite  account  of  education  in  France  is  to  gather  in  an  accounting  framework 
flows  in  order  to  study the sources of financing and the costs of production activities within the 
education domain. The use of the same concepts, definitions and nomenclatures allows for a direct 
comparison  between  the  aggregates  of  the  education  account  and  the  national  accounts.  The 
satellite  account  of  education  covers  all  education  activities  in  France  Métropolitaine.    Table  8 
shows a comparison of the correspondence of educational activities covered in the French Satellite 
accounts with the information supplied to the UOE data collection by educational activity. 
However, educational expenditure does not only collect teaching expenditure. For example, data is 
collected  on  the  activities  of  the  national  education  administrative  services,  rectorats,  academic 
inspections and the administration of the Ministry.  

Table 8: Correspondence of educational activities covered in the French Satellite accounts with the 
UOE data collection 

Satellite account of education 

UOE 

First level education 
Pre-elementary 
Elementary 
Special 1st degree 
Second level education 
1st cycle 
2nd general cycle 
2nd professional cycle 
Special 2nd degree 
Other types of education 

1 Classification of Training Provisions 

Pre-primary education (ISCED O) 

Primary education (ISCED 1) 

Lower secondary education (ISCED 2) 
Upper secondary education (ISCED 3) 
Upper secondary education (ISCED 3) 
Upper secondary education (ISCED 3) 

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Satellite account of education 

UOE 

Apprenticeship 

Higher education 
Artistic education 
Extra-curricula education 
Distance learning 
Continuing professional education 

Other types of extra-curricula education 
Related activities to education 
General  administration,  advice,  canteens  and 
boarding facilities, school health care 
Goods and services 
School transport, books and other school provisions, 
clothes, hobbies, others 

Upper  secondary  (ISCED  3).  It  is  included  under 
combined school and work-based programmes. 
Tertiary education (ISCED 5/6) 

Not included 
Vocational  and  technical  training  in  enterprises  is 
excluded from the collection 
Not included 

The expenditures of these activities are not recorded 
separately as in the satellite account. 

The expenditures of these activities are not recorded 
separately as in the satellite account. 

The  satellite  accounts  of  education  collects  data  of  variable  quality,  for  example  data  from  the 
Ministry  of  Education  is  perfectly  calculated  in  contrast  to  other  domains  where  the  data  are 
collected through simple evaluations. The data source is used to provide information to the UOE 
data collection. More details on the French Satellite account, including the classifications used can 
be found in Annex 4. 

National Household Panel Surveys 
Several National Household Panel Surveys were examined in order to elucidate whether there is 
any  useful  information  on  the  private  resources  devoted  on  education  and  training.  National 
household panel surveys were examined in the following Member States: 

•  Belgium 
•  Germany 
•  Sweden 
•  United Kingdom 

All  the  surveys  examined  asked  some  questions  on  education  and  training,  however  the  type  of 
questions invariably varied from one Member State to another. Table 9, summarises the questions 
related  to  the  resources  devoted  to  education  and  training.  Further  details  on  each  of  the  panel 
surveys examined can be found in Annex 3. 

Table 9: Summary of information contained in a selection of national panel surveys on the resources 
devoted to education and training 

Country 

Name of survey 

Questions related to education and training 

Belgium 

Panel Demographie Familiale 

Germany 

Socio-economic panel (SOEP) 

Adult questionnaire 
Did  you  receive  any  allowance  such  as  training 
allowance? 
Monthly amount 
Number of months 
Individual questionnaire 
Did you receive money from: 
Support for further training and education 
BAFöG  (State  support  for  higher  education),  grants 
for vocational training support   
Please indicate how large an amount is each month. 

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Country 

Name of survey 

Questions related to education and training 

Sweden 

HUS panel 

UK 

British  Household  Panel  Survey 
(BHPS) 

Household questionnaire 
Did you or anyone else in your household receive any 
NON-TAXABLE scholarships in… 
Amount of non-taxable scholarship(s): 
Did  you  or  anyone  in  your  household  receive  any 
study benefits in 1995: Non-reimbursable allowance? 
Amount of such allowance: 
Taxable, non-reimbursable study support 
Did you or anyone else in your household receive any 
study benefits in 1995: Reimbursable loan(s)? Include 
only loans paid out in 1995. 
Amount of loan: 
Did  you  or  anyone  else  in  your  household  make 
repayments on a student loan or public assistance? 
Amount repaid. 
Individual questionnaire 
Source 
fees
for 
of 
:  no  fees;  self/family;  employer;  student  grant;  New 
Deal scheme; Training for work; other arrangement 
Have  you  received  any  of  the  types  of  income  or 
payments shown. This includes Educational grant (not 
a student loan) 
How much of the last payment of the educational grant 
you received? 
Did you send or give money to any person who does 
not live here for any of the purposes listed on the card. 
This includes Education grant 

payment 

funds 

of 

National Action Plans on Employment 
Every  Member  State  draws  up  a  National  Action  Plan  (NAP),  which  describes  how  the 
Employment Guidelines are put into the national practice. The NAP presents the progress achieved 
in the Member State over the last 12 months and the measures planned for the coming 12 months: 
they  are  both  reporting  and  planning  documents.  Guideline  4  “Promote  development  of  human 
capital  and  lifelong  learning”  calls  for  policies  aiming  in  particular  to  achieve  an  increase  in 
investment in human resources. Thus the NAPs were examined in order to determine the level of 
information that was provided on the resources devoted to lifelong learning.  The level of detail on 
the  information  provided  by  each  Member  State  on  the  public  resources  devoted  to  lifelong 
learning varies considerably.  

Annex 3 contains a summary of information contained in the NAPs for each Member State. 

Assessment of national data sources 

The assessment of national data sources revealed which of the data sources identified in table 7 can 
be  further  explored  with  the  intention  of  using  the  information  contained  in  order  to  provide  a 
fuller picture of the resources devoted to education and training in a particular Member State.  

It  is  perhaps  worthwhile  mentioning  that  for  some  of  the  data  sources,  either  only  some 
information  on  the  methodology  was  made  available  or  no  information  was  provided  at  all.  In 

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consequence this served as an impediment to conducting a comprehensive assessment of the data 
source.   

The assessment of each national data source looked at the following aspects: 

•  Data availability / periodicity of the data collection 
•  Concepts, definitions and classifications 
•  Coverage of education and training 
•  Geographical coverage  
•  Comparability 

It  was  found  that  some  of  the  national  data  sources  identified  are  already  being  exploited  to 
provide information to ESS data sources, for example the satellite accounts of education in France 
is used to provide data by ISCED level to the UOE data collection.  

It  was  also  found  that  some  of  the  other  national  data  sources  maybe  further  explored  with  the 
view  of  exploiting  the  information  contained  within  them.  Some  remedial  action  may  need  to 
undertaken in order to use some data sources for example: 

-  Expenditure  data  for  some  euro-zone  Member  States  is  provided  in  the  pre-2002  national 

currencies.  

-  Some of the data provided is given in constant prices. Therefore the data need to converted 

into current prices. 

-  Where different definitions and classifications are used, methodological work would have to 

be undertaken in order to make them usable for international comparisons. 

On the other hand, some of the data sources identified whilst providing useful information on the 
resources  devoted  to  education and training, are limited in their capacity to be exploited further. 
This is as a result of a number of factors, including the following: 

-  Data source is a one-off publication 
-  The  geographical  coverage  of  the  source  relates  only  to  a  particular  region  of  a  Member 

State (e.g. UK 7 ‘Education statistics in Wales) 

-  Definitions used differ from those used in international sources. 

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Table 10: Assessment of the national data sources identified

Country 

Source 
code 

Name of source 

Austria 

AT1 

Survey of education spending 

AT2  Hochschulbericht 

AT3 

Education at a glance 

AT4 

Education and science in 
Austria 

Belgium 

BE1  Annuaire 

BE2 

L'enseignement en chiffres 

BE3 

Denmark 

DK1 

Le dévelopement de 
l'éducation 
Facts and Figures- Education 
indicators 

DK2 

Statistical yearbook 2002 

Assessment of data source 

This is the same data that is supplied by Statistics Austria to the UOE data collection. The data that is published 
on the internet refers to 1995-2000. 
This data source contains pertinent information on the budget of higher education institutions broken down by 
type, and the expenditures of higher education institutions. Data is available from 1996 – 2001. However, data 
for  1996-1998  are  in  Austrian  schillings  and  would  have  to  be  converted  into  euros  using  the  appropriate 
exchange rate.  Details concerning the methodology and definitions are available only in German. 
The data in this publication refer to the government budget, which is earmarked for certain types of education 
and training. The use of the data in this source is very limited. 
Sources:  Expenditure  from  public  and  private  sources,  2000;  calculations  based  on  OECD,  Education  at  a 
Glance – OECD INDICATORS 2003. 
The cost per student are based upon the following: (i.) The community budget for a level or type of education 
(ii.) The number of students for a level or type of education. Data on the cost per student is available for 1993-
2003.  Data  on  loans  covers  the  French  and  German  Communities.  Loans  are  granted  at  the  secondary  and 
tertiary level.  
The information contained in this publication are derived from the Annuaire, (see BE1). The use of this source is 
very limited. 
This data source contains information on the French Community budget for education by type of education. The 
use of this source is very limited. 
The  data  source  contains  a  number  of  variables  which  could  be  further  exploited,  in  particular  the  variables 
concerning adult education. Data come from the Ministry of Education and several variables are used as input 
into international data sources e.g UOE data collection. Certain variables are obtained from financial reports of 
educational institutions, and some of the figures reproduced in this publication are rounded off, therefore there 
maybe deviations from the sum. The expenditure per graduate in higher education is calculated with the point of 
departure in the expenditure per student per year and the stipulated time of study. The expenditure is based on 
the taximeter grant (education and joint expenditure taximeter grant) per student FTE as well as the expenditure 
on  SU.  Data  in  this  publication  are  in  2000  constant  prices.  Remedial  action  needs  to  be  taken  to  transform 
constant prices into current prices. 
The data source contains useful information on lifelong learning, including participation in adult education. It 
also contains information on some obscure variables like the number of hours of television broadcasting broken 
down by subject, which includes education, and on the expenditure of public libraries (which is collected from 
annual accounts). Public expenditure includes gross operating expenditure less any income and reimbursements 
from central government. The expenditure data are in DKK, so for comparison purposes the data would have to 
be converted into euros. Data is only available for 2000 and 2001. 

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Country 

Source 
code 

Finland 

FI1 

Education in Finland - 
Statistics and indicators 

Name of source 

Assessment of data source 

FI2 

Kota database 

FI3 

Adult  labour  market  training 
annual statistics 

FI4 

Finnish universities in 2002 

FI5  Ministry  of  Education  budget 

France 

FR1 

2004 
Reperes 
statistiques 

et 

references 

The  data  are  derived  from  Statistics  Finland.  The  data  represent  official  statistics  and  they  are  classified 
according  to  ISCED  97.The  information  on  expenditure  given  in  this  chapter  is  based  on  administrative  data 
from  the  education  authorities  and  from  the  National  Accounts  of  Statistics  Finland  (the  National  Statistical 
Institute  of  Finland).  Data  have  been  converted  into  euros  using  the  rate  fixed  on  1.1.1999  at  1  EUR  =  FIM 
5.94573. The source could in practice be further exploited but for one qualification, it appears to have been a 
one-off publication with data only being made available for 1996.The English version is an abridged version of 
the Finnish publication. 
The database contains data describing university performance by institutions and by fields of study from 1981 
onwards. The KOTA database has been designed as a tool for the Ministry of Education and the universities. It 
gives them access to the basic data needed for annual planning, monitoring and evaluation. For the purpose of 
updating,  exchange  of  information  and  other  contacts,  each  university  has  appointed  a  KOTA  liaison.  The 
universities themselves are responsible for the accuracy of the data. Part of the data are updated from material 
provided  by  the  National  Board  of  Education,  the  Centre  for  International  Mobility  (CIMO)  and  Statistics 
Finland.  The  fact  that  the  data  are  increasingly  up-to-date  and  reliable  has  promoted  the  applicability  of  the 
database. It must be noted that the majority of the information from the previous year is available in KOTA in 
January-February. The data in this database in order to obtain more detailed information. 
The statistical report from the Ministry of Labour contains very useful information on labour market training, 
which  has  been  disaggregated  into  great  detail.  Data  are  derived  from  a  number  of  administrative  sources 
including  the  Government  administration  bookkeeping,  accounts,  the  data  system  URA,  and  the  monitoring 
system for social benefits related to labour market training. The data source can be further exploited, however 
great care needs to be taken with the variables where ESF financing has been excluded. The reason for this is 
that in most Member States, disagregation of financial data to the degree of detail where it is possible to isolate 
ESF funding will not be feasible. 
The  data  in  this  publication  concerning  funding  were  collected  from  the  Kota  database  (see  FI2  for  further 
details). The publication is annual. 
The  data  refer  to  the  State  budget  for  the  Ministries  of  Education  and  Culture  which  were  specifically  ear-
marked for specific aspects of education, including adult education.  The use of this source is rather limited. 
The data provided in this publication are compatible with the ESS, as the figures are derived from the satellite 
account of education. The satellite account of education uses the same concepts, definitions and nomenclatures 
as in the national accounts. However it should be noted that the account collects data of variable quality. For 
example some data is collected from the Ministry of Education and thus can be considered as accurate, whereas 
other  information  is  collected  from  various  surveys,  such  as  school  transport  surveys  and  household  budget 
surveys. 

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Country 

Source 
code 

Name of source 

France 

Germany 

FR2 

DE1 

Vocational 
expenditure in 2001 
Statistics 

training 

DE2 

Basic and structural data 

DE3 

Finanzen der hochschulen 

Assessment of data source 

This  data  source  contains  important  information  on  the  financing  of  vocational  training  from  1997  to  2001. 
Some data derive from national accounts, others from national surveys or from fiscal declarations. 
The  data  tables  published  on  web-site  of  destatis  contain  useful  overview  data  on  public  expenditure  on 
education. The data published for 2002 and 2003 are preliminary. The data sources for obtaining the budget for 
education by source for continuing vocational education and training are microcensus and IW's surveys (Institut 
der Deutschen Wirtschaft). 
The publication contains useful information on a number of variables pertaining to a number of different types 
of education. The data are provided in DM, thus if the source was to be exploited further the data would have to 
be converted into euros. The Laender computer centres are responsible for calculating the amounts of training 
assistance, which are transmitted to the statistical offices in the form of extracts from their input data and their 
calculation results. There maybe small deviations of the expenditure recorded in the statistics (total of computer-
calculated  amounts  of  assistance)  from  the  total  of  the  payments  actually  made.  Such  deviations  may  occur 
when  subsequent  payments  are  made  for  the  preceding  calendar  year after the statistics have been passed on.  
The  education  budget  includes  the  established  expenditure  by  government  on  the  entire  sector  of  education, 
which, in accordance with the definition given in the General Plan for Education, includes pre-school education 
and out-of-school youth education, school and higher education, continuing education, training assistance and 
research support provided jointly by the Federal Government and the Laender. Expenditure on schools includes 
that  on  primary  schools,  secondary  general  schools,  special  schools,  intermediate  schools,  grammar  schools, 
comprehensive  schools,  vocational  schools  including  trade  and  technical  schools  as  well  as  the  outlay  for 
courses  which  cannot  be  assigned  to  any  individual  school  type.  Expenditure  on  higher  education  includes 
expenditure  on  universities,  technical  universities,  university  hospitals,  colleges  of  education  and  institutions 
offering in-service training for teachers, comprehensive universities, colleges of art and music, Fachhochschulen 
and on courses which cannot be assigned to any individual type of institution of higher education. Expenditure 
on continuing education includes adult education centres, in-service training of teachers, initial and continuing 
in-firm and inter-firm training, political education, public libraries, vocational and specialized academies as well 
as on other institutions of continuing education. Expenditure on assistance schemes includes training assistance 
and  other  assistance  to  pupils  as  well  as  that  on  pupil  transport;  the  outlay  for  loans  and  grants  awarded  to 
students including other assistance to students and support for student accommodation as well as other measures 
in support of education. 
The  data  in  the  publication  are  available  from  1995-2002.  The  publication  is  annual.  The  source  contains 
important  information  on  the  income  and  expenditure  of  higher  education  institutions.  However,  the 
methodology concerning the collected data is only available in German. 

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Country 

Ireland 

Source 
code 
IE1 

Name of source 

HEA Annual accounts 

IE2 

Statistical report 

IE3 

Report 
the  National 
Training Advisory Committee 

of 

IE4 

Annual report and financial 
statement of  FÁS 

Italy 

IT1 

The municipal and commune 
expenditure on education 

IT2 

Learning when adults 

IT3 

Lifelong learning in Italy 

IT4 

Luxembourg 

LU1 

Follow-up of the Council of 
the European Union's 
resolution on lifelong learning 
Les chiffres clés de l'éducation 
nationale - statistiques et 
indicateurs 

Assessment of data source 

The data in this publication are available from 1995 onwards. The data refer to the audited financial statements 
of the Higher Education Authority.  The data refer to the financial year ending 31st December.  Care needs to be 
taken when interpreting these variables, as the definitions used differ from other ESS sources such as the UOE 
data collection. 
Data  is  available  from  1996/1997  to  2001/2002.  The  data  on  receipts  and  expenditure  of  the  vocational 
education  committees  refer  to  financial  returns  made  by  the  Vocational  Education  Committees  to  the 
Department of Education each year. The ISCED is used to classify education in this publication 
Data  is  only  available  for  2002.  The  data  in  this  publication  refers  to  annual  report  of  the  National  Training 
Advisory  Committee  on  training.  Given  that  the  National  Training  Advisory  Committee  (NTAC)  was 
established  by  the  Tanaiste  and  Minister  for  Enterprise,  Trade  and  Employment,  the  data  refer  to  public 
expenditure.  Since  the  source  only  concerns  the  National  Training  Advisory  Committee,  it  fails  to  provide 
comprehensive coverage of public expenditure on training. 
Data  is  available  from  1998  onwards,  and  refers  to  the  financial  statements  of  FÁS  (The  Training  and 
Employment  Authority).  The  financial  statements  are  prepared  under  the  historical  cost  convention  using  the 
accruals method of accounting except in certain cases and in accordance with applicable accounting standards. 
The  financial  statements  are  prepared  in  the  form  approved  by  the  Minister  for  Enterprise,  Trade  and 
Employment with the consent of the Minister for Finance. Current and Capital Grants are accounted for on a 
cash  basis.  Data  refers  to  the  year  ending  31st  December.  The  information  contained  in  the  annual  financial 
accounts related to the income expenditure of FÁS on certain types of training programmes is very useful, and 
can be used.   
This data source contains detailed information on the municipal and commune current and capital expenditure 
on  education  by  type  of  education.  The  data  is  derived  from  local  governments  accounts.  The  information  is 
available for 1999 and 2000 and is only available in Italian. 
Data available for 2002. This data source contains useful information on lifelong learning, including some data 
on  the  financing.  The  data  was  collected  through  a  survey.  The  survey  refers  to  the  year  2001-2002.  The 
information is only available in Italian. 
This  data  source  provides  some  administrative  data  on  the  state  expenditure  on  training  measures.  The 
information is limited (some data are available from 1996 to 2000) 
This report follows the Council of Europe's resolution on lifelong learning. The data contained in this sources is 
solely for the purpose of information, however it contains some data for 2002 on the public financing of lifelong 
learning by type of measure. The data source is administrative. The information is only available in Italian. 
This data source contains data concerning the State budget, which is earmarked for public education institutions 
and  grants  and  subsidies  for  private  establishments.  Private  establishments,  which  are  not  subsidised,  are  not 
included  in  this  data.  Unfortunately  the  data  does  not  allow  to  calculate  the  exact  cost  per  student.  Data  is 
available for the years 1995-2001. The use of the data in this source is very limited. 

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Country 

Netherlands 

Name of source 

Source 
code 
NL1  Key Figures 

Assessment of data source 

The  data  are  generally  available  from  1998  to  2002.  The  figures  for  educational  expenditure  and  associated 
trends presented in the publication relate to the sectors of education and research, which appear in the budget of 
the  Ministry  of  Education,  Culture  and  Science  (OcenW).  The  definitions  are  primarily  based  on  those 
customary  in  the  budget  and  may  therefore  vary  slightly  from  those  used  in  other  sources  such  as  Statistics 
Netherlands and the Education Report. The definitions used in international comparisons are often different. For 
this  reason,  the  figures  presented  are  not  directly  comparable  with  international  figures,  though  they  can  be 
converted  for  that  purpose.  The  figures  presented  are  based  on  data  from  the  annual  accounts  of  educational 
institutions.  Expenditure  pertains  to  the  consolidated  receipts  (revenues)  and  expenditures  (expenses)  for  the 
sectors of secondary education, adult and vocational education, higher professional education and universities. 
The  data  was  provided  by  CFI.  In  the  revenues  and  expenses  the  financial  and  extraordinary  revenues  and 
expenses  were  not  included.  Therefore,  the  figures  presented  in  this  edition  of  Key  Figures  concern  only  the 
ordinary  operations  of  the  institutions.  Some  of  the  data  in  this  publication  has  been  rounded  off.  The  gross 
expenditures accounted for by OCenW have been netted with part of the revenue. This adjustment, in simple 
terms, comes down to correcting the expenditures as follows: (i.) the expenditures are reduced by that income 
that can be considered as a repayment of unjustified payments; (ii.) the income from student grants is subtracted; 
this primarily pertains to the repayments of loans awarded at an earlier date. In this adjustment, all sources of 
financing, the Ministry of Finance, other ministries, education participants (school fees) and advertising funds 
are rendered equal. The overview of expenditures by main tasks does not include the expenditure on medical 
care (universities). Medical care is not regarded (internationally) as a responsibility of the education sector. The 
figures  for  local  government  grants  are  based  on  expenditure  minus  revenue  in  the  education  sector,  as 
determined on the basis of Statistics Netherlands data. This data is collected from local government accounts. 
Expenditure for secondary education (VO) and senior secondary vocational education (MBO) is apportioned in 
direct proportion to central government expenditure. Figures relating to the years after 1997 have been weighted 
to allow for the transfer of secondary education accommodation costs to the local governments. The figures for 
local government expenditure and revenue are based on total operational costs plus investment spending. This 
means  that  the  depreciation  on  capital  goods  (e.g.  buildings)  and  the  investment  in  those  in  those  goods  are 
taken  into  account.  Local  government  expenditure  is  not  net.  Income  from  tuition  fees  for  universities  is 
estimated  on  the  basis  of  the  number  of  students  multiplied  by  the  standard  tuition  fee.  It  therefore  excludes 
receipts  from  external  students.  The  costs  of  internal  and  external  training  courses  include  the  money  paid  to 
training  institutes  and  schools,  compensation  paid  for  study  costs,  travel  and  subsistence,  material  expenses, 
labour  costs  of  the  working  hours  lost  because  of  training  courses,  and  the  labour  costs  of  training  staff,  if 
present. In the universities, teaching and research are intertwined. Per capita figures can still be compared with 
those  for  the  other  sectors  of  education,  total  expenditure  has  been  broken  down  into  separate  figures  for 
teaching and research. To calculate spending on university teaching, expenditure is multiplied by a factor based 
on  the  ratio  between  the  deployment  of  academic  staff  for  research  according  to  the  statistics  on  university 
research (KUOZ) and the total academic staff establishment (WOPI). 

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Country 

Source 
code 

Name of source 

Netherlands 

NL2 

Budget for 2004 

NL3 

Portugal 

PT1 

The education system in the 
Netherlands 2004 
Statistics on education 

Spain 

Sweden 

PT2 

ES1 

ES2 

ES3 

ES4 
ES5 

SE1 

Survey on vocational training 
actions 2001 

Statistics on public 
expenditure on education 
Anuario 2002 

Continuous Survey on 
Households Budgets 
Spain in Figures 2002 
Anuario 2004 (Labour Cost 
Survey) 
Educational expenditure 1998-
2002 

SE2 

NU-database 

SE3 

Statistical tables of The 
Swedish National Agency for 
Education 

Assessment of data source 

The data in this source refers to the budget earmarked for different forms of education. Data is available from 
2000 to 2004. The data should not be considered by themselves as being adequate for determining the total cost 
of education. However, the source can provide an idea of expenditures outlays by the government on education. 
The  document  was  submitted  to  the  International  Conference  on  Education  on  8-11  September  2004.  Data  is 
available from 2000 to 2002. The expenditure data in this publication comes from Key Figures (see NL1). 
The data are available from 1996/97 to 1999/00. This data source contains useful information on the government 
expenditure on education by level of education. It is difficult to assess the comparability as no methodological 
information is provided. 
The data are only available for 2001, as this was a one off survey.  However, the data source contains useful data 
on the cost of vocational training.  A section provides detailed qualitative information on the survey methods, 
unfortunately only in Portuguese.   
Data are only available for 2000 and 2001. 

This data source contains detailed information on the ESF funding for vocational training. The data are available 
for 2002 
Data available since 1985, however there was a methodological change in 1997.  The data refer to household 
expenditure on educational services. For more details on the household budget surveys see section 4. 
Data is only available for 2000. 
The data is annual and is available at both the annual and regional level. 

Data is available from 1998-2002. This data source contains important information on expenditure on education 
by level and type of expenditure and per pupil. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was used for calculating the 
constant prices for some of the variables. The publication is in Swedish and the (methodological) information 
available in English is limited. 
This database contains important information on the income and expenditures of higher education institutions. 
This official data are based, inter alia, on the data collected by the universities’ and university colleges’ study 
documentation systems and on the operational reports that they are required to present. After quality assurance 
procedures  and  processing,  the  statistics  are  published  in  Statistics  Swedens’s  publication  series  and  in  the 
Agency’s National Monitoring database (NU). Data are available from 1995 to 2002. All the data presented are 
in current prices. The one drawback of this data source is that is only available in Swedish. However, the source 
contains useful information for every university.   
This is part of the comprehensive national series “Sveriges officiella statistik” [Official Statistics of Sweden]. 
The  report  “Barnomsorg,  skola  och  vuxenutbildning  i  siffror”  [Statistics  for  Child  care,  Schools  and  Adult 
Education] comes out annually (since 1995) in three parts, in February, April and October, and covers child care 
and all types of school that come under the National Agency for Education’s sphere of responsibility.  

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Country 

United 
Kingdom 

Source 
code 

UK1 

Resources of higher education 
institutions 

Name of source 

Assessment of data source 

UK2 

Regions in figures 

UK3 

Student  support:  statistics  of 
student  support 
for  higher 
education 
in  England  and 
Wales 

The data in this source refers to the institutions financial year. i.e. 1 August to 31 July. Data is collected on the 
total  activities  of  all  UK  higher  education  institutions  (HEIs)  through  the  annual  Finance  Statistics  Return 
(FSR). The FSR provides details of the consolidated income and expenditure account, balance sheet and cash 
flow statement. The figures recorded in the FSR for the consolidated income and expenditure account, the main 
consolidated  balance  sheet  headings  and  the  consolidated  cash  flow  statement  must  be  the  same  as  those 
recorded  in  the  audited/  published  financial  statements.  The  Accounts  are  prepared  using  the  historical  cost 
convention  as  modified  for  the  revaluation  of  certain  assets.  Where  assets  have  been  revalued,  a  note  of 
Historical Cost Surpluses and Deficits follows the Income and Expenditure Account. The data are validated by 
HESA  in  two  stages.  In  order  to  be  used  within  the  ESS,  methodological  work  needs  to  be  undertaken  with 
regard to the variables. 
The  data  in  this  publication  is  concerned  with  work-based  training.  However  the  value  of  this  data  is  rather 
limited  as  it  is  only  available  for  the  South  West  region  of  England.  Publications  for  the  other  8  regions  of 
England are also available. The data are derived from National Statistics Labour Force Survey. 
This  statistical  first  release  presents  provisional  figures  on  higher  education  student  support  in  England  and 
Wales in the academic year 2001/02 and also shows comparable data for the previous academic years 1991/92 
and 1997/98 to 2000/2001 inclusive. The statistics in this first release were obtained from the Local Education 
Authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales on Form 503G. 2.  The provisional data in this statistical first release 
are based on returns from 152 (out of 172) authorities who have so far returned data. Some data are yet to be 
considered ‘clean’.  Data have been grossed at LEA level to produce national figures to compensate for missing 
returns  and  for  missing  items  where  authorities  have  been  unable  to  supply  all  of  the  data  requested.  Two 
grossing  procedures  are  employed.  Both  are  based  on  percentages  calculated  from  the  data  received  from 
responding authorities and take into account the type and nature of the missing authority thus reducing the risk 
of  building  in  bias.  For  some  fields,  the  previous  year's  data  for  the  missing  authority  are  increased  (or 
decreased)  by  the  percentage  change  reported  this  year  by  authorities  who  did  provide  data.  Other  fields  - 
usually sub-fields - are calculated as a percentage of main fields.  
Definitions: Higher education (HE) courses are those of a level higher than GCE A level or ONC/OND. Due to 
the fact that the source does not cover the whole of the UK, the use of this source is rather limited. 

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Country 

United 
Kingdom 

Source 
code 

UK4 

Education and training 
expenditure since 1993-94 

Name of source 

Assessment of data source 

The Bulletin provides detailed central government and local authority education and training outturn in England 
for  the  financial  years  1993-94  to  2001-02  together  with  estimated  figures  for  2002-03.  This  data  source  is 
particularly useful as it contains information on governmental outlays on adult education. The HE sector’s total 
publicly planned funding includes grant payments to the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the 
Teacher  Training  Agency  and  public  and  private  contributions  towards  the  costs  of  tuition.  All  school-based 
recurrent  funding  including  teaching  and  non-teaching  staff  salaries,  school  premises  costs,  equipment  and 
supplies,  and  unspent  balances  held  by  schools  at  year  end.  They  exclude  spending  on  special  schools,  LEA 
central administration, the cost of home to school transport as well as capital expenditure.  The Statistics in this 
bulletin  were  obtained  from  the  following  sources:    Pre-primary/primary,  secondary  and  special  school  pupil 
numbers: DfES Annual Schools’ Census.  
Expenditure on schools, adult education centres and local education authority maintained colleges :  Revenue 
Outturn  returns  and  Section  52  surveys.  The  data  to  1998-99  are  drawn  from  the  local  education  authorities’ 
Revenue  Outturn  returns  (the  “RO1”)  made  to  the  DETR  (now  Office  of  the  Deputy  Prime  Minister).  From 
1999-00 data are drawn from the local authorities’ Section 52 outturn statements that are submitted to the DfES.  
School funding:  DfES records of Education Standard Spending Assessments, special and specific DfES Grants 
to local education authorities 
Further education : Further Education Funding Council 
Higher education : Higher Education Statistics Agency 
GDP deflators : Office for National Statistics (ONS), First Release: Quarterly National Accounts, 2nd quarter 
2003, published 27 June 2003 
Resource Accounting : www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_spending 
and_services/resource_accounting_and_budgeting/pss_ rab_mrintro.cfm 
This  is  part  of  a  series  of  departmental  reports  which,  along  with  the  Main  Estimates,  the  document  Public 
Expenditure  Statistical  Analyses  2004–05,  and  the  Supply  Estimates  2004–05:  Supplementary  Budget 
Information,  present  the  Government’s  expenditure  plans  for 2003 – 2006. Data is derived from a number of 
sources.  Sources:  1998-99  LEAs’  education  Revenue  Outturn  Statements  to  the  Department  of  Environment, 
Transport  and  the  Regions.  1999-00  to  2001-02  Section  52  Outturn  statements  LAs  Capital  Outturn  Returns 
(COR) to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Learning and Skills Council’s individualised student record 
(ISR)  and  DfES  estimates  and  projections.  Data  are  available  from  1998/99  to  2002/03.  Information  is  also 
contained on private sponsorships regarding a range of activities in education over a three-year period 2001-02 
to 2003-04. 

UK5  Departmental report 2004 of 
the Department for education 
and skills 

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Country 

United 
Kingdom 

Source 
code 

UK6 

Expenditure on school 
education in Scotland 

Name of source 

Assessment of data source 

The data available from 1996/97 to 2001/02. However the publication is limited in coverage to only Scotland. 
Sources:  Annual  budgeted  running  cost  information  is  provided  to  the  Scottish  Executive  by  the  education 
authorities, and managers of grant-aided and self-governing schools. The total budgeted running cost relates to 
the  period  1st  April  2003  to  31st  March  2004,  and  similarly  for  previous  years.  School  roll  information  is 
provided to The Scottish Executive by schools each September as part of the annual School Census. This report 
does not provide information on costs in special schools, independent schools or preschool establishments. The 
costs  of  schools  with  pre-school  classes  or  both  primary  and  secondary  departments  have  been  split  into  the 
appropriate sectors. 
The data are available from 1996/97 to 2001/02.  Local authority revenue expenditure excluding that is funded 
by  sales,  fees  and  charges,  but  including  that  financed  by  specific  government  grants.  All  figures  include  an 
estimated share of strategic management costs and any unallocated support service costs. The primary figure for 
1997-  98  has  been  adjusted  to  account  for  the  aborted  nursery  voucher  scheme  and  given  a  consistent  time 
series.  Other  community  services  includes  under  5  provision  not  in  schools,  such  as  playgroups,  the  hire  of 
school or other premises on behalf of community groups, and contributions to the Duke of Edinburgh Award. 
Expenditure figures relate to the academic year. Government supported training programme expenditure refers 
to  the  year  ending in December. The data in this publication are derived from a number of sources including 
National Statistics. However, it should be noted that the data refer only to Wales. 
The data in this source refers only to Wales, thus its usefulness is inhibited. The data in this publication only 
refer  to  the  2000/01  academic  year,  however  the  publication  is  annual.  The  data  are  derived  from  the  HESA 
data. See 42 for more details on HESA data, which is collected. 
The source contains interesting information on private expenditure. This survey has only been carried out twice: 
1998/1999 and 2002/2003. However, the use of the source is rather limited. 

UK7 

Education Statistics in Wales 
2002 

UK8  Higher education, further 

education and training 
statistics in Wales: 2000/01 
2002/03 Student income and 
expenditure survey 

UK9 

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 GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  tthhee  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Introduction 

In the earlier part of this report, a list of indicators was identified and compiled based on an in-depth 
review of EU policy documents relating to the subject. The proposed indicators were those considered 
to be relevant to policy needs. As a next step, all the indicators identified were decomposed into their 
component  variables.  This  was  done  at  the  level  of  each  indicator.  Some  of  the  indicators  equated 
directly to single statistical variables while most others are composed of multiple variables.  
The result was a wide range of variables, which would naturally be expected to be found in different 
data  sources.  A  number  of  the  variables  are  of  single  use  while  several  others  are  useful  for 
constituting more than one indicator.  

For example,  

the variable: Number of students by level of education (V011) 
will  be  needed  to  compose  the  indicator:  Amounts  of  the  funds  from  the  budget  for  the 
purchase  of  teaching  materials  by  level  of  education  (A5)  as  well  as  the  indicator:  Ratio  of 
students to teaching staff in educational institutions by level of education (A7) as well as the 
indicator:  Average  costs  of  building  maintenance  per  student  in  the  renovated  educational 
establishments before and after renovation (A9) and indeed, Average government tuition fee 
expenditure per student (D5) 

the variable: Total public transfers to the private sector by level of education (V03) 
will  be  useful  only  for  the  indicator:  Public  expenditure  on  education  transferred  to 
educational  institutions  and  public  transfers  to  the  private  sector  as  a  percentage  of  total 
public expenditure on education by level of education (A2) 

While  

Two parameters were used in addition to group the variables. They are grouped as: 

•  key or context variable 

and classed by priority into  

•  high, medium or low. 

The essence of the review of the various variables is to determine what indicator needs can and cannot 
be met with existing available information in international and national data sources. It is at this stage 
that each variable is assessed in order to determine whether or not it makes sense. In addition, in case 
of data not being available, whether or not alternative variables do exist, and if so, where.  

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Reconciling variables from international sources with those proposed 

This section of the report is devoted to reviewing and assessing the variables. In a number of cases, the 
variables needed do not exactly match the variables available. As a first step in the review of variables, 
the  information contained in the international sources was reconciled with the variables required for 
each  indicator.  The  objective  of  first  reconciling  the  list  of  variables  with  the  information  in  the 
international  data  sources  was  to  ensure  comparability  between  Member  States.  International  data 
sources such as those in the ESS try to ensure comparability by using the same concepts, definitions, 
and classifications between Member States.  

There are altogether ninety-nine variables. 

Table  11  contains  a  reconciliation  of  information  contained  in  international  data  sources  with  the 
information needed for each indicator. 

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Table 11: Reconciliation of information contained in international data sources with identified variables 

Code 

A.1 

A.2 

INDICATORS 
Name 
Relative proportions of 
public and private 
expenditure on  
educational institutions 
for all levels of 
education 
Public expenditure on 
education transferred 
to educational 
institutions and public 
transfers to the private 
sector as a percentage 
of total public 
expenditure on 
education by level of 
education 

VARIABLES 

Code 
Required for indicator  
V001  Total public expenditures on 

educational institutions by 
level of education 

V002  Total private expenditures on 

educational institutions by 
level of education 

V001  Total public expenditures on 

educational institutions by 
level of education 
V003  Total public transfers to the 

private sector by level of 
education 

Available 
Total public expenditures 
on educational institutions 
by ISCED level 
Total private expenditures 
on educational institutions 
by ISCED level 
Total public expenditures 
on educational institutions 
by ISCED level 
Public expenditure on 
student grants scholarships 
and loans to households 
Government transfers and 
certain other payments to 
other private entities 

Distribution of total 
and current 
expenditure on 
educational institutions  
from public and private 
sources, by resource 
category and level of 
education 

A.3 

V004  Total public expenditures on 
education by level of 
education 

V005  Total current expenditure on 

educational institutions by 
level of education 

Total public expenditures 
by ISCED level 

Total current expenditure 
for personnel 
compensation 

V006  Current expenditure by level 
of education broken down by 
type 

Total current expenditure 
other than for the 
compensation of personnel 

SOURCES
of  Data 
UOE 

UOE 

UOE 

UOE 

UOE 

UOE 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 
The UOE covers this variable fully for ISCED levels, however 
it does not cover adult education, which is not definable by 
ISCED level. 
The UOE covers this variable fully for ISCED levels, however 
it does not cover adult education, which is not definable by 
ISCED level. 
The UOE covers this variable fully for ISCED levels, however 
it does not cover adult education, which is not definable by 
ISCED level. 
The  UOE  only  collects 
to  grants, 
scholarships  and  loans,  and  other  transfers  to  other  private 
entities. Transfers to other private entities includes transfers to 
business  or  labour  organisations  that  provide  adult  education, 
and  subsidies 
that  operate  apprenticeship 
programmes,  interest  rate  subsidies,  or  default  guarantee 
payments  to  private  financial  institutions  that  provide  student 
loans.  
The UOE covers this variable fully for ISCED levels, however 
it does not cover adult education, which is not definable by 
ISCED level. 
The UOE covers this variable fully for education institutions by 
ISCED level. 

information  related 

to  companies 

UOE 

The UOE covers this variable fully for education institutions by 
ISCED level. 

V007  Capital expenditure by level 

Total capital expenditure 

UOE 

of education 

The UOE covers this variable fully for education institutions by 
ISCED level. 

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INDICATORS 
Name 
Expenditure on 
institutions by service 
category as a 
percentage of GDP 

Code 

A.4 

A.5 

A.6 

A.7 

A.8 

Expenditure per 
student on instruction, 
ancillary services and 
research and 
development 

Amounts of the funds 
from the budget for the  
purchase of teaching 
materials by level of 
education 

Ratio of students to 
teaching staff in 
educational institutions 
by level of education 

Proportion of 
educational 
establishments with a 
permanent internet 
connection 

VARIABLES 

Required for indicator  
Code 
V008  Expenditure on educational 

institutions on instruction, 
research and development 
(R&D) and ancillary services 
in educational institutions 

V009  Private expenditure on 

educational goods purchased 
outside educational 
institutions 

V010  National GDP 
V011  Number of students by level 

of education 

V012  Expenditure on instruction, 

ancillary services and 
research and development 

V013  Total  budget  of  educational 
of 

level 

by 

institutions 
education 

V014  Expenditure on the purchase 
of teaching materials by level 
of education 

V011  Number of students by level 

of education 

V015  Number of teaching staff in 

educational institutions by 
level of education 

V016  Number of educational 
establishments 

Available 

Expenditure on 
educational institutions on 
instruction, research and 
development (R&D) and 
ancillary services in 
educational institutions 
Private expenditure on 
educational goods 
purchased outside 
educational institutions 
GDP at market prices 
Number of students by 
ISCED level 

Expenditure on 
instruction, ancillary 
services and research and 
development 
Expenditure on 
educational institutions 
from public and private 
sources by ISCED level 
None 

Number of students by 
ISCED level 

Number of teaching staff 
in educational institutions 
by level of education 
None 

V017  Number of educational 

None 

establishments with a 
permanent internet 
connection 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
UOE 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

Full coverage of the variable 

UOE 

Full coverage of the variable 

NA 
EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 
UOE 
UOE 

Full coverage of the variable 
The variable is fully covered in the UOE data collection. EU-
SILC, HBS, and the LFS are sample surveys 

Full coverage of the variable 

UOE 

Full coverage of the variable 

None 

None of the international sources assessed contains the 
variables required to meet this variable. 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 
UOE 
UOE 

None 

None 

The variable is fully covered in the UOE data collection. EU-
SILC, HBS, and the LFS are sample surveys 

Full coverage of the variable in the UOE 

No international source contains the variables required to 
construct this indicator. 

No international source contains the variables required to 
construct this indicator. 

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VARIABLES 

Code 
Required for indicator  
V018  Average costs of building 
maintenance before 
renovation 

Available 

None 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
None 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 
None of the international sources assessed contains the 
variables required to meet these two variables. 

V019  Average costs of building 

None 

None 

Full coverage of the variable in the UOE 

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INDICATORS 
Name 

Code 

Average costs of 
building maintenance 
per student in the  
renovated educational 
establishments before 
and after renovation. 

A.9 

maintenance after renovation 
V011  Number of students by level 

of education 

A.10  Average expenditure 

V020  Total number of households 
incurring education 
expenditure 

per household on 
education and 
percentage of 
households incurring 
education expenditures  V022  Total number of households 

V021  Total expenditure incurred by 

households 

A.11 

University 
expenditures on R&D 
as a percentage of GDP 

University expenditures on 
R&D 

V023 

V010  National GDP 
V024  Public expenditure on labour 

market training 
V010  National GDP 
V025  Public expenditure on labour 

market training by level of 
government 

B.1 

B.2 

B.3 

B.4 

Public expenditure on 
labour market training  
as a % of GDP 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 
broken down by level 
of government 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 
broken down by sex 

Public expenditure on 
labour market training 
as a % of total  
expenditure on active 
labour   market polices 

Number of students by 
ISCED level 

Educational expenditure 
by level 

Educational expenditure 
by level 
Total number of 
households 
Higher education 
expenditure on R&D 

GDP at market prices 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 
GDP at market prices 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 
UOE 

HBS 

S&T, UOE 

The variable is fully covered in the UOE data collection. EU-
SILC, HBS, and the LFS are sample surveys 

The heading “Education” covers educational services only. 
Does not include expenditures on educational materials, such as 
books and stationary, or education support services, such as 
health care services, transport services, catering and 
accommodation. It includes education by radio or television 
broadcasting. 
The data collected is for the whole of the tertiary sector. 

NA 

Full coverage of the variable 
LMP, SOCX  Full coverage of the variable 

NA 
EU-LMP 

Full coverage of the variable 
The source does register the type of public sources funding the 
training. Unfortunately it is unable to break down the public 
expenditures by type of source.  

V026  Public expenditure on labour 

market training for men 

Public expenditure on 
labour market training  

EU-LMP 

The  source  does  not  collect  expenditure  data  by  gender. 
However  it  is  possible  to  make  an  estimate  of  the  expenditure 
by gender from either the stocks or flows. 

V027  Public expenditure on labour 

market training for women 

V024  Public expenditure on labour 

market training 

V028  Total public expenditure on 
active labour market policies 

Public expenditure on 
labour market training  
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 
(category 2) 
Total public expenditure 
on categories 2-7 

EU-LMP, 
SOCX 

Full coverage of the variable 

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VARIABLES 

Code 
V029  Public expenditure on 

Required for indicator  

Available 
Varies by Member States 

Code 

B.5 

C.1 

INDICATORS 
Name 
Public expenditure on 
vocational guidance 
and counselling to the 
unemployed and other 
at risk groups 
Percentage of 
unemployed job  
training participants 
employed after 
completion of program. 

vocational guidance and 
counselling to the 
unemployed and other at risk 
groups 

V030  Number of labour market 

training participants whose 
previous status was registered 
unemployed 

V031  Number of labour market 

training participants whose 
previous status was registered 
unemployed who found a job 

C.2 

Percentage of the 
registered unemployed 
who undertake labour 
market training. 

V030  Number of labour market 

training participants whose 
previous status was registered 
unemployed 

Number of entrants labour 
market training 
participants whose 
previous status was 
registered unemployed 
Number of participants of 
labour market training 
whose destination upon 
exiting is employment 
Number of entrants of 
category 2 measures 
whose previous status was 
registered unemployed 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
EU-LMP 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

Some Member States provide information on this variable 
mixed with other services of the Public Employment Service, 
whilst others separate it either into counselling and guidance or 
separately.  

EU-LMP 

Full coverage of the variable 

EU-LMP 

EU-LMP 

The source is limited to asking for the destination of 
participants of training measures. It is not a longitudinal source, 
thus it is incapable of collecting detailed information on the 
participants 
Full coverage of the variable 

V032  Number of registered 
unemployed 

None 

C.3 

D.1 

Number of registered 
unemployed who move 
into labour market 
training measures 
Average pay of 
academic staff, as 
compared with average 
pay of persons working 
in the public sector 

V030  Number of labour market 

training participants whose 
previous status was registered 
unemployed 

V033  Average pay of academic 

staff by type of higher 
education institution 

Number of entrants of 
category 2 measures 
whose previous status was 
registered unemployed 
None 

V034  Average pay of persons 

None 

working in the public sector 

National 
sources 

EU-LMP 

This information has to be extracted from national registers of 
the unemployed, as the definition of registered unemployment 
and ILO unemployment differs considerably between Member 
States. 
Full coverage of the variable 

None 

None 

No international source contains the variables required to 
construct this indicator. 

No international source contains the variables required to 
construct this indicator. 

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INDICATORS 

Code 

D.2 

Name 
Cost of one study place 
covered by the 
government budget 

D.3  Cost of one study place 
covered by the 
individual 

Public subsidies to the 
private sector as a 
percentage of total  
public expenditure on 
education and GDP 

D.4 

D.5 

Average government 
tuition fee expenditure  
per student 

D.6 

Amounts of the funds 
from the budget for the 
purchase of teaching 
materials. 

VARIABLES 

Required for indicator  
Code 
V035  Cost of one study place by 

type of higher education 
institution 

V036  Government budget given to 
higher education institutions 
to cover one study place 

None 

None 

V035  Cost of one study place by 

None 

type of higher education 
institution 

V037  Cost of studies charged to 

None 

Available 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
None 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

None of the international sources assessed contains the data 
required to meet this variable. 

None 

None 

None 

None of the international sources assessed contains the data 
required to meet this variable. 

None of the international sources assessed contains the data 
required to meet this variable. 

None of the international sources assessed contains the data 
required to meet this variable. 

EU-LMP – Transfers to 
employers 
UOE – Transfers and 
payments to other private 
entities 

EU-LMP, 
SOCX, 
UOE 

The EU-LMP focuses on subsidies given to enterprises for labour 
market training, not for higher education. 
The  UOE  collects  information  on  government  transfers  and 
certain  other  payments  (mainly  subsidies)  to  other  private 
entities, thus the data included is wider. 

individuals by type of higher 
education institution 

V038  Public subsidies given to 

enterprises for education and 
training purposes 

V039  Public subsidies given to 

individuals for education and 
training purposes 

V040  Total public expenditure on 

education 

EU-LMP – Transfers to 
individuals; ESSPROS- 
Vocational training 
allowances, vocational 
training; UOE-Public 
expenditure on grants and 
loans 
Total public expenditure on 
education 

V010  National GDP 
V041  Average government tuition 

GDP at market prices 
None 

fee expenditure 

V011  Number of students by level 

of education 

Number of students by 
ISCED level 

V042  Total 

budget 
of 
education institutions 
V043  Expenditure on the purchase 

higher 

of teaching materials in HEI’s 

None 

EU-SILC, 
ESSPROS, 
EU-LMP, 
SOCX, UOE 

UOE 

NA 
None 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 
UOE 
None 

The data sources identified contain information on various types 
of subsidies given to individuals for education and training. Thus 
this variable can be split up into a number of different indicators 
for 
to 
the  purpose  of  measuring  public  subsidies  given 
individuals for example: grants and loans, labour market training. 
It  should  be  noted  that  the  UOE  excludes  data  on  special  tax 
benefits for education. 
Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 
None of the international sources assessed contains the data 
required to meet this variable. 

The variable is fully covered in the UOE data collection. EU-
SILC, HBS, and the LFS are sample surveys 

No international source contains the variables required to 
construct this indicator. 

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INDICATORS 

Code 

D.7 

Name 
University revenues by 
source, as a percentage 
of total revenue 

E.1 

Cost per graduate as 
compared to the cost 
per student 

E.2 

E.3 

E.4 

E.5 

F.1 

Number of diplomas 
and degrees granted 
and graduation rates, 
by level of education 
Number of persons 
with academic degrees 
and professional 
qualifications who have 
actually taken up jobs 
Average employment 
income, by age group 
and education level 
Non-continuation 
following year of entry 
- full-time first degree 
entrants 
Proportion of students 
in non-university (non- 
academic) study 
programmes 

VARIABLES 

Code 
V044  Total revenue of universities 

Required for indicator  

V045  Revenues of university by 
resource category 

V046  Cost per graduate 

Available 
Total public and private 
expenditure for ISCED 
level 5A/6 

Public and private 
expenditure by type of 
source for ISCED level 
5A/6 
Number of graduates 

V047  Cost per student 

Number of students 

Total current and capital 
expenditure  
Number of graduates  

UOE 

UOE 

UOE 

UOE 

Highest level of academic 
qualifications (ISCED 5/6) 
and main labour status 
(carries out a job or 
profession. 
Average employment 
income, by age group and 
education level 
None 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS 

None 

Number of students in 
tertiary education (5/6) 
[UOE] 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 
UOE 

None 

V048  Expenditure of higher 
education institutions 

V049  Number of diplomas and 
degrees granted by higher 
education institutions 

V050  Number of persons with 

academic degrees and 
professional qualifications 
who have actually taken up 
jobs 

V051  Average employment income, 

by age group and education 
level 

V052  Number of students who do 

not continue their studies 
following year of entry - full-
time first degree entrants 

V053  Number of students in higher 

education 

V054  Number of students in non-
university (non-academic) 
study programmes 

None 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
UOE 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

Full coverage of the variable 

UOE 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

None of the international sources evaluated contains the variables 
required to construct this indicator. 

Full coverage of the variable 

None of the international sources evaluated meets the variable 
requirements. 

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INDICATORS 

Code 

Name 

Public subsidies to 
individuals as a 
percentage of total  
public expenditure on 
education and GDP 

G.1 

Mean annual number of 
hours spent on adult 
education and training  
per participant and per 
capita 

G.2 

VARIABLES 

Code 
V055  Public subsidies to individuals 

Required for indicator  

V040  Total public expenditure on 

education 

V010  National GDP 

Available 

Public expenditure on 
loans and grants by ISCED 
level [UOE] 
Total public expenditure on 
education by ISCED level  
[UOE] 
Gross Domestic Product at 
market prices 

V056  Number of hours spent on 

adult education and training 

Usual number of hours 
training per week 

V057  Number of adults 

participating in adult 
education and training outside 
the regular education system 

Number of adults in 
education/training 

V058  Total adult population 

Number of adults 

G.3 

Percentage of adult 
population participating 
in education and  
training, by age group 
and study orientation, 
and mean hours of 
study, by age group 

V058  Total adult population 

Number of adults 

V059  Number of adults 

participating in adult 
education and training by age 
group 

Number of adults in 
education/training by age 
group 

V060  Number of adults 

participating in adult 
education and training by 
study orientation 

V061  Mean hours of study by age 

group 

Number of adults 
participating in adult 
education and training by 
field 
Usual number of hours of 
training per week 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
UOE 

NA, UOE 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

The UOE only contains this information by level of education 
(ISCED). Consequently this information is missing for adult 
education. 
Full coverage of the variable 

NA 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

LFS (and 
LLL ad hoc 
module), 

LFS (and 
LLL ad hoc 
module), 

LFS (and 
LLL ad hoc 
module), 
National 
Census 
LFS (and 
LLL ad hoc 
module), 
LFS (and 
LLL ad hoc 
module), 

LLL ad hoc 
module 

Full coverage of the variable only in the LFS ad hoc module 
2002 

Full coverage of the variable 

LFS (and 
LLL ad hoc 
module), 

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INDICATORS 

VARIABLES 

Code 
V062  Number of further education 

Required for indicator  

None 

Available 

programmes offered by higher 
education institution 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
None 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 
None of the international source assessed contains the variables 
required to construct this indicator. 

Code 
H.1  Number of further 

Name 

education programmes 
offered by higher 
education organisation 
H.2  Number of persons of 

different age groups 
who are acquiring 
further education  
I.1  Growth in the number 
of adults having 
acquired a basic 
qualification (ISCED 
level 2) 

I.2  Growth in the number 
of adults having 
acquired a basic 
qualification who 
dropped out of school 
without any 
qualifications 

I.3  Growth in the number 
of adults participating 
in language courses 

I.4  Growth in the number 
of adult participating in 
ICT courses 

I.5  Growth in the number 

of adults in evening 
courses 

I.6  Decrease in the number 

of young people who 
have not received a 
basic education and a 
professional 
qualification 

V063  Number of persons of 

different age groups who are 
acquiring further education  

Level of education or 
training  

LFS (and 
LLL ad hoc 
module), 

Full coverage of the variable 

V064  Change in the number of 

adults having acquired a basic 
qualification (ISCED level 2) 
from the previous year (t-1) 

Highest level of education 
or training attained (ISCED 
2)  

LFS 

Full coverage of the variable 

V065  Change in the number of 
adults, having acquired a 
basic qualification from the 
previous year (t-1), who were 
enrolled to continue their 
education (i.e. second 
chance), since they dropped 
out of school without any 
qualifications 

V066  Change in the number of 

adults participating in 
language courses from the 
previous year (t-1) 
V067  Change in the number of 

adults participating in ICT 
courses from the previous 
year (t-1) 

None 

None 

None of the international source assessed contains the variables 
required to construct this indicator. 

Field of this education or 
training – 222 Foreign 
languages 

LFS – ad hoc 
module 

The basic variable to construct the indicator is only available in 
the LFS ad hoc module 2002. The core LFS does not distinguish 
language courses. 

Field of this education or 
training – 481 Computer 
Science, 482 Computer use 

LFS 

The basic variable to construct the indicator is only available in 
the LFS ad hoc module 2002. The core LFS does not distinguish 
ICT courses. 

None 

None of the international source assessed contains the variables 
required to construct this indicator. 

Number of persons < 25 
(greater than 16) with the 
highest level of educational 
attainment of ISCED 1. 

LFS 

Full coverage of the variable. It is important to note that the 
variable has to be derived by linkage. Basic education refers to 
ISCED level 2. 

V068  Change in the number of 

None 

adults participating in evening 
course from the previous year 
(t-1) 

V069  Change in the number of 

young people who have not 
received a basic education and 
a professional qualification 
from the previous year (t-1) 

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INDICATORS 

Code 

Name 

J.1  Number of students of 
professional education 
establishments 
J.2  Number of apprentices 
in enterprises 
Number of hours in 
continuing vocational  
training courses per 
employee 

K.1 

K.2 

K.3 

Number of hours in 
continuing vocational  
training courses per 
participant 

Participants in CVT 
courses as a percentage 
of employees in all  
enterprises (total and 
broken down by sex) 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
UOE 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

Full coverage of the variable 

VARIABLES 

Required for indicator  

Code 
V070  Number of students of 
professional education 
establishments 
V071  Number of apprentices 

Available 

Number of students by 
ISCED level 

Number of apprentices 

LCS 

Full coverage of the variable 

V072  Number of hours in 

continuing vocational training 
courses 

Hours in continuing 
vocational training courses 

V073  Number of employees 

Number of employees 

V072  Number of hours in 

continuing vocational training 
courses 

V074  Number of participants in 

CVT courses 

V074  Number of participants in 

CVT courses 

Hours in continuing 
vocational training courses 
Number of participants 

Number of participants in 
CVT courses 
Number of participants in 
CVT courses 

V075  Number of female 

participants in CVT courses 

V076  Number of male participants 

in CVT courses 

Number of female 
participants in CVT 
courses 

Number of male 
participants in CVT 
courses 

CVTS2, LFS 

Full coverage of the variable 

CVTS2, LFS 

Full coverage of the variable 

CVTS2, LFS 

Full coverage of the variable 

K.4  Enterprises providing 
continuing vocational 
training courses as a 
percentage of all 
enterprises 

V077  Total number of employees in 

all enterprises 

V078  Total number of enterprises 

providing continuing   
vocational training courses 

V079  Total number of enterprises 

Total number of employees 
in all enterprises 
CVTS2 - Number of 
enterprises providing CVT. 
LCS- Number of 
enterprises incurring 
vocational training costs 
Total number of enterprises  CVTS2, LCS  Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

CVTS2, LCS 

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INDICATORS 

Name 

Code 
K.5  Enterprises providing 
other forms of training 
as a percentage of all 
enterprises 

K.6 

Percentage of the type 
of supports given 
by employers for 
employer-sponsored 
programs and courses, 
by types of jobs (full-
time / part-time) 

VARIABLES 

Code 
Required for indicator  
V080  Enterprises providing other 
forms of training 

Available 

None 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
CVTS2 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

Covered in CVTS. Financial data is not collected. 

V079  Total number of enterprises 

Total number of enterprises  CVTS2, LCS  Full coverage of the variable 

V081  Total support given by 

employers for employer-
sponsored programs and 
courses, 

Vocational training costs 
(excluding costs for 
apprentices) 

LCS 

Expenditure only relates to vocational training costs. 

V082  Support given by employers 

for employer-sponsored 
programs and courses by full-
time jobs 

V083  Support given by employers 

for employer-sponsored 
programs and courses by part-
time jobs 

Costs of CVT courses by 
full-time jobs 

CVTS2 

Covered in CVTS  

Costs of CVT courses by 
part-time jobs 

CVTS2 

Covered in CVTS 

K.7 

K.8 

L.1 

Expenditure on wages 
and salaries of 
apprentices 
Enterprises expenditure 
on social contributions 
for apprentices 
Time spent by adults 
undertaking 
education/training 

V084  Employers expenditure on 

wages and salaries of 
apprentices 

V085  Enterprises expenditure on 

social contributions for 
apprentices 

V086  Number of hours spent by 
adults undertaking 
education/training 

M.1  Lifelong learning in 

collective agreements 

V087  Number of collective 
agreements on CVT 

N.1 

Proportion of students 
with disabilities  
integrated in education 
by level of education 

V011  Number of students by level 

of education 

Wages and salaries of 
apprentices 

Employers' social 
contributions for 
apprentices 
Usual number of hours of 
training per week 

Enterprises with 
agreements about CVT (> 
250 employees) 
Number of students by 
level of education 

LCS 

Full coverage of the variable 

LCS 

Full coverage of the variable 

LFS (and 
LLL ad hoc 
module), 
CVTS2 

Full coverage of the variable with respect to the number of hours 
in training per week. 

Full coverage of the variable 

UOE 

Full coverage of the variable 

V088  Number of disabled students 
by level of education 

None 

None 

None of the international sources assessed contains the data 
required to meet this variable. 

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INDICATORS 

Name 

Code 
N.2  Number of educational 
establishments adapted 
to receive students with 
disabilities 
N.3  Number of students 
with disabilities in 
higher education 
programmes. 
O.1  Percentage of the adult 
population aged 16-65  
at the lowest and 
highest levels of  
literacy 

VARIABLES 

Code 
V089  Number of educational 

Required for indicator  

None 

Available 

establishments adapted to 
receive students with 
disabilities 

V090  Number of students with 

None 

disabilities in higher 
education programmes. 

V091  Number of adults 16-65 at the 
lowest levels of literacy 
V092  Number of adults 16-65 at the 

None 

None 

highest levels of literacy 
V093  Number of adults 16-65 

None 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
None 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

None of the international source assessed contains the data 
required to construct this indicator. 

None 

None of the international source assessed contains the data 
required to construct this indicator. 

None 

None of the international source assessed contains the variables 
required to construct this indicator. 

O.2  Level of educational 

attainment, population 
aged 25 to 64 
O.3  Population aged 25 to 
64, by highest level of 
educational attainment 
and sex 

V094  Population aged 16-65, by 
highest level of educational 
attainment 

V094  Population aged 16-65, by 
highest level of educational 
attainment 

Highest level of education 
or training successfully 
completed by ISCED level 
Highest level of education 
or training successfully 
completed, total and by sex 

V095  Population aged 16-65, by sex  Population aged 25 to 64, 

by sex 

O.4  Distribution of the 

population aged 25 to 
64, by highest level of 
educational attainment 
and age group 

V094  Population aged 16-65, by 
highest level of educational 
attainment 

V096  Population aged 16-65, by 
highest level of educational 
attainment by age group 

Highest level of education 
or training successfully 
completed 
Highest level of education 
or training successfully 
completed, by age group 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 
National 
Census 

EU-SILC, 
HBS, LFS, 

Full coverage of the variable as defined by ISCED. 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

Full coverage of the variable 

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Code 
P.1 

P.2 

INDICATORS 

Name 
Public expenditure on 
mobility grants to 
students in higher 
education institutions 
Public expenditure on 
mobility grants to 
students in higher 
education institutions 
as a percentage of the 
total grants given to 
students 

VARIABLES 

Code 
V097  Public expenditure on 

Required for indicator  

None 

Available 

mobility grants to students in 
higher education institutions 

SOURCES 
of  Data 
None 

RECONCILIATION 
Notes on situation regarding availability 

None of the international sources assessed contains the data 
required to meet this variable. 
UOE 

V097  Public expenditure on 

None 

mobility grants to students in 
higher education institutions 
V098  Total public grants given to 
students in higher education 
institutions 

Total public grants given to 
students in higher 
education institutions 

None 

None of the international sources assessed contains the data 
required to meet this variable. 

UOE 

Full coverage of the variable 

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Review of deficits in information collected from international sources 

It is clear from the reconciliation that a number of information deficits in the information collected in 
international  data  sources  exist.    Table  12  contains  a  summary  of the coverage of each variable in 
each ESS data source evaluated. Each variable was carefully examined in order to establish whether 
the variable is fully; partially; or not covered at all in any of the ESS data sources evaluated.  

Furthermore, each variable is annotated with a priority level:  high, medium or low. The allocation of 
priorities  was  based  upon  the  researchers  judgement.  It  should  be  noted  that  the  scope  of  this  study 
limited the examination of data sources in order to find those sources, which can provide information 
on sources of funding of education and training.  

On the whole it was found that whist international sources in the ESS try to provide comprehensive 
coverage of public expenditures on education, they tend to concentrate on assimilating data by ISCED 
level and training in the workplace, and the expenditures that are readily measurable.  It also has to be 
noted that the true value of public expenditures on education will be under-estimated for a number of 
reasons including: 

- 

In some Member States, governments assign importance to investing in adult education. At the 
present  time,  public  investment  in  adult  education  is  not  adequately  covered  in  existing  ESS 
data  sources,  since  data  is  collected  by  ISCED  level.  Some  forms  of  adult  education  are  not 
definable by ISCED level. 

-  Some  important  public  private  transfers,  for  example  tax  incentives  to  enterprises  and  private 
individuals,  adult  education  grants  are  not  covered  adequately  or  not  at  all  by  any  ESS  data 
collection. However, it has to be noted that the collection of data on foregone revenue is not a 
straightforward task.   

After  elucidating  whether  the information collected in ESS data collections can adequately meet the 
data  requirements  for  the  variables  identified,  it  is  relatively  straightforward  to  establish  which 
indicators  cannot  be  formulated  at  the  present  time  due  to  information  deficits.  Since  some  of  the 
indicators could be equated directly to a single statistical variable while most others are composed of 
multiple variables, an absence of information for one variable in either situation would mean that the 
indicator  could  not  be  formulated.  Thus  by  establishing  which  indicators  could  not  be  met  due  to 
information deficits, one can identify which of the 16 policy needs identified in chapter 1 cannot be 
met in the short term. 

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Table 12: Coverage of variables needed for LLL policy purposes in ESS data collections 

Key: 
Variable coverage  
FC – Full coverage, PC – Partial coverage  
Priority of variable 
H   -  High, M  -  Medium, L   -  Low  

Code  Priority  CVTS  LFS 

EU-
HBS 

EU-
SILC 

EU-
LCS 

EU-
LMP 

ESSPROS  ESA 
95 

S&T1  UOE 

PC 

PC 

PC 

PC 

PC 

PC 

PC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

PC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

PC 

FC 

V001 

V002 

V003 

V004 

V005 

V006 

V007 

V008 

V009 

V010 

V011 

V012 

V013 

V014 

V015 

V016 

V017 

V018 

V019 

V020 

V021 

V022 

V023 

V024 

V025 

V026 

V027 

V028 

V029 

V030 

V031 

V032 

V033 

V034 

V035 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

M 

M 

H 

H 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

L 

L 

L 

H 

H 

H 

L 

H 

M 

M 

M 

H 

L 

H 

H 

M 

M 

M 

H 

1 Science and Technology statistical data collection in Eurostat 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

102

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                      
CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Code  Priority  CVTS  LFS 

EU-
HBS 

EU-
SILC 

EU-
LCS 

EU-
LMP 

ESSPROS  ESA 
95 

S&T2  UOE 

V036 

V037 

V038 

V039 

V040 

V041 

V042 

V043 

V044 

V045 

V046 

V047 

V048 

V049 

V050 

V051 

V052 

V053 

V054 

V055 

V056 

V057 

V058 
V059 
V060 

V061 

V062 

V063 

V064 

V065 

V066 

V067 

V068 

V069 

V070 

V071 

V072 

V073 

V074 

V075 

V076 

V077 

H 

M 

H 

H 

H 

L 

M 

M 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

H 

M 

H 

H 

M 

M 

H 

M 

H 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

PC 

PC 

PC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

PC 

PC 

PC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

PC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

FC 

PC 

FC 

2 Science and Technology statistical data collection in Eurostat 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

103

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                      
EU-
LCS 
FC 
FC 

FC 

FC 
FC 

CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Code  Priority  CVTS  LFS 

EU-
HBS 

EU-
SILC 

V078 
V079 
V080 
V081 
V082 
V083 
V084 
V085 
V086 
V087 
V088 
V089 
V090 
V091 
V092 
V093 
V094 
V095 
V096 
V097 
V098 

H 
M 
M 
M 
L 
L 
M 
M 
H 
H 
M 
L 
L 
H 
H 
H 
M 
M 
M 
L 
M 

FC 
FC 
FC 

FC 
FC 

FC 

PC 

FC 
FC 
FC 
FC 

FC 
FC 
FC 
FC 

FC 
FC 
FC 
FC 

EU-
LMP 

ESSPROS  ESA 
95 

S&T3  UOE 

FC 

Review of information contained in national sources 

The reconciliation of information contained in the international sources with the variables identified as 
being needed to formulate the indicators resulted in a deficit list of variables that could not be met by 
any international data sources. The next step was to reconcile the information contained in the national 
sources  with  the  proposed  list  of  variables  in  order  to  determine  whether  any  of  the  deficit  list  of 
variables can be filled from existing data sources.  

Nevertheless, it is important to explore possibilities of building more comprehensive information on 
education  and  training  and  trying  to  rectify  the  deficit  list  of  variables  identified  using  international 
sources  by  examining  national  sources.  Building  on  the  assessment  of  each  national  data  source,  a 
picture  can  be  developed  on  whether  the  data  source  meets  fully,  partially  or  not  at  all  some  of  the 
requirements  needed  to  be  used  for  international  comparisons.  Amongst  the  important  aspects  that 
need to be looked at carefully is the concepts, definitions, and classifications used in each national data 
source.  

Table 13, contains a reconciliation of information contained in national data sources with the variables 
identified.

3 Science and Technology statistical data collection in Eurostat 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

104

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                      
CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Table 13: Reconciliation of information contained in national data sources with the variables identified 

Country 

Belgium 

Var 
Code 
V001 

V013 

V036 

V039 

Variable 

Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Total budget of 
educational institutions 
by level of education 

Variable available from 
national sources 

Total community 
expenditure on education 
and by type of activity 

Community budget 

Data source of available 
variable 
Annuaire French 
speaking community 

L'enseignement en 
chiffres 
Le développement de 
l'éducation 

Government budget 
given to higher education 
institutions to cover one 
study place 
Public subsidies to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 

V013 

Total budget of 
educational institutions 
by level of education 

Cost per student based 
upon the community 
budget 

Annuaire French 
speaking community 

Total community 
expenditure on loans at 
the secondary and tertiary 
level 

Community budget 

Annuaire French 
speaking community 

L'enseignement en 
chiffres 
Le développement de 
l'éducation 

Comments 

The  community  budget  contains  information  on  the  total 
budget,  the  budget  for  training,  budget  for  scientific  research, 
budget  for teaching and other of only the French Community. 
The  information  on  the  French  community  budget  appears  in 
the  “Annuaire”,  in  “l'enseignement  en  chiffres”  and  in  “le 
dévelopment de l'éducation”. The latter offers expenditure data 
for the period 1989-2004 and data on social promotion, centres 
PMS,  universities  and  distance 
learning,  among  other 
categories.    However,  the  use  of  “l'enseignement  en  chiffres” 
and “le dévelopment de l'éducation” is very limited. 
The  cost  per  student  is  based  upon  the  following:  (i.)  The 
community  budget  for  a  level  or  type  of  education  (ii.)  The 
number of students for a level or type of education. Data on the 
cost per student is available for 1993-2003. 
Data  on  loans  covers  the  French  and  German  Communities. 
Loans are granted at the secondary and tertiary level. Families 
who  have  a  minimum  of  3  children  can  be  granted  an  annual 
loan, at an interest rate of 4%, which they pay back at the end 
of studies. 
The  community  budget  contains  information  on  the  total 
budget,  the  budget  for  training,  budget  for  scientific  research, 
budget for teaching and other of only the French Community. 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

105

 
 
 
CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

Denmark 

Var 
Code 
V001 

V001 
and 
V011 

V006 

V001 

V046 

V001 

V039 

Variable 

Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Number of students by 
level of education 
Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 
Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Cost per graduate 

Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Public subsidies to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 

Variable available from 
national sources 

Public expenditure 

Data source of available 
variable 
Facts and Figures- 
Education indicators - 
Denmark 2002 

Public expenditure per 
pupil 

Facts and Figures- 
Education indicators - 
Denmark 2002 

Public operational 
expenditure 

Ministry of education 
expenditure on HE: total 
and by subject area 

Expenditure per HE 
graduate 

Public expenditure total 
and by type of AE 
programme 

Expenditure on State 
education grant and 
loans: total and broken 
down into: grants; SU-
loans 

Facts and Figures- 
Education indicators - 
Denmark 2002 
Facts and Figures- 
Education indicators - 
Denmark 2002 

Facts and Figures- 
Education indicators - 
Denmark 2002 
Facts and Figures- 
Education indicators - 
Denmark 2002 

Facts and Figures- 
Education indicators - 
Denmark 2002 

Comments 

The data source contains a number of variables which could be 
further  exploited,  in  particular  the  variables  concerning  adult 
education.  Data  come  from  the  Ministry  of  Education  and 
several  variables  are  used  as  input  into  international  data 
sources.  Certain  variables  are  obtained  from  financial  reports 
of educational institutions, and some of the figures reproduced 
in the publication are rounded off.  Data in the publication are 
in 2000 constant prices. Remedial action needs to be taken to 
transform the data into current prices.  
The expenditure data and the expenditure data per pupil or per 
student are broken down by level of education.  
Operational  expenditure  is  a  component  of  the  current 
expenditure.  
The expenditure of the Ministry of education actually refers to 
higher education. Similarly, the public expenditure on teaching 
concerns vocational education and training. 
The expenditures for the individual levels of education do not 
correspond  to  the  total  expenditure  on  education  and  training 
in some cases. This is among other things due to the fact that 
the  survey  given  in  this  section  includes  expenditures  on 
education and training belonging under other ministries as well 
as other forms of educational support than that provided by the 
State education grant and loan scheme. 
The  expenditure  on  higher  education  only  comprises  the 
Ministry of Education's expenditure (allocations) on education 
(capital expenditure is not included).  
It  should  be  noted  that  cost  per  graduate  and  expenditure  per 
graduate are similar concepts but not equivalent.  
To have the allocation per support recipient, broken down into 
grants and SU-loans, it would be necessary to have the number 
of support recipients as it differs from the number of students. 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

106

 
 
 
CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

Finland 

Var 
Code 
V005 

V005 
and 
V011 

V054 

V055 

V013 

V001 

Variable 

Total current expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Total current expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Number of students by 
level of education 
Public subsidies to 
individuals  

Public subsidies to 
individuals  

Total budget of 
educational institutions 
by level of education 
Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Number of students by 
level of education 

V055 

Public subsidies to 
individuals  

Variable available from 
national sources 

Data source of available 
variable 

Current educational 
expenditure 

Education in Finland - 
Statistics and indicators 

Current expenditure per 
student 

Education in Finland - 
Statistics and indicators 

Adult labour market 
training annual statistics 
(Ministry of Labour) 
Adult labour market 
training annual statistics 
(Ministry of Labour) 

Student receiving training 
allowance of labour 
market support 
Cost of social benefits in 
labour market training by 
financing party (Ministry 
of Labour, employers and 
employees) 
Universities’ expenditure 
(chargeable services 
excluded) 
Ministry of Education 
budget 2004 for 
university education and 
research, polytechnic 
education, general 
education, vocational 
education and adult 
education and training 
Student financial aid 

Comments 

Data is only available for 1996 in the English abridged version 
of the Finnish publication. Current educational expenditure and 
current expenditure per student data are derived from Statistics 
Finland. The data represent official statistics and are classified 
according  to  ISCED97.  The  expenditure  information  is  based 
on administrative data from the education authorities and from 
the  National  Accounts  of  Statistics  Finland.  Data  have  been 
converted  into  euros  using  the  rate  fixed  on  1.1.1999  at  1 
EUR=FIM 5.94573. 

Data  are  derived  from  a  number  of  administrative  sources 
including 
the  Government  administration  bookkeeping, 
accounts, the data system URA, and the monitoring system for 
social benefits related to labour market training. 

Finnish universities in 
2002 

Data  are  available  from  2000.  This  publication  only  contains 
the expenditure of universities. 

Ministry of Education 
budget 2004 

Data available from 2002 

Ministry of Education 
budget 2004 

Data available from 2002. The data refer to budget ear-marked 
for student financial aid. 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

107

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

France 

Var 
Code 
V001 

V002 

V001, 
V002 
and 
V011 

V055 

V039 

V040 

V039 

Variable 

Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions 

Total private expenditure 
on educational 
institutions 

Expenditure on 
educational institutions 
by level of education 
Number of students by 
level of education 

Public subsidies given to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 

Public subsidies given to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 
Total public expenditure 
on education 
Total public grants given 
to students in higher 
education institutions 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Income by type of source; 
education ministries; 
other ministries, regional 
bodies; other bodies for 
all education levels 
Income by type of source; 
enterprises; and 
households for all 
education levels 
Expenditure per student 

Data source of available 
variable 

Reperes et references 
statistiques / Le Compte 
de l’éducation 

Reperes et references 
statistiques / Le Compte 
de l’éducation 

Reperes et references 
statistiques  / Le Compte 
de l’éducation 

Reperes et references 
statistiques  

Reperes et references 
statistiques 

Reperes et references 
statistiques 
Reperes et references 
statistiques 

Increase in daily family 
allowance for students 
who are fiscally attached 
to their parents home 
Tax reductions for 
education for students 
pursuing higher education 
Total public expenditure 
on education 
State financial aid to 
students broken down 
into grants; housing 
grants (ALS); personal 
aid (APL); transport 
subsidies 

Comments 

The publication has been annual since 2001. The data contained 
refer to the year of the publication. Additional data is provided 
for some variables for some previous years, in order to examine 
the evolution of educational expenditures. The concept of final 
source of funds is used in this publication. The data provided in 
‘Reperes  et  references  statistiques’  are  compatible  with  the 
ESS,  as  the  figures  are  derived  from  the  satellite  account  of 
education.  The  satellite  account  of  education  uses  the  same 
concepts,  definitions  and  nomenclatures  as  in  the  national 
accounts. However it should be noted that the account collects 
data  of  variable  quality.  For  example  some  data  is  collected 
from the Ministry of Education and thus can be considered as 
accurate,  whereas  other  information  is  collected  from  various 
surveys, such as school transport surveys and household budget 
surveys.   
The variable contained in this data source refers to one type of 
subsidy that is awarded to private individuals.  In this situation 
the subsidy can be classified as a fiscal one. 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

108

 
 
 
Comments 

Every year data from the education account are published for 
the previous 4 years, For example, data in the 2002 publication 
are available for the years 1998-2001. However, data for 1998 
are semi-definitive, and for 1999-2001 the data are provisional. 
The  satellite  account  of  education  uses  the  same  concepts, 
definitions  and  nomenclatures  as  in  the  national  accounts. 
However  it  should  be  noted  that  the  account  collects  data  of 
variable quality. For example some data is collected from the 
Ministry of Education and thus can be considered as accurate, 
whereas  other  information  is  collected  from  various  surveys, 
such  as  school  transport  surveys  and  household  budget 
surveys.    Two  concepts  of  sources  of  funds  are  used  in  the 
satellite account: Final and initial. 

CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

France 

Var 
Code 
V005 

Variable 

Total current expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

V006 

Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 

V007 

Capital expenditure by 
level of education 

V021 

V043 

V013 

V014 

Total expenditure 
incurred by households 

Total revenue of 
universities 

Total budget of 
educational institutions 
by level of education 

Expenditure on the 
purchase of teaching 
materials by level of 
education 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Total current expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by type of 
institution and type of 
activity 
Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down into personnel and 
other by type of 
institution and type of 
activity 
Capital expenditure by 
level of education by type 
of institution and type of 
activity 
Total expenditure by 
households total and by 
type of activity 
Income of public 
universities, private 
government dependent 
universities 
Budget of education 
institutions by type of 
establishment from 
public and private 
sources 
Expenditure of 
educational institutions 
on pedagogical 
documentation 

Data source of available 
variable 
Le Compte de l’éducation 

Le Compte de l’éducation 

Le Compte de l’éducation 

Le Compte de l’éducation 

Le Compte de l’éducation 

Le Compte de l’éducation 

Le Compte de l’éducation 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

109

 
 
 
 
 
CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

Germany 

Var 
Code 
V001 

V013 

V001 
and 
V011 

V006 
and 
V007 

V039 
and 
V055 

Variable 

Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Total budget of 
educational institutions 
by level of education 
Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Number of students by 
level of education 
Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 
Capital expenditure by 
level of education 
Public subsidies to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 
Public subsidies to 
individuals 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Expenditure of public 
budget 

Data source of available 
variable 

Statistics available on 
internet - Federal 
Statistical Office 

Budget for education, 
science and research by 
providing institutions 
Expenditure per pupil, by 
type of school and by 
type of expenditure (staff, 
current, capital) 

Statistics available on 
internet - Federal 
Statistical Office 
Statistics available on 
internet - Federal 
Statistical Office 

Comments 

The  data  sources  for  obtaining  the  budget  for  education  by 
source  for  continuing  vocational  education  and  training  are 
microcensus  and  IW's  surveys  (Institut  der  Deutschen 
Wirtschaft). However, the data.  The data only relate to  

Data  is  only  available  for  2000  and  it  only  relates  to  public 
schools. 

Expenditure by type of 
expenditure (current, 
capital, etc.) 

Statistics available on 
internet - Federal 
Statistical Office 

Data is available from 1992 to 1998 only. The data only refer 
to continuing vocational education and training. 

Basic and structural data 

Expenditure according to 
type of assistance (total; 
of which is loans; and 
average amount granted 
per assisted person) and 
assisted persons 
according to Family 
status and Education and 
training institutions in 
Germany 

The  data  are  provided  in  DM,  thus  if  the  source  was  to  be 
exploited  further  the  data  would  have  to  be  converted  into 
euros.  The  Laender  computer  centres  are  responsible  for 
calculating  the  amounts  of  training  assistance,  which  are 
transmitted to the statistical offices in the form of extracts from 
their  input  data  and  their  calculation  results.  There  may  be 
small  deviations  of  the  expenditure  recorded  in  the  statistics 
from the total of the payments actually made. Such deviations 
may  occur  when  subsequent  payments  are  made  for  the 
preceding  calendar  year  after  the  statistics  have  been  passed 
on. The education budget includes the established expenditure 
by  government  on  the  entire  sector  of  education,  which,  in 
accordance  with  the  definition  given  in  the  General  Plan  for 
Education,  includes  preschool  education  and  out-of-school 
youth  education,  school  and  higher  education,  continuing 
education,  training  assistance  and  research  support  provided 
jointly by the Federal Government and the Laender.  

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

110

 
CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

Germany 

Var 
Code 
V006 
and 
V007 

Variable 

Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 
Capital expenditure by 
level of education 

V055 

Public subsidies to 
individuals 

V055 

Public subsidies to 
individuals 

V001 

V006 
and 
V007 

Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 
Capital expenditure by 
level of education 

V044 

Total revenue of 
universities 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Educational budget by 
type of school:  
Vocational schools; 
Institutions of higher 
education; In-firm 
training ; continuing 
Vocational education and 
training provided by 
companies, private non-
profit organisations; 
central, regional and local 
authorities 
Grants to participants in 
continuing education 
courses from the 
Education budget 
Assistance from Federal 
Employment office to 
participants in Education 
and training courses 
Expenditure by the 
Federal Government, the 
Laender and local 
authorities 
Expenditure by type of 
expenditure: staff; 
operating expenditure; 
Capital investments 

Data source of available 
variable 
Basic and structural data 

Basic and structural data 

Basic and structural data 

Basic and structural data  

Basic and structural data 

Comments 

Expenditure  on  school  includes  that  on  primary  schools, 
secondary  general  schools,  special  schools,  intermediate 
schools, grammar schools, comprehensive schools, vocational 
schools  including  trade  and  technical  schools  as  well  as  the 
outlay for courses, which cannot be assigned to any individual 
type.  Expenditure  on  higher  education 
school 
includes 
expenditure  on  universities,  technical  universities,  university 
hospitals,  colleges  of  education  and  institutions  offering  in-
service  training  for  teachers,  comprehensive  universities, 
colleges  of  art  and  music,  Fachhochschulen  and  on  courses 
which cannot be assigned to any individual type of institution 
of  higher  education.  Expenditure  on  continuing  education 
includes  adult  education  centres, 
training  of 
teachers, initial and continuing in-firm and inter-firm training, 
political education, public libraries, vocational and specialized 
academies  as  well  as  on  other  institutions  of  continuing 
includes 
education.  Expenditure  on  assistance  schemes 
training assistance and other assistance to pupils as well as that 
on pupil transport; the outlay for loans and grants awarded to 
students including other assistance to students and support for 
student accommodation as well as other measures in support of 
education. 

in-service 

Income of higher 
education institutions by 
purpose 

Finanzen der 
hochschulen 

The publication “Finanzen der hochschulen” contains data for 
the period 1995-2002. The publication is annual and contains 
relevant  information  on  the  income  and  expenditure  of  HE 
institutions. 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

111

 
 
 
CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

Ireland 

Var 
Code 
V044 

V044 

V044 

V097 

V001 

Variable 

Revenues of university 
by resource category 

Revenues of university 
by resource category 

Revenues of university 
by resource category 

Public expenditure on 
mobility grants to 
students in higher 
education institutions 

Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

V007 

Capital expenditure by 
level of education 

V001 

Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Recurrent grants by type 

Capital grants by type 

Data source of available 
variable 

Reports Accounts - 
Higher Education 
Authority 
Reports Accounts - 
Higher Education 
Authority 

Research initiative grants  Reports Accounts - 

Comments 

When income from free tuition fees is taken together with state 
recurrent grants, state funding as a percentage of total recurrent 
funding 
for 
approximately 80% for the universities and approximately 90% 
for  the  institutes  of  technology.    Data  is  available  from  1995 
onwards. 

(excluding 

research) 

accounts 

project 

Higher Education 
Authority 
Reports Accounts - 
Higher Education 
Authority 

Statistical report 

The Erasmus grants are only part of the public expenditure on 
mobility  grants  to  students  in  higher  education  institutions. 
Erasmus is a European programme, but the Member States can 
allocate  additional  resources  for  mobility  grants.  Data  is 
available from 1995 onwards. 
Data is available for 1996/1997 to 2001/2002. 

Statistical report 

Capital expenditure on the school building programme refers to 
secondary level and does not include capital expenditure other 
than building. Data is available for 1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

Statistical report 

Only  relates  to    ISCED  level  2  and  3  education.  Data  is 
available for 1996/1997 to 2001/2002. 

Erasmus grants 

Statement of expenditure 
of public funds, including 
staff pay, HEA general 
expenses, HEA grants to 
Universities and colleges, 
etc… Capital expenditure 
Capital expenditure on 
the school building 
programme at second 
level 
Statement of expenditure 
of public funds, including 
staff pay, payments to 
local in respect to 
superannuation charges, 
per capita grants towards 
operating costs of 
secondary schools. 

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CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

Ireland 

Var 
Code 
V039 

Variable 

Public subsidies to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 

V039 

V001 

Public subsidies to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 
Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

Variable available from 
national sources 

Public aid to third level 
students including: 
university scholarships, 
higher education grants - 
tuition fees, and 
maintenance grants, 
scholarships awarded by 
VEC to institutes of 
technology (tuition fees, 
and maintenance fees), 
students on certificate and 
diploma courses in 
institutes of technology 
(tuition fees and 
maintenance grants) 
Financial aid to students 
towards the cost of books 
in second-level education 
Statement of expenditure 
of public funds, including 
staff pay,HEA general 
expenses, HEA grants to 
Universities and colleges, 
etc… Capital expenditure 

Data source of available 
variable 
Statistical report 

Comments 

Data is available for 1996/1997 to 2001/2002. The data refer to 
ISCED level 5 /6 education. 

Statistical report 

Statistical report 

Data is available for 1996/1997 to 2001/2002. The data refer to 
ISCED level 2 and 3 education. 

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CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

Italy 

Var 
Code 
V005 
and 
V007 

V024 

V025 

V004 

Luxembourg 

V001 

Variable 

Variable available from 
national sources 

Data source of available 
variable 

Comments 

Total current expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Capital expenditure by 
level of education 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training by 
level of government 
Total public expenditures 
on education by level of 
education 

Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

Current and capital 
expenditure 

The municipal and 
commune expenditure on 
education in 2000 

The  data  refer  to  pre-primary,  primary,  secondary,  other 
services and professional education. Data is only available for 
1999 and 2000. 

Public funding by type of 
action 
Transfers to regional 
authorities 

Lifelong learning in Italy 
-report 2002 
Lifelong learning in Italy 
-report 2002 

Data available from 1996 to 2000. 

Data available from 1996 to 2000. This does not give a precise 
picture of the total outlays by each level of government. 

Follow-up of the Council 
of the European Union's 
resolution on lifelong 
learning 
Les chiffres clés de 
l'éducation nationale - 
statistiques et indicateurs 
2000-01 (also available 
the 2001-02 edition) 

State expenditure by level 
of education 

Budget for education by 
type of education and/or 
programme (school 
sports, private schools, 
school canteens, adult 
education, Inspectorate, 
pre-primary and primary 
education, secondary, 
technical secondary 
education, professional 
education) 

Data available for 2001 only. 

subsidies 

This  data  source  contains  data  concerning  the  State  budget, 
which is earmarked for public education institutions and grants 
and 
Private 
establishments,  which  are  not  subsidised,  are  not  included  in 
these data. Data are available for the years 1995-2001. 
The use of the data in this source is very limited. 

establishments. 

private 

for 

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Country 

Netherlands 

Variable 

Amounts of the funds 
from the budget for the 
purchase of teaching 
materials 
Government budget 
given to higher education 
institutions to cover one 
study place 
Public subsidies given to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 

Public subsidies given to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 

Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 

Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Actual costs of teaching 

Data source of available 
variable 
Key Figures 2002 

Central government grant 
for teaching, per student 
(Universities) 

Total expenditure on 
student grants and public 
transport passes 

Key Figures 2002 

Key Figures 2002 

Public transport passes 

Key Figures 2002 

Expenditure of type of 
education institutions by 
type: staff costs; 
accommodation; and 
other expenses 
Government expenditure 
by type of education 

Key Figures 2002 

Key Figures 2002 

Total private expenditure 
on educational 
institutions 

Income of educational 
institutions from tuition 
fees + contract work 

Key Figures 2002 

Expenditure on 
educational institutions  

Expenditure per student 

Key Figures 2002 

Var 
Code 
V043 

V036 

V039 

V039 

V006 

V001 

V002 

V001, 
V002, 
and 
V011 

Comments 

The  figures  for  educational  expenditure  and  associated  trends 
presented  in  the  publication  relate  to  the  sectors  of  education 
and  research,  which  appear  in  the  budget  of  the  Ministry  of 
Education,  Culture  and  Science  (OcenW).  The  definitions  are 
primarily  based  on  those  customary  in  the  budget  and  may 
therefore vary slightly from those used in other sources such as 
the  Education  Report.  The 
Statistics  Netherlands  and 
definitions  used 
international  comparisons  are  often 
different. For this reason, the figures presented are not directly 
comparable  with  international  figures,  though  they  can  be 
converted for that purpose. The figures presented are based on 
data  from  the  annual accounts of educational institutions. The 
figures  for  local  government  grants  are  based  on  expenditure 
minus  revenue  in  the  education  sector,  as  determined  on  the 
basis of Statistics Netherlands data.  

in 

This  data  is  collected  from  local  government  accounts. 
Expenditure  for  secondary  education  (VO)  and  senior 
secondary vocational education (MBO) is apportioned in direct 
proportion to central government expenditure. Figures relating 
to  the  years  after  1997  have  been  weighted  to  allow  for  the 
transfer  of  secondary  education  accommodation  costs  to  the 
local  governments.  The 
local  government 
expenditure  and  revenue  are  based  on  total  operational  costs 
plus investment spending. This means that the depreciation on 
capital  goods  (e.g.  buildings)  and  the  investment  in  those  in 
those  goods  are  taken  into  account.  Local  government 
expenditure is not net. Income from tuition fees for universities 
is estimated on the basis of the number of students multiplied 
by the standard tuition fee. It therefore excludes receipts from 
external students.  

figures 

for 

Data is available from 1995 to 2002. The publication is updated 
annually. 

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Country 

Portugal 

Spain 

Var 
Code 
V001 

V024 

V081 

V001 

V024 

V021 

V081 

Variable 

Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 

Total support given by 
employers for employer-
sponsored programs and 
courses, 
Total public expenditures 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 

Total expenditure 
incurred by households 
Total support given by 
employers for employer-
sponsored programs and 
courses 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Government expenditure 
by type of education 
(primary, secondary, 
special, adult, etc) 
Total cost by sector of 
economic activity and 
size of enterprises 
Total cost for enterprises 
by sector of economic 
activity and size of 
enterprises 
Public expenditure by 
type of education 

ESF funds for vocational 
training by type of 
programme 
Household expenditure 
on education 
Expenditure on training 
at work - breakdown of 
labour costs 

Data source of available 
variable 

Comments 

Statistics on education  

Data are only available for 1997. 

Survey on vocational 
training actions 2001 

Survey on vocational 
training actions 2001 

Statistics on public 
expenditure on education 
2000 (Also available the 
2001 edition) 
Anuario 2002 Ministry of 
employment and social 
affairs 
Continous Survey on 
Households Budgets 
Anuario INE 2004 
(Labour Cost Survey) 

The  total  cost  by  sector  of  economic  activity  and  size  of 
enterprises  refers  to  the  cost  of  vocational  training.  Data  are 
only available for 2001. 
Data are only available for 2001. 

Data  are  only  available  for  2000-01.  The  type  of  education 
covered also includes adult education. 

The  ESF  funds  for  vocational  training  are  only  part  of  the 
public  expenditure  on  labour  market  training.  Data  are  only 
available for 2002. 

Expenditure  on  training  at  work  refers  those  resulting  of  the 
provision of knowledge and training in professional techniques 
to  the  company’s  workers  in  benefit  of  the  company.  These 
expenditures  include  maintenance,  preparation  and  equipment 
of buildings and installations devoted to training, payments to 
extra-muros trainers and learning materials. Data is available at 
national and regional level  

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CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

Sweden 

Var 
Code 
V001 

V001 
and 
V011 

V024 

V006 

V039 
and 
V055 

V001 

V006 

V001 
and 
V011 

Variable 

Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Number of students by 
level of education 
Public expenditure on 
labour market training 

Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 
Public subsidies to 
individuals  
Public subsidies to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 
Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 
Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Number of students by 
level of education 

Variable available from 
national sources 

Expenditure 

Data source of available 
variable 
Educational expenditure 
1998-2002 

Expenditure per pupil 

Educational expenditure 
1998-2002 

Comments 

is 

The  publication 
the  methodological 
in  Swedish  and 
information available in English is limited. As the title suggests 
data is available from 1998 to 2002. Data is available in current 
and constant prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was used 
for calculating the constant prices. 
Data is available from 1998 to 2002.The Consumer Price Index 
(CPI) was used for calculating the constant prices. 

Expenditure on 
employment training 

Educational expenditure 
1998-2002 

Expenditure by type 

Educational expenditure 
1998-2002 

Expenditure on study 
support 

Educational expenditure 
1998-2002 

Income of higher 
education intuitions from 
public sources 

  NU-database 

HEI current expenditure 
by type 

NU-database 

Cost per HE student 

NU-database 

Data is available from 1998 to 2002.Data is available in current 
and constant prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was used 
for calculating the constant prices. 
Data is available from 1998 to 2002. 

Data  is  available  from  1998  to  2002.  Expenditure  on  study 
support  concerns  all  levels  of  education,  whereas  variables 
V056  and  V040  refer  only  to  adult  and  higher  education, 
respectively. 

The data refers to higher education only. This official data are 
based, inter alia, on the data collected by the universities’ and 
university  colleges’  study  documentation  systems  and  on  the 
operational  reports  that  they  are  required  to  present.  Data  are 
available  from  1995  to  2002.  All  the  data  presented  are  in 
current prices. 
Data  are  available  from  1995  to  2002.  All  the  data  presented 
are in current prices. 

Data  are  available  from  1995  to  2002.  All  the  data  presented 
are in current prices. 

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Country 

United 
Kingdom 

Variable 

Var 
Code 
V001      Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

V006 

Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 

V039 

Public subsidies to 
individuals for education 
and training purposes 

V041 

Average government 
tuition fee expenditure 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Funding Council Grants 
OST research councils 
UK government bodies, 
health and hospital 
authorities 
EU sources 
Grants from local 
authorities 
Income from health and 
hospital authorities 
Expenditure broken down 
by departments 

Data source of available 
variable 

Resources of higher 
education institutions 
(HESA) 

Resources of higher 
education institutions 
(HESA) 

Total sum borrowed by 
students 
Public expenditure on all 
student awards 
Public expenditure on 
fees 
Public expenditure on 
maintenance grants 
Average LEA/SLC fee 
expenditure per student 

Student support: statistics 
of student support for 
higher education in 
England and Wales 

Student support: statistics 
of student support for 
higher education in 
England and Wales 

V005 
and 
V007 

Total current expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Capital expenditure by 
level of education 

Capital and current 
expenditure by local and 
central government on 
education and learning 

Education and training 
expenditure since 1993-
94 

Comments 

Data  are  available  from  1994/1995  onwards,  and  refer  to  the 
financial year of higher education institutions, that is 1 August 
to  31  July.  Data  is  collected  on  the  total  activities  of  all  UK 
higher education institutions (HEIs) through the annual Finance 
Statistics  Return  (FSR).  The  FSR  provides  details  of  the 
consolidated  income  and  expenditure  account,  balance  sheet 
and cash flow statement. The Accounts are prepared using the 
historical  cost  convention  as  modified  for  the  revaluation  of 
certain  assets.  Where  assets  have  been  revalued,  a  note  of 
Historical  Cost  Surpluses  and  deficit  follows  the  Income  and 
Expenditure Account. The data are validated by HESA in two 
stages.  In  order  to  be  used  within  the  ESS,  some  of  the 
variables  need  to  be  aggregated  together,  based  upon  their 
definitions. The publication contains more detailed information 
and  permits  for  a  micro-level  examination  of  the  income  – 
expenditure  statements  of  higher  education  institutions.  The 
publication covers the entire territory of the United Kingdom. 
The 
individuals  for 
education and training purposes contained in “Student support: 
statistics of student support for higher education in England and 
Wales”  is  disaggregated:  total  sum  borrowed  by  students, 
public expenditure on all student awards, public expenditure on 
fees and public expenditure on maintenance grants.  

information  on  public  subsidies 

to 

This  data  refers  to  the  expenditure  of  Local  Education 
Authorities  and  the  Student  Loan  Company  on  students.  The 
data  source  includes  both  public  and  private  expenditure  on 
tuition fees. Since it includes expenditure of the Student Loan 
Company  that  will  be  paid  back  by  the  students  themselves 
upon completion of studies. 
The  available  data  at  the  national  level  on  capital  and  current 
expenditure  is  not  broken  down  by  level  of  education,  it 
concerns  on  education  and  learning  as  a  whole.  Data  is 
available  from  1993-94  up  to  2001-2002;  it  also  contains 
estimated figures for 2002-2003. 

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Country 

United 
Kingdom 

Variable 

Var 
Code 
V001      Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

V001  

V001  

V001  

Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

Variable available from 
national sources 

Data source of available 
variable 

Comments 

Central government 
expenditure by type of 
program  
Local authorities 
expenditure by type of 
education 
Education expenditure by 
type of expenditure and 
type of school (school 
education) 
HE education expenditure 
by central and local 
government 

Gross revenues 
expenditure by type of 
expenditure (teachers, 
property costs, etc) 

Education and training 
expenditure since 1993-
94 

Data  is  available  from  1993-94  up  to  2001-2002;  it  also 
contains estimated figures for 2002-2003. The types of program 
and  types  of  education  considered  in  “Education  and  training 
expenditure  since  1993-94”  are  schools,  higher  education  and 
further education, adult education, skills and lifelong learning.  

Departmental report 2004 
(Department for 
education and skills) 

Departmental report 2004 
(Department for 
education and skills) 

Expenditure on school 
education in Scotland 
2003 

Data are available from 1998/1999 to 2002/2003. 

Data are available from 1998/1999 to 2002/2003. 

The data are available from 1996/1997 to 2001/2002. However, 
the  publication  is  limited  in  coverage  to  only  Scotland.  
Sources: annual budgeted running cost information is provided 
to  the  Scottish  Executive  by  the  education  authorities,  and 
managers  of  grant-aided  and self-governing schools. The total 
budgeted running cost relates to the period 1st April 2003 to 31st 
March 2004, and similarly for previous years. In order to obtain 
the total expenditure it is necessary to add all different types of 
expenditure.    This  information  is  available  for  pre-school, 
primary  education,  secondary  education,  special  education, 
other vocational education and community education. 

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CChhaapptteerr  44::  GGeenneerraall  rreevviieeww  ooff  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Country 

United 
Kingdom 

Variable 

Var 
Code 
V001      Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

V001      Total public expenditure 
on educational 
institutions by level of 
education 

V006 

Current expenditure by 
level of education broken 
down by type 

Variable available from 
national sources 
Expenditure of higher 
education institutions by 
activity (academic 
department, academic 
services, admin & central 
services, premises, 
residence & catering ops, 
research grants & 
contracts, other) 
Expenditure of further 
education institutions 

Expenditure of higher 
education institutions by 
category( staff costs, 
depreciation, other 
operating expenses, 
interest payable) 

Data source of available 
variable 
Higher education, further 
education and training 
statistics in Wales: 
2000/01 (also available 
previous editions) 

Higher education, further 
education and training 
statistics in Wales: 
2000/01 (also available 
previous editions) 
Higher education, further 
education and training 
statistics in Wales: 
2000/01 (also available 
previous editions) 

Comments 

The  data  in  “Higher  education,  further  education  and  training 
statistics in Wales: 2000/01” are derived from the HESA data. 
In this publication the expenditure data on higher education is 
broken down by type of expenditure, thus a simple aggregation 
gives the total. 

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Situation with available information by policy area 

Sixteen  policy  areas  were  identified  for  which  statistical  indicators  were  proposed  in  order  to  meet 
needs  in  each  area.  For  each  of  the  policy  areas  identified  a  summary  is  given  concerning  the 
availability of information that exists in terms of variables available in international data sources. 

A  Resources devoted to education 
Eleven  indicators  were  identified  to  meet  the  policy  need  of  more  information  on  the  resources 
devoted to education.  Overall, it was found that existing ESS data collections collect information that 
can cover most of the variables needed for the indicators in this policy area by ISCED level, in other 
words  formal  education.  Nevertheless,  it  should  be  noted  that  information  gaps exist concerning the 
resources devoted to adult education. Since ESS data collections collect information by ISCED level, a 
proportion  of  adult  education,  which  is  not  definable  by  ISCED  level,  is  automatically  excluded.  In 
addition, it was found that data for a number of variables is either not available in any ESS source or it 
is  only  partially  available.    For  example  data  on  the  number  of  educational  establishments  is  not 
available  in  any  ESS  source,  whereas  data  on  the  total  expenditure  incurred  by  households  on 
education  is  only  partially  covered  in  the  EU  Harmonised  HBS  because  it  only  collects  data  on 
educational services. 

Code 

A.1 

A.2 

Indicator 

Relative  proportions  of  public 
and  private  expenditure  on 
educational  institutions  for  all 
levels of education 
Public expenditure on education 
transferred 
educational 
to 
institutions  and  public  transfers 
the  private  sector  as  a 
to 
percentage 
total  public 
expenditure  on  education,  by 
level of education 

of 

A.3 

Distribution  of  total  and  current 
educational 
expenditure 
on 
from  public  and 
institutions 
private  sources,  by 
resource 
category and level of education 

Var 
no 
V001 

V002 

V001 

V003 

V004 

V005 

Variables 

Availability 

Total  public  expenditures 
on educational institutions 
Total  private  expenditures 
on educational institutions 
Total  public  expenditures 
on  educational  institutions 
by level of education 
Total  public  transfers  to 
the  private  sector  by  level 
of education 
Total  private  expenditures 
on  education  by  level  of 
education 
Total  current  expenditure 
on  educational  institutions 
by level of education 

Only available in UOE by 
ISCED level  
Only available in UOE by 
ISCED level  
Only available in UOE by 
ISCED level  

Only available in UOE by 
ISCED level  

Only available in UOE by 
ISCED level  

Only available in UOE by 
ISCED level  

V006  Current  expenditure  by 
level  of  education  broken 
down by type 

V007  Capital 

expenditure  by 

level of education 

Only available in UOE by 
ISCED level  

Only available in UOE by 
ISCED level  

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Code 

A.4 

Indicator 

Expenditure  on  institutions  by 
service category as a percentage 
of GDP 

Var 
no 
V008 

V009 

A.5 

Expenditure  per 
student  on 
instruction,  ancillary  services 
and research and development 

A.6 

Amounts  of  the  funds  from  the 
budget 
the  purchase  of 
teaching  materials  by  level  of 
education 

for 

A.7 

Ratio  of  students  to  teaching 
staff  in  educational  institutions 
by level of education 

A.8 

Proportion 
educational 
of 
establishments with a permanent 
internet connection 

A.9 

costs  of  building 
Average 
maintenance  per  student  in  the 
renovated 
educational 
establishments  before  and  after 
renovation. 

Variables 

Availability 

V010  National GDP 
V011  Number  of  students 

Expenditure 
by 
educational  institutions  on 
instruction,  research  and 
development  (R&D)  and 
ancillary 
in 
educational institutions 
Private 
educational 
purchased 
educational institutions 

expenditure  on 
goods 
outside 

services 

services 

in 
educational  institutions  by 
level of education 
Expenditure on instruction, 
ancillary 
and 
research and development 
Total 
of 
educational  institutions  by 
level of education 
Expenditure 
purchase 
of 
materials  by 
education 

the 
teaching 
level  of 

budget 

on 

V012 

V013 

V014 

V011  Number  of  students 

in 
educational  institutions  by 
level of education 
V015  Number  of  teaching  staff 
educational  institutions  by 
level of education 
V016  Number  of  educational 

establishments 

V017  Number  of  educational 
a 
internet 

establishments  with 
permanent 
connection 

V018  Average  costs  of  building 
before 

maintenance 
renovation 

V019  Average  costs  of  building 
after 

maintenance 
renovation 

V011  Number  of  students 

in 
educational  institutions  by 
level of education 

Fully available in UOE 

Available in UOE 

Fully available in ESA95 
Fully available in UOE 

Fully available in UOE 

Fully available in UOE 

Not  available  in  any  ESS 
source 

Fully available in UOE 

Fully available in UOE 

Not  available  in  any  ESS 
source 
Not  available  in  any  ESS 
source 

Not  available  in  any  ESS 
source 

Not  available  in  any  ESS 
source 

Fully available in UOE 

A.10  Average 

expenditure 

per 
household  on  education  and 
percentage 
households 
of 
incurring education expenditures 

V020 

V021 

V022 

number 

of 
incurring 

Total 
households 
education expenditures 
Total  expenditure  incurred 
by households 
Total 
households 

number 

of 

A.11  University 

expenditures 

on 

V023  University expenditures on 

R&D as a percentage of GDP 

R&D 
V010  National GDP 

Available 
Harmonised HBS 

in 

the  EU 

in 

the  EU 

Partially  covered  in  the 
EU Harmonised HBS 
Available 
Harmonised HBS 
To  be  collected  in  the 
UOE. 
Fully available in ESA95 

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B  Resources devoted to labour market training and vocational guidance and counselling 

for the unemployed and other target groups 

Five  indicators  were  proposed  for  this  policy  area.  Data  is  either  not  available  or  only  in  any  ESS 
source  for  a  number  of  variables.  However,  two  variables  where  data  is  not  collected  by  any  ESS 
source  public  expenditure  on  labour  market  training  for  men  and  women  can  be  estimated  from  the 
data on stocks and flows collected in the EU-LMP database. In the case of the variable, V029 data is 
only partially available in the EU-LMP database, but this is because of the difficulty Member States 
have in estimating this information. 

Code 

B.1 

B.2 

B.3 

B.4 

B.5 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Public  expenditure  on  labour 
market  training  as  a  %  of 
GDP 
Public  expenditure  on  labour 
market  training  broken  down 
by level of government 
Public  expenditure  on  labour 
market  training  broken  down 
by sex 

Public  expenditure  on  labour 
market training as a % of total 
expenditure  on  active  labour   
market polices 
on 
Public 
and 
vocational 
the 
counselling 
unemployed  and  other  at  risk 
groups 

expenditure 
guidance 
to 

V024  Public expenditure on labour 

Available in the EU-LMP 

market training 
V010  National GDP 
V025  Public expenditure on labour 
market  training  by  level  of 
government 

V026  Public expenditure on labour 

market training for men 

V027  Public expenditure on labour 

market training for women 

V024  Public expenditure on labour 

market training 

V029  Public 

V028  Total  public  expenditure  on 
active labour market policies 
on 
expenditure 
and 
vocational  guidance 
the 
counselling 
unemployed  and  other  at 
risk groups 

to 

Fully available in ESA95 
Not  available 
source 

in  any  ESS 

in  any  ESS 
Not  available 
source,  but  can  be  estimated 
from stocks and flow data 
Not  available 
in  any  ESS 
source,  but  can  be  estimated 
from stocks and flow data 
Fully available in the EU-LMP 

Fully available in the EU-LMP 

Partial  coverage  in  the  EU-
LMP 

C  Improvement of opportunities for the unemployed by offering education / training 
Three indicators were proposed for this policy area.  Data is available in ESS sources for almost all of 
the  variables  in  this  policy  area  with  the  exception  of one variable V031 ‘Number of labour market 
training  participants  whose  previous  status  was  registered  unemployed  who  found  a  job’.  In 
consequence,  the  information  for  indicator  C.1  cannot  be  met  with  information  collected  from  ESS 
sources.  It  should  be  mentioned  that  an  examination  of  national  data  sources  revealed  that  the 
information collected in this area varies widely between Member States. Some Member States do not 
collect any information on this variable. 

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Code 

C.1 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Percentage of unemployed job 
training participants employed 
after completion of program. 

status 

V030  Number  of  labour  market 
training  participants  whose 
previous 
was 
registered unemployed 
V031  Number  of  labour  market 
training  participants  whose 
was 
previous 
registered  unemployed  who 
found a job 

status 

C.2 

Percentage  of  the  registered 
unemployed  who  undertake 
labour market training. 

V030  Number  of  labour  market 
training  participants  whose 
previous 
was 
registered unemployed 

status 

V032  Number 

of 

registered 

unemployed 

C.3 

Number 
registered 
of 
unemployed  who  move  into 
labour 
training 
market 
measures 

V030  Number  of  labour  market 
training  participants  whose 
previous 
was 
registered unemployed 

status 

Fully available in the EU-LMP 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

Fully available in the EU-LMP 

Fully  available 
sources 
Fully available in the EU-LMP 

in  national 

D  Resources devoted to higher education 
The study revealed that the information collected in ESS data collections does not fulfil all the data 
requirements needed for the indicators in this particular policy area. In particular, data is not collected 
in any ESS source to meet the information needs of indicators D1, D.2, D.3, D.5 and D.6.  

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Code 

D.1 

as 

Average  pay  of  academic 
compared  with 
staff, 
average 
pay  of  persons 
working in the public sector 

D.2 

Cost  of  one  study  place 
covered  by  the  government 
budget 

D.3 

Cost  of  one  study  place 
covered by the individual 

D.4 

Public subsidies to the private 
sector as a percentage of total 
public 
on 
education and GDP 

expenditure 

V033  Average  pay  of  academic 
type  of  higher 

staff  by 
education institution 
V034  Average  pay  of  persons 
working in the public sector 
V035  Cost  of  one  study  place  by 
type  of  higher  education 
institution 

V036  Government budget given to 
higher  education institutions 
to cover one study place 

V035  Cost  of  one  study  place  by 
type  of  higher  education 
institution 

V037  Cost  of  studies  charged  to 
individuals by type of higher 
education institution 
V039  Public  subsidies  given  to 
enterprises for education and 
training purposes 

V039  Public  subsidies  given  to 
for  education 

individuals 
and training purposes 
V040  Total  public  expenditure  on 

education 

V010  National GDP 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

available 

Not 
international source 
Not 
international source 

available 

in 

in 

any 

any 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

Available in the UOE 

Available in the UOE 

Fully  available  in  the  UOE  by 
ISCED level 
Fully available in ESA95 

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Code 

D.5 

D.6 

D.7 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Average  government  tuition 
fee expenditure per student 

V041  Average  government  tuition 

fee expenditure 

V011  Number  of 

students 

in 
educational  institutions  by 
level of education 

available 

Not 
international source 
Fully available in UOE 

in 

any 

Amounts  of  the  funds  from 
the budget for the purchase of 
teaching materials. 

revenues 

University 
by 
source,  as  a  percentage  of 
total revenue 

V042  Total  budget  of  higher 
education institutions 
V043  Expenditure on the purchase 
of 
in 
teaching  materials 
higher education institutions 
V044  Total revenue of universities 

V045  Revenues  of  university  by 

resource category 

Fully available in UOE 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

Fully available in UOE 

E  Efficiency of undergraduate programmes in higher education institutions 
Overall most of the data requirements needed to provide information in this policy area have been met, 
or will be met in the near future with the forthcoming EU-SILC data collection.  However, data is not 
available in any ESS source on the following variable: ‘Number of students who do not continue their 
studies following year of entry - full-time first degree entrants’. 

Code 

E.1 

E.2 

E.3 

E.4 

E.5 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

per 

Cost 
compared 
student 

to 

graduate 
as 
the  cost  per 

V046  Cost per graduate 
V047  Cost per student 
V048  Expenditure 

of 

Fully available in UOE 
Fully available in UOE 
Fully available in UOE 

higher 

Number  of  diplomas  and 
degrees 
and 
graduation  rates,  by  level  of 
education 

granted 

degrees 

Number  of  persons  with 
academic 
and 
qualifications 
professional 
who  have  actually  taken  up 
jobs 
Average employment income, 
by  age  group  and  education 
level 
Non-continuation 
following 
year  of  entry  -  full-time  first 
degree entrants 

education institutions 
V049  Number  of  diplomas  and 
degrees  granted  by  higher 
education institutions 

Fully available in UOE 

V050  Number  of  persons  with 
academic 
and 
professional  qualifications 
who  have  actually  taken  up 
jobs 

degrees 

V051  Average 

employment 
income,  by  age  group  and 
education level 

V052  Number  of  students  who  do 
not  continue  their  studies 
following  year  of  entry  - 
degree 
first 
full-time 
entrants 

Fully available in the LFS  

Should  be  available  in  EU-
SILC 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

F  Quality assurance meet labour market needs in higher education 
None of the ESS data collections evaluated contain information can meet the data requirements needed 
for the indicators in this policy area. V054 refers to study programmes such as those given in “Further 
Education” in the UK. Given the scope and objectives of existing ESS sources, it is inevitable that the 

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data is not available in any ESS source for variables V054 and V099 since collecting this type of data 
would be outside the scope of the collection. 

Code 

F.1 

F.2 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Proportion of students in non-
university 
(non-academic) 
study programmes 

Number  of  studies  made  by 
education 
higher 
concerning 
organisations 
education quality 

V053  Number  of 

students 

in 

Fully available in UOE 

higher education 

V054  Number  of  students  in  non-
(non-academic) 

university 
study programmes 
V099  Number  of  studies  made  by 
education 
concerning 

higher 
organisations 
education quality 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

G  Resources devoted to adult education 
Overall  existing  ESS  sources  can  provide  most  of  the  information  required  for  this  policy  area. 
However, data is not available to fulfil the information requirements of the headline indicator in this 
policy area, G.1.  Data is not available in any ESS source on the public subsidies given to adults for 
education  and  training.  Focusing  the  collection  of  information  on  education  by  ISCED  level  has 
resulted  in  information  gaps  in  this  area.  Subsidies  to  adults  for  education  exist  in  a  number  of 
different  forms  from  loans  like  the  ‘Career  Development  Loan’  in  the  UK  to  ‘Special  adult 
study/training grants’ in Sweden, career – breaks in Denmark.  

Code 

G.1 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Public subsidies to individuals 
as a percentage of total public 
expenditure  on  education  and 
GDP 

V055  Public 

subsidies 

to 

individuals 

V040  Total  public  expenditure  on 

education 

V010  National GDP 

in  any  ESS 

Not  available 
source 
Fully  available  in  UOE  by 
ISCED level 
Fully available in ESA95 

LFS  can  provide  information 
regarding the duration. 
LFS  can  provide  information 
on this variable. 

V057  Number 

V056  Number  of  hours  spent  on 
adult education and training 
adults 
adult 
training 

participating 
education 
outside regular education 

and 

of 

in 

V058  Total adult population 

Fully available in LFS 

V058  Total adult population 

Fully available in LFS 

V059  Number 

of 

adults 
participating 
adult 
education  and  training  by 
age group 

in 

V060  Number 

of 

adults 
participating 
adult 
education  and  training  by 
study orientation 

in 

LFS  can  provide  information 
on this variable. 

LFS  can  provide  information 
on this variable. 

G.2  Mean annual number of hours 
spent  on  adult  education  and 
training  per  participant  and 
per capita 

G.3 

of 

adult 
Percentage 
population  participating 
in 
education and training, by age 
group  and  study  orientation, 
and  mean  hours  of  study,  by 
age group 

V061  Mean hours of study by age 

group 

LFS  can  provide  information 
on this variable. 

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H  Improvement of adult education opportunities 
It was found that this policy area was not particularly well served in any ESS source. It is inevitable 
that the data is not available in any ESS source for variable V062, and is only partially available for 
V063, since it would be considered to be outside the scope of any ESS source to collect such data. 

Code 

H.1 

H.2 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Number  of  further  education 
programmes offered by higher 
education organisation 
of 
Number 
different  age  groups  who  are 
acquiring  further  education 
programmes 

persons 

of 

V062  Number of further education 
by 

programmes 
higher education institution 

offered 

V063  Number  of  persons  of 
different age groups who are 
acquiring  further  education 
programmes 

available 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

LFS  can  be  used  to  provide 
some of this information. 

I  Efficiency of investments made in adult education  
Six indicators were proposed to cover this particular policy area. However, information contained in 
the ESS is only able to fully meet the information requirements for two indicators. It is important to 
note  that  the  despite  information  being  available  on  variables  V066,  and  V067  in  the  LFS  ad  hoc 
module on lifelong learning, the module is a one-off collection with data only being available for one 
year. Collecting data on variable V065 is not within the objectives and scope of existing ESS sources. 
Code 

Availability 

Variables 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

I.1 

I.2 

I.3 

I.4 

I.5 

I.6 

in 

Growth 
the  number  of 
adults having acquired a basic 
qualification (ISCED level 2) 

in 

Growth 
the  number  of 
adults having acquired a basic 
qualification who dropped out 
of 
any 
school  without 
qualifications 

in 

Growth 
adults 
language courses 

the  number  of 
in 

participating 

Growth in the number of adult 
participating in ICT courses 

Growth 
adults in evening courses 

the  number  of 

in 

Decrease  in  the  number  of 
adults  who  have  not  received 
a  basic  education  and  a 
professional qualification 

Fully available in the LFS 

Not  available 
source 

in  any  ESS 

Available  in  the  LFS  ad  hoc 
module 

Available  in  the  LFS  ad  hoc 
module 

Not  available 
source 

in  any  ESS 

Available in the LFS 

V064  Change  in  the  number  of 
adults  having  acquired  a 
basic  qualification  (ISCED 
level  2)  from  the  previous 
year (t-1) 

V065  Change  in  the  number  of 
adults,  having  acquired  a 
basic  qualification  from  the 
previous  year  (t-1),  who 
were  enrolled  to  continue 
their  education  (i.e.  second 
chance),  since  they  dropped 
out  of  school  without  any 
qualifications 

participating 

V066  Change  in  the  number  of 
in 
adults 
language  courses  from  the 
previous year (t-1) 
V067  Change  in  the  number  of 
adults  participating  in  ICT 
courses  from  the  previous 
year (t-1) 

V068  Change  in  the  number  of 
in 
the 

adults 
participating 
evening  course  from 
previous year (t-1) 
V069  Change  in  the  number  of 
adults  who 
not 
received  a  basic  education 
professional 
and 
qualification 
the 
from 
previous year (t-1) 

have 

a 

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J Improving access to vocational education 
Data  needed  to  fulfil  the  requirements  of  the  indicators  in  this  policy  area  are  fully  covered  in  ESS 
sources. 

Code 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

J.1 

J.2 

students 

of 
education 

of 

Number 
professional 
establishments 
Number of apprentices 

V070  Number  of 
professional 
establishments 
V071  Number of apprentices 

students  of 
education 

Available in the UOE 

Fully available in the LCS 

K  Resources devoted to training by enterprises 
Eight indicators were proposed to cover this policy area. Information in the ESS was not adequate to 
cover only one indicator K.6. This is because the one ESS source collecting this type of information, 
the CVTS only partially covers the information needed for variable V081. The CVTS does not collect 
financial data on open and distance learning materials and courses and other forms of CVT.  

Code 

K.1 

K.2 

K.3 

K.4 

K.5 

Indicator 

of 

Number 
in 
continuing vocational training 
courses per employee 

hours 

of 

Number 
in 
continuing vocational training 
courses per participant 

hours 

Participants  in  CVT  courses 
as  a  percentage  of  employees 
in  all  enterprises  (total  and 
broken down by sex) 

Var 
no 
V072 

Variables 

Availability 

of 

Number 
continuing 
training courses 

hours 
in 
vocational 

Fully available in the CVTS 

V073  Number of employees 

Fully available in the CVTS 

V072 

of 

Number 
continuing 
training courses 

hours 
in 
vocational 

Fully available in the CVTS 

V074  Number  of  participants  in 

Fully available in the CVTS 

CVT courses 

V074  Number  of  participants  in 

Fully available in the CVTS 

CVT courses 

V075  Number 

female 
of 
participants in CVT courses 
V076  Number of male participants 

in CVT courses 

Fully available in the CVTS 

Fully available in the CVTS 

V077  Total  number  of  employees 

Fully available in the CVTS 

in all enterprises 

Enterprises 
providing 
continuing vocational training 
courses  as  a  percentage of all 
enterprises 

V078  Total  number  of  enterprises 
continuing 

providing 
vocational training courses 
V079  Total number of enterprises 

Fully available in the CVTS 

Fully available in the CVTS 

Enterprises  providing  other 
forms  of 
a 
percentage of all enterprises 

training 

as 

V080  Enterprises  providing  other 

Fully available in the CVTS 

forms of training 

V079  Total number of enterprises 

Fully available in the CVTS 

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Code 

K.6 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Percentage  of  the  type  of 
supports  given  by  employers 
employer-sponsored 
for 
programs  and  courses,  by 
types of jobs (full-time / part-
time) 

V081  Total 

support  given  by 
employers 
for  employer-
sponsored  programs  and 
courses. 

V082  Support given by employers 
for 
employer-sponsored 
programs  and  courses  by 
full-time jobs 

V083  Support given by employers 
for 
employer-sponsored 
programs  and  courses  by 
part-time jobs 

K.7 

K.8 

Expenditure  on  wages  and 
salaries of apprentices 

Enterprises  expenditure  on 
social 
for 
apprentices 

contributions 

V084  Employers  expenditure  on 
of 
and 

salaries 

wages 
apprentices 

V085  Enterprises  expenditure  on 
for 

contributions 

social 
apprentices 

Partially available in the CVTS 

Fully available in the CVTS 

Fully available in the CVTS 

Fully available in the LCS 

Fully available in the LCS 

L Individual resources devoted to lifelong learning 
Data  availability  in  this  policy  area  is  only  partial;  despite  the  fact  that  only  one  indicator  has  been 
proposed. The LFS only collects information related to the duration of education/training. 

Code 

L.1 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

spent 

Time 
undertaking 
education/training 

by 

adults 

V086  Number  of  hours  spent  by 
undertaking 

adults 
education/training 

Some  information  available  in 
the  LFS  relating to duration of 
education/ training 

M Lifelong learning 
There is full coverage for the data available from ESS sources in this policy area. 
Var 
Code 
no 

Variables 

Indicator 

Availability 

M.1 

Lifelong learning in collective 
agreements 

V087  Number 

of 

collective 

Fully available in the CVTS 

agreements on CVT 

N  Integration of students with special needs in education 
Three indicators were proposed to cover this policy area, however none of the ESS sources evaluated 
contained  information  to  fully  satisfy  the  information  requirements  of  any  of  these  indicators.  ESS 
sources such as the UOE data collection collect data on the entire student population in education and 
training,  and  not  on  specific  groups  in  society  such  as  the  disabled.  It  should  be  noted  that  the  EU-
LMP database collects data on disabled persons undertaking labour market training, however this data 
does not fulfil the data requirements needed for this policy area. 

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Code 

N.1 

N.2 

N.3 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

Proportion  of  students  with 
in 
disabilities 
of 
education 
education 

integrated 
level 
by 

V011  Number  of 

students 

in 
educational  institutions  by 
level of education 

V088  Number of disabled students 
by level of education 

students 

educational 
to 
adapted 
with 

Number 
of 
establishments 
receive 
disabilities 
Number  of  students  with 
disabilities 
higher 
education programmes. 

in 

V089  Number 

of 
establishments  adapted 
receive 
disabilities 

educational 
to 
with 

students 

V090  Number  of  students  with 
higher 

disabilities 
education programmes. 

in 

Fully available in the UOE 

Some  data  is  available  in  the 
SENDDD  database  (OECD) 
which  relates  to  ISCED  levels 
1- 3 
Not 
international source 

collected 

any 

in 

collected 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

O Adult literacy and basic skills 
The  information  that  is  required  to  satisfy  the  requirements  for  this  policy  area  can  be  met  with  the 
data that is collected from the Labour Force Survey, and the International Adult Literacy Survey. 

Code 

O.1 

O.2 

O.3 

O.4 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

the 

Percentage 
adult 
of 
population  aged  16-65  at  the 
lowest  and  highest  levels  of 
literacy 

V091 Number  of  adults  16-65  at 

the lowest levels of literacy 

V092 Number  of  adults  16-65  at 
the highest levels of literacy 

V093 Number of adults 16-65 

Available  in  sources  such  as 
ALS 
Available  in  sources  such  as 
ALS 
Available 
census’s 
Fully available in LFS 

in  ALS,  national 

of 

Level 
educational 
attainment,  population  aged 
25 to 64 
Population  aged  25  to  64,  by 
highest  level  of  educational 
attainment and sex 

Distribution of the population 
aged  25  to  64,  by  highest 
educational 
of 
level 
attainment and age group 

V094  Level 

of 

educational 
attainment,  population  aged 
25 to 64 

V094 Population aged 25 to 64, by 
highest  level  of  educational 
attainment 

Fully available in LFS 

V095 Population aged 25 to 64, by 

Fully available in LFS 

sex 

V094 Population aged 25 to 64, by 
highest  level  of  educational 
attainment 

V096 Population aged 25 to 64, by 
highest  level  of  educational 
attainment by age group 

Fully available in LFS 

Fully available in LFS 

P  Increasing mobility and exchange 
Two indicators to cover this policy area were proposed. Neither of the indicators proposed could be 
met  with  the  information  that  is  collected  in  any  ESS  source.  Currently  information  on  grants  to 
students in higher education is covered by the UOE data collection, however it does record national 
expenditure on promoting mobility for students. 

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Code 

P.1  

P.2 

Indicator 

Var 
no 

Variables 

Availability 

expenditure 

Public 
on 
mobility  grants  to  students  in 
higher education institutions 

expenditure 

Public 
on 
mobility  grants  to  students  in 
higher  education  institutions 
as  a  percentage  of  the  total 
grants given to students 

V097  Public 

expenditure 

on 
mobility  grants  to  students 
in 
education 
institutions 

higher 

V097 Public 

expenditure 

on 
mobility  grants  to  students 
education 
in 
institutions 

higher 

collected 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

collected 

Not 
international source 

in 

any 

V098 Total  public  grants  given  to 
students  in  higher  education 
institutions 

Fully available in the UOE 

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CChhaapptteerr  
55  

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CChhaapptteerr  55::  SSiittuuaattiioonn  rreeppoorrtt  oonn  tthhee  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

 Situation report on the key variables 

Introduction 

In the process of reconciling information contained in the European statistical system’s data sources 
with the variables needed to construct the key indicators, four key observations were made.  The main 
scenarios presented are that the data source: 

•  Contained the information required for the variable; 
•  Contained information, however it did not satisfy or comply with the required concepts needed 

to meet the requirements of the variable; 

•  Contained out-of-date information; 
•  Contained data, which are missing for some (key) Member States of the European Union. 

In this section, a close look is taken on the situation with the required variables as they compare with 
what currently exist. The main part of the section looks at the individual variables. 

Classification of variables by type 

Table  14  classifies  each  variable  according  to  whether  the  type  of  information  that  it  is  collecting 
relates  to  the  public  or  private  sector.  Each  variable  has  been  classified  according  to  one  of  the 
following groups: 

Type I  - Public  
Central, regional and local government, and other international funds such as the EU. 
Type II - Other private entities  
Includes  private  businesses  and  non-profit  organisations,  including  religious  organisations, 
charitable organisations and business and labour associations. 
Type III - Households  
Includes students and their families. 
Type IV - Neither  
The variable does not fit into any of the above categories. 

Table 14: Classification of variables by type of information being collected 

Variable title 

Total  public  expenditures  on  educational  institutions  by 
level of education 
Total  private  expenditures  on  educational  institutions  by 
level of education 
Total  public  transfers  to  the  private  sector  by  level  of 
education 
Total  public  expenditures  on  education  by  level  of 
education 
Total  current  expenditure  on  educational  institutions  by 
level of education 

Var 
code 

Public  Other 
private 
entities 

V001 

X 

Households 

Neither 

V002 

V003 

V004 

V005 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

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Variable title 

incurring  education 

Current expenditure by level of education broken down by 
type 
Capital expenditure by level of education 
Expenditure  on  educational  institutions  on  instruction, 
R&D and ancillary services in educational institutions 
Private  expenditure  on  educational  goods  purchased 
outside educational institutions 
National GDP 
Number of students by level of education 
Expenditure on instruction, ancillary services and research 
and development 
Total  budget  of  educational  institutions  by  level  of 
education 
Expenditure on the purchase of teaching materials by level 
of education 
Number  of  teaching  staff  in  educational  institutions  by 
level of education 
Number of educational establishments 
Number  of  educational  establishments  with  a  permanent 
internet connection 
Average costs of building maintenance before renovation 
Average costs of building maintenance after renovation 
Total  number  of  households 
expenditures 
Total education expenditure incurred by households 
Total number of households 
University expenditures on R&D 
Public expenditure on labour market training 
Public  expenditure  on  labour  market  training  by  level  of 
government 
Public expenditure on labour market training for men 
Public expenditure on labour market training for women 
Total public expenditure on active labour market policies 
Public expenditure on vocational guidance and counselling 
to the unemployed and other at risk groups 
Number  of  labour  market  training  participants  whose 
previous status was registered unemployed 
Number  of  labour  market  training  participants  whose 
previous  status  was  registered  unemployed  who  found  a 
job 
Number of registered unemployed 
Average pay of academic staff by type of higher education 
institution 
Average pay of persons working in the public sector 
Cost  of  one  study  place  by  type  of  higher  education 
institution 
Government budget given to higher education institutions 
to cover one study place 
Cost of studies charged to individuals by type of higher 
education institution 
Public subsidies given to enterprises for education and 
training purposes in higher education 
Public  subsidies  given  to  individuals  for  education  and 
training purposes 

Var 
code 

V006 

V007 
V008 

V009 

V010 
V011 
V012 

V013 

V014 

V015 

V016 
V017 

V018 
V019 
V020 

V021 
V022 
V023 
V024 
V025 

V026 
V027 
V028 
V029 

V030 

V031 

V032 
V033 

V034 
V035 

V036 

V037 

V038 

V039 

Public  Other 
private 
entities 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

Households 

Neither 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

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Variable title 

Var 
code 

Public  Other 
private 
entities 

Households 

Neither 

V052 

V051 

V050 

V053 
V054 

V055 
V056 
V057 

V040 
V041 
V042 
V043 

V044 
V045 
V046 
V047 
V048 
V049 

Total public expenditure on education 
Average government tuition fee expenditure 
Total budget of higher education institutions 
Expenditure  on  the  purchase  of  teaching  materials  in 
higher education institutions 
Total revenue of universities 
Revenues of university by resource category 
Cost per graduate 
Cost per student 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
Number  of  diplomas  and  degrees  granted  by  higher 
education institutions 
Number  of  persons  with  academic  degrees  and 
professional qualifications who have actually taken up jobs 
Average employment income, by age group and education 
level 
Number  of  students  who  do  not  continue  their  studies 
following year of entry - full-time first degree entrants 
Number of students in higher education 
Number  of  students  in  non-university  (non-academic) 
study programmes 
Public subsidies to individuals 
Number of hours spent on adult education and training 
Number  of  adults  participating  in  adult  education  and 
training outside the regular education system 
Total adult population 
Number  of  adults  participating  in  adult  education  and 
training by age group 
Number  of  adults  participating  in  adult  education  and 
training by study orientation 
Mean hours of study by age group 
Number  of  further  education  programmes  offered  by 
higher education institution 
Number of persons of different age groups who are 
acquiring further education  
Change  in  the  number  of  adults  having  acquired  a  basic 
qualification (ISCED level 2) from the previous year (t-1) 
Change  in  the  number  of  adults,  having  acquired  a  basic 
qualification  from  the  previous  year  (t-1),  who  were 
enrolled  to  continue  their  education  (i.e.  second  chance), 
since they dropped out of school without any qualifications 
Change  in  the  number  of  adults  participating  in  language 
courses from the previous year (t-1) 
Change  in  the  number  of  adults  participating  in  ICT 
courses from the previous year (t-1) 
Change  in  the  number  of  adults  participating  in  evening 
course from the previous year (t-1) 
Change  in  the  number  of  adults  who  have  not  received  a 
basic  education  and  a  professional  qualification  from  the 
previous year (t-1) 
Number 
of 
establishments 
Number of apprentices 
V071 
Number of hours in continuing vocational training courses  V072 
V073 
Number of employees 

V061 
V062 

V058 
V059 

professional 

education 

students 

V069 

V066 

V067 

V068 

V070 

V060 

V063 

V064 

V065 

of 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

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Variable title 

for 

spent  by 

Number of participants in CVTS courses 
Number of female participants in CVT courses 
Number of male participants in CVT courses 
Total number of employees in all enterprises 
Total  number  of  enterprises  providing  continuing 
vocational training courses 
Total number of enterprises  
Enterprises providing other form of training 
Total support given by employers for employer-sponsored 
programs and courses 
Support  given  by  employers  for  employer-sponsored 
programs and courses by full-time jobs 
Support  given  by  employers  for  employer-sponsored 
programs and courses by part-time jobs 
Employers  expenditure  on  wages  and  salaries  of 
apprentices 
Enterprises  expenditure  on  social  contributions 
apprentices 
Number  of  hours 
education/training 
Number of collective agreements on CVT 
Number of disabled students by level of education 
Number  of  educational  establishments  adapted  to  receive 
students with disabilities 
Number  of  students  with  disabilities  in  higher  education 
programmes 
Number of adults 16-65 at the lowest levels of literacy 
Number of adults 16-65 at the highest levels of literacy 
Number of adults 16-65 
Population  aged  16  to  65,  by  highest  level of educational 
attainment 
Population aged 16 to 65, by sex 
Population  aged  16  to  65,  by  highest  level of educational 
attainment by age group 
Public expenditure on mobility grants to students in higher 
education institutions 
Total  public  grants  given  to  students  in  higher  education 
institutions 
Number of studies made by higher education organisations 
concerning education quality 

adults  undertaking 

Var 
code 

V074 
V075 
V076 
V077 
V078 

V079 
V080 
V081 

V082 

V083 

V084 

V085 

V086 

V087 
V088 
V089 

V090 

V091 
V092 
V093 
V094 

V095 
V096 

V097 

V098 

V099 

Public  Other 
private 
entities 

Households 

Neither 

X 
X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

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CChhaapptteerr  55::  SSiittuuaattiioonn  rreeppoorrtt  oonn  tthhee  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

The key variables  

For each variable, the following items of information were identified: 

•  The indicator(s) for which the variable is needed; 
•  The international sources that can supply the data for this variable; 
•  The national sources that can supply the data for this variable; 
•  The limitations of using the international data source mentioned to provide information on this 

variable; 

•  Recommendations – whether to use a particular international data source, drop the variable, or 
explore  possibilities  to  collect  the  information  through  some  other  means  such  as  modifying 
existing data sources, etc. 

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Variable code 

V001 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Total public expenditures on educational institutions by level of education  
A1 
UOE 
Annuaire French speaking community (BE); Facts and Figures- Education indicators 
-  Denmark  2002  (DK);  Statistics  available  on  internet  -  Federal  Statistical  Office 
(DE); Reperes et references statistiques/Le compte de l’éducation (FR); Statistics on 
public expenditure on education 2000 (ES); Statistical report (IE); Les chiffres clés 
de l'éducation nationale - statistiques et indicateurs 2000-01 (LU); Key Figures 2002 
(NL);  Statistics  on  education  (PT);  Ministry  of  Education  budget  2004  (FI); 
Educational expenditure 1998-2002 (SE); Resources of higher education institutions 
(HESA) (UK) 
UOE (annual) 
The  UOE  covers  this  variable  fully  for  ISCED  levels,  however  it  cannot  provide 
separate information for adult education institutions, which are definable by ISCED 
level. 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs on educational institutions by ISCED level. 
However, collecting separate data on adult education institutions in the UOE should 
be explored. 

Variable code 

V002 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Total private expenditures on educational institutions by level of education 
A1 
UOE 
Reperes et references statistiques/Le compte de l’éducation (FR) 
UOE (annual) 
The  UOE  covers  this  variable  fully  for  ISCED  levels,  however  it  cannot  provide 
separate information for adult education institutions, which are definable by ISCED 
level. 
The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs on educational institutions by ISCED level. 
However, collecting separate data on adult education institutions in the UOE should 
be explored. 

Variable code 

V003 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Total public transfers to the private sector by level of education 
A2 
UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains this variable 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

UOE (annual) 

Recommendations 

The UOE can be used to provide information on this variable. 

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Variable code 

V004 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total public expenditures on education by level of education 
A2 
The UOE covers this variable fully by ISCED level.  
Follow-up of the Council of the European Union's resolution on lifelong learning 
(IT) 
UOE (annual) 
It does not cover items such as tax benefits to students or their families, such as tax 
credits  or  deductions  from  taxable  income.  Nevertheless,  the  data  collected  is 
comparable. 

Recommendations 

The UOE can be used to provide information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V005 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Total current expenditure on educational institutions by level of education  
A3 
UOE 
Le  compte  de  l’éducation  (FR);  The  municipal  and  commune  expenditure  on 
education  in  2000  (IT);  Education  in  Finland  -  Statistics  and  indicators  (FI); 
Education and training expenditure since 1993-94 (UK) 
UOE (annual) 
The UOE covers this variable fully for education institutions by ISCED level. 
The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs. 

Variable code 

V006 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Current expenditure by level of education broken down by type 
A3 
UOE 
Statistics available on internet - Federal Statistical Office (DE) ; Basic and structural 
data (DE); Le compte de l’éducation (FR); KEY figures 2002 (NL); Educational 
expenditure 1998-2002 (SE); NU-database (SE); Resources of higher education 
institutions (HESA) (UK) 
UOE (annual) 
The UOE covers this variable fully for education institutions by ISCED level. 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  this  information  as  it  collects  comparable 
information for all the MSs. 

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Variable code 

V007 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Capital expenditure by level of education 
A3 
UOE 
Federal Statistical Office (DE); Basic and structural data (DE); Le compte de 
l’éducation (FR); Statistical report (IE); The municipal and commune expenditure 
on education in 2000 (IT); Education and training expenditure since 1993-94 (UK) 
UOE (annual) 
The UOE covers this variable fully for education institutions by ISCED level. 
The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  for  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs. 

Variable code 

V008 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Expenditure  on  educational  institutions  on  instruction,  R&D  and  ancillary 
services in educational institutions 
A4 
UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains this variable 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  for  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs. 

Variable code 

V009 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Private  expenditure  on  educational  goods  purchased  outside  educational 
institutions 
A4 
UOE 
FR- Le Compte de l’education 
UOE (annual) 
Full  coverage  of  the  variable  with  respect  to  collecting  information  on  books  not 
supplied  by  educational  institutions,  schools  supplies,  school  uniforms,  athletic 
equipment,  calculators  and  computers.  It  does  not  include  expenditure  by  students 
on living costs and any foregone earnings. Two variables should be combined from 
the UOE collection H15 and H16. These variables refer to whether the purchase of 
educational  goods  was  imposed  by  the  educational  institution  or  not.    Data 
availability  in  the  UOE  collection  for  this  variable  is  on  the  whole  quite  poor,  as 
countries appear to have difficult in providing it.  
In theory the UOE can be used to provide information for this variable as it collects 
comparable  information  for  all  the  MSs.  However,  in  practice  few  Member  States 
provide  data  for  this  variable.  Thus  at  this  stage  it  is  advisable  to  conduct  further 
studies on the possibility to extract this information from other international sources 
such  as  HBS’s  through  the  addition  of  questions  in  the  diary  questionnaire.    A 
proposal  for  the  addition  of  questions  to  the  diary  questionnaire  in  HBS’s  is  put 
forward in Chapter 6. 

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CChhaapptteerr  55::  SSiittuuaattiioonn  rreeppoorrtt  oonn  tthhee  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Variable code 

V010 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

National GDP 
A4, A11, B1, D4, G1 
NA 
Annual and quarterly 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The ESA95 can be used for this variable, as it collects comparable information. 

Variable code 

V011 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 

Limitations and remarks 

Number of students by level of education 
A5, A7, A9, D5, N1 
EU-SILC, HBS, LFS, UOE 
Facts  and  Figures-  Education  indicators  -  Denmark  2002  (DK);  Federal  Statistical 
Office  (DE);  Le  compte  de  l’éducation  (FR);  Key  Figures  2002  (NL);  Alternative 
approaches in financing lifelong learning (OECD country report for FI); Educational 
expenditure 1998-2002 (SE) 
EU-SILC (data collected for 2004); HBS (every five years); LFS (annual), UOE 
(annual) 
The  variable  is  fully  covered  in  the UOE data collection.  The results of the UOE 
data  collection  on  education  statistics  are  compiled  on  the  basis  of  national 
administrative  sources.  The  national  data  collections  on  enrolments,  graduates, 
personnel etc are in most countries census surveys or in some cases extractions from 
administrative  registers.  In  contrast,  EU-SILC,  HBS  and  the  LFS  are  sample 
surveys. 

Recommendations 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  indicator  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs by level of education.  

Variable code 

V012 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Expenditure on instruction, ancillary services and research and development  
A5 
UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains this variable 
UOE (annual) 
The variable is fully covered in the UOE data collection 

Recommendations 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs. 

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Variable code 

V013 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total budget of educational institutions by level of education 
A6 
UOE 
L'enseignement  en  chiffres  and  le  développement  de  l'éducation  (BE) ;  Federal 
Statistical Office (DE) ; Le compte de l’éducation (FR); Finnish universities in 2002 
(FI) 
UOE (annual) 
The variable is fully covered in the UOE data collection as regards to the income of 
higher education institutions coming from public and private sources. 

Recommendations 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs. 

Variable code 

V014 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Expenditure on the purchase of teaching materials by level of education 
A6 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

This  would  be  difficult  to  do  for  higher  education,  as  the  teaching  and  research 
budget in some Member States is combined together. 

For the time being no comparable source can provide information on this variable. 
Proposing the addition of another question in the UOE data collection would impose 
an additional burden on Member States therefore it is advised it should be dropped. 

Variable code 

V015 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of teaching staff in educational institutions by level of education 
A7 
UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
UOE (annual) 
The variable is fully covered in the UOE data collection 

Recommendations 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable information for all the MSs. 

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Variable code 

V016 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

Number of educational establishments 
A8 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

Collecting this type of information in existing ESS source such as the UOE is to a 
certain extent out of the scope of the data collection. Recently during a revision of 
the  UOE  data  collection  a  proposal  to  collect  information  on  this  variable  was 
rejected.  Thus  it  is  advised  to  collect  the  information  separately  and  directly  from 
national sources. 

Variable code 

V017 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Number of educational establishments with a permanent internet connection 
A8 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

None  of  the  ESS  data  collections  evaluated  are  designed  to collect information on 
neither  educational  establishments  nor  additional  information  pertaining  to  them.  
Proposing  modifications  to  existing  ESS  data  collections  in  order  to  collect  this 
information would not be in the scope or the objectives of any ESS data collection. 
In  addition  a  burden  in  terms  of  cost  and  time  would  be  imposed  upon  Member 
States. Thus it is advised to drop the variable. 

Variable code 

V018 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Average costs of building maintenance before renovation 
A9 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

Recommendations 

Collecting information on this variable would be difficult, time-consuming, and in 
addition costly.  In consequence, it is advised to drop the variable. 

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Variable code 

V019 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Average costs of building maintenance after renovation 
A9 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

Collecting information on this variable would be difficult, time-consuming, and in 
addition costly.  In consequence, it is advised to drop the variable. 

Variable code 

V020 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Total number of households incurring education expenditures 
A10 
HBS 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
HBS (every five years) 

The HBS can be used for collecting information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V021 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Total education expenditure incurred by households 
A10 
HBS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
HBS (every five years) 
The  heading  “Education”  covers  educational  services  only.  Does  not  include 
expenditures  on  educational  materials,  such  as  books  and  stationary,  or  education 
support  services,  such  as  health  care  services,  transport  services,  catering  and 
accommodation.  It  includes  education  by  radio  or  television  broadcasting.  Thus, it 
would not portray an accurate picture of household expenditure on education. 
It should be considered to explore possibilities to add further questions to the diary 
questionnaire  of  household  budget  surveys  in  order  to  meet  the  shortfall  on 
information  on  household  expenditure.  In  consequence  a  proposal  has  been  put 
forward for the addition of additional questions in the diary questionnaires of HBS 
in order to elucidate the true value of household expenditure on educational goods 
and services. A proposal for the addition of questions to the diary questionnaire in 
HBS’s is put forward in Chapter 6. 

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Variable code 

V022 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total number of households 
A10 
HBS 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
HBS (every five years) 

Recommendations 

The HBS can be used for collecting information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V023 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

University expenditures on R&D 
A11 
S&T, UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
S&T (annual); UOE annual 
The  data  collected  in  the  Science  and  Technology  (S&T),  and  the  UOE  data 
collection is for the whole of the tertiary sector.  

At the present moment in time, the UOE data collection is being modified. One of 
the major modifications that is being proposed is the systematic separation of R&D 
data. Data on income and expenditure R&D by source of funds would be collected 
for both FINANCE-1, and FINANCE-2 tables. Thus in the short to medium term, it 
is envisaged that information on this variable should be made available. 

Variable code 

V024 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Public expenditure on labour market training 
B1, B4 
LMP, SOCX 
Anuario 2002 Ministry of employment and social affairs (ES); Lifelong learning in 
Italy -report 2002 (IT); Survey on vocational training actions 2001 (PT); Educational 
expenditure 1998-2002 (SE) 
LMP (annual), SOCX (annual) 
Full  coverage  of  the  variable  in  the  EU-LMP  database  for  category  2.  However, 
category  2.4  ‘Apprenticeship’  would  probably  have  to  be  excluded  because  of 
incomparability with the data that is supplied. 

The  EU-LMP  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  as  it  collects 
comparable  information  for  all  the  MSs.  However,  the  data  on  category  2.4 
‘Apprenticeship’  should  be  netted  out,  in  order  to  ensure  comparability  in  the 
information that is collected. 

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Variable code 

V025 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Public expenditure on labour market training by level of government 
B2 
EU-LMP 
Lifelong learning in Italy -report 2002 (IT) 
EU-LMP (annual) 
The  EU-LMP  does  register  the  type  of  public  sources  funding  the  training. 
Unfortunately it is unable to break down the public expenditures by type of source. 

Recommendations 

Proposing additional changes to the LMP data collection regarding the collection of 
data by level of government would impose an additional burden on Member States, 
and  will  probably  be  difficult  to  implement.  Therefore,  it  is  suggested  that  this 
variable should be dropped. 

Variable code 

V026 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Public expenditure on labour market training for men 
B3 
EU-LMP 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
EU-LMP (annual) 
The EU-LMP does not collect expenditure data by gender. However, it is possible to 
make an estimate of the expenditure by gender from either the stocks or flows. 

The EU-LMP can be used to provide the information on this variable. However, it 
would  only  be  a  very  rough  estimate.  In  addition  the  availability  of  information 
supplied on the stocks and flows of participants in training measures varies between 
Member States.  For the time being it is advised to drop the variable. 

Variable code 

V027  

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Public expenditure on labour market training for women 
B3 
EU-LMP 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
EU-LMP (annual) 
The EU-LMP does not collect expenditure data by gender. However, it is possible to 
make an estimate of the expenditure by gender from either the stocks or flows. 

The EU-LMP can be used to provide the information on this variable. However, it 
would  only  be  a  very  rough  estimate.  In  addition  the  availability  of  information 
supplied on the stocks and flows of participants in training measures varies between 
Member States.  For the time being it is advised to drop the variable. 

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Variable code 

V028 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Total public expenditure on active labour market policies 
B4 
EU-LMP, SOCX 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  
required to construct this indicator 
EU-LMP (annual); SOCX (annual) 
Full  coverage  of  the  variable.  It  is  important  to  note  that  categories  2  –  7  are 
regarded as ‘active’. 
The EU-LMP database should be used to provide information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V029 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Public expenditure on vocational guidance and counselling to the unemployed 
and other at risk groups 
B5 
EU-LMP 

None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
EU-LMP (annual) 
Some Member States provide information on this variable mixed with other services 
of the Public Employment Service, whilst others separate it either into counselling 
and guidance or separately. Some Member States such as SE can provide this data as 
they  have  a  time  management  system,  which  can  calculate  the  time  spent  by  their 
staff  undertaking  various  activities.  Thus  they  can  apportion  expenditure  quite 
accurately on guidance and counselling. 
Taking into account the various difficulties associated with this variable, including 
the  fact  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  some  Member  States  to  collect  this 
information  separately  through  time  management  calculations,  it  is  suggested  by 
some  that  this  variable  is  dropped.  However,  the  issue  of  collecting  data  on 
vocational guidance could be investigated further. 

Variable code 

V030 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number  of  labour  market  training  participants  whose  previous  status  was 
registered unemployed 
C1, C2, C3 
EU-LMP 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
EU-LMP (annual) 
The  database  collects  information  on  this  variable.  However,  the  data  supplied for 
this variable varies between Member States.  Furthermore, it is important to note that 
the  LMP  database  collects 
information  on  ‘Unemployed’  and  ‘Registered 
unemployed’. This variable corresponds directly to the data collected on ‘Registered 
unemployed’ (item 25.1.1). 

Recommendations 

The EU-LMP database can be used to supply information on this variable. However 
it should be noted that New Cronos only supplies data on stocks and flows. It does 
not provide data on this particular variable. 

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Variable code 

V031 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Number of labour market training participants whose previous status was 
registered unemployed who found a job 
C1 
EU-LMP 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
EU-LMP (annual) 
The  source  is  limited  to  asking  for  the  destination  of  participants  of  training 
measures.  It  is  not  a  longitudinal  source,  thus  it  is  incapable  of  collecting  detailed 
information  on  the  participants.  In  order  to  collect  this  information,  national 
longitudinal  data  sources  would  have  to  be  established.  This  is  possible  in  the 
Scandinavian countries such as DK, which already has a longitudinal source (called 
LOLA)  for  collecting  such  data.  However,  implementing  this  in  other  countries 
would not be an easy task. 
As mentioned under limitations and remarks, collecting information on this variable 
longitudinal  data  sources  would  have  to  be  established  with  the  objective  of 
following  the  transitions  of  participants  in  labour  market  training  measures.  This 
would  impose  an  immense  burden  both  in  terms  of  costs  and  time  on  Member 
States. Therefore, it is advised to drop this variable.  

Variable code 

V032 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of registered unemployed 
C2 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

This information can be obtained from national sources.  

Recommendations 

This information should be obtained from national sources. 

Variable code 

V033 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Average pay of academic staff by type of higher education institution 
D1 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

Recommendations 

This information should be collected directly from national sources, and not through 
an  international  data  collection  as  it  is  outside  the  scope  of  all  the  ESS  sources 
evaluated. 

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Variable code 

V034 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Average pay of persons working in the public sector 
D1 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

This information should be collected directly from national sources, and not through 
an  international  data  collection  as  it  is  outside  the  scope  of  all  the  ESS  sources 
evaluated. 

Variable code 

V035 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Cost of one study place by type of higher education institution 
D2 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

It is not possible to collect this information from international data collections. To 
complete this information, precise information is needed on the calculation of study 
places  by  type  of  higher  education  institutions.  This  information  is  not  readily 
available.  Direct  contact  is  needed  with  Member  States  in  order  to  establish  the 
feasibility of collecting this information. 

Variable code 

V036 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Government budget given to higher education institutions to cover one study 
place 
D2 
None 
No international source contains the variables required to construct this indicator 
Annuaire French speaking community (BE) 

The available variable is cost per student based upon the community budget. 

It is not possible to collect this information from international data collections. To 
complete this information, precise information is needed on the calculation of study 
places  by  type  of  higher  education  institutions.  This  information  is  not  readily 
available.  Direct  contact  is  needed  with  Member  States  in  order  to  establish  the 
feasibility of collecting this information. 

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Variable code 

V037 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Cost of studies charged to individuals by type of higher education institution 
D3 
No international source contains the variables required to construct this indicator 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

Recommendations 

It  is  not  possible  to  collect  this  information  from  international  data  collections. 
Direct contact is needed with Member States in order to establish this information. 

Variable code 

V038 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Public subsidies given to enterprises for education and training purposes in 
higher education 
D4 
EU-LMP, SOCX, UOE 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
EU-LMP (annual) ; SOCX (annual); UOE (annual) 
The EU-LMP focuses on subsidies given to enterprises for labour market training, 
not for higher education.  
The UOE can be used to provide information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V039 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 

Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Public subsidies given to individuals for education and training purposes 
D4 
EU-SILC, EU-LMP, SOCX, UOE 
Annuaire French speaking community (BE); Facts and Figures- Education indicators 
- Denmark 2002 (DK); Basic and structural data (DE); Reperes et references 
statistiques (FR); Statistical report (IE); Key figures 2002 (NL); Educational 
expenditure 1998-2002 (SE); Student support: statistics of student support for higher 
education in England and Wales (UK) 
EU-SILC (data collected for 2004); ESSPROS (annual); EU-LMP (annual); SOCX 
(annual); UOE (annual) 
The data sources identified contain information on various types of subsidies given 
to individuals for education and training. Thus this variable can be split up into a 
number of different indicators for the purpose of measuring public subsidies given to 
individuals for example: grants and loans. 
It  is  recommended  that  the  indicator  should  be  split  up  to  collect  information  on 
different types of public subsidies.  

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Variable code 

V040 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total public expenditure on education 
D4, G1 
NA, UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The UOE can be used to provide information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V041 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Average government tuition fee expenditure 
D5 
No international source contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

Student support: statistics of student support for higher education in England and 
Wales (UK) 

It is not possible to collect this information from international data collections. This 
information is not readily available. Direct contact is needed with Member States in 
order to establish this information. 

Variable code 

V042 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

Total budget of higher education institutions 
D6 
UOE 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Resources of higher education institutions (UK); Reperes et references statistiques 
(FR); Key figures 2002 (NL). 

Recommendations 

The UOE can be used to collect information on this variable. 

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Variable code 

V043 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Expenditure  on  the  purchase  of  teaching  materials  in  higher  education 
institutions 
D6 
No international source contains the variables required to construct this indicator 

None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

For the time being no comparable source can provide information on this variable, 
therefore  it  is  advised  it  can  be  dropped.  Proposing  additional  questions  in 
international data sources, such as the UOE would impose a burden in terms of cost 
and time. 

Variable code 

V044 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total revenue of universities 
D7 
UOE 
Full coverage of the variable 
Finanzen  der  hochschulen  (DE);  Resources  of  higher  education  institutions  (UK); 
Reperes et references statistiques (FR); Key figures 2002 (NL). 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  for  ISCED  levels 
5A/6.  

Variable code 

V045 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Revenues of university by resource category 
D7 
UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  required to construct 
this indicator 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 
The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  for  ISCED  levels 
5A/6. 

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Variable code 

V046 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Cost per graduate 
E1 
UOE 
Facts and Figures- Education indicators - Denmark 2002 (DK);  
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  by  calculating  this 
variable from the variables no of graduates and the expenditure of higher education 
institutions(V48). 

Variable code 

V047 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Cost per student 
E1 
UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  
required to construct this indicator 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The  UOE  can  be  used  to  provide  information  on  this  variable  by  calculating  this 
variable from the variables no of students (see V053) and the expenditure of higher 
education institutions (V48) 

Variable code 

V048 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Expenditure of higher education institutions 
E1 
UOE  
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The UOE could be used to provide information on this variable. 

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Variable code 

V049 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of diplomas and degrees granted by higher education institutions 
E2 
UOE 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable.  

Recommendations 

The UOE can be used to provide information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V050 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of persons with academic degrees and professional qualifications who 
have actually taken up jobs 
E3 
EU-SILC, HBS, LFS 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
EU-SILC (data collected for 2004); HBS (every five years); LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

It  is  recommended  that  the  LFS  survey  is  used  to  provide  information  on  this 
variable,  as  it  was  designed  with  the  objective  of  collecting  information  on  labour 
market status. 

Variable code 

V051 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Average employment income, by age group and education level 
E4 
EU-SILC, HBS, LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
EU-SILC (data collected for 2004); HBS (every five years); LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

It  is  recommended  that  EU-SILC  should  be  used  to  collect  information  on  this 
variable. 

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Variable code 

V052 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Number of students who do not continue their studies following year of entry - 
full-time first degree entrants 
E5 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

As  mentioned  above  none  of  the  international  data  sources  assessed  collects  the 
information  needed  for  this  variable.  Recently  during  a  revision  of  the  UOE 
questionnaire it was proposed to add an additional item in the UOE questionnaire on 
the number of dropouts, however this was rejected.  

Variable code 

V053 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

  Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 

Limitations and remarks 

Number of students in higher education 
F1 
EU-SILC, HBS, LFS, UOE  
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
EU-SILC (data collected for 2004); HBS (every five years); LFS (annual); UOE 
(annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The UOE should be used to collect information on this variable as it is specifically 
designed for the purpose of collecting information on education. 

Variable code 

V054 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Number of students in non-university (non-academic) study programmes 
F1 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

Collecting information on this variable would not be an easy task.  Furthermore, an 
additional burden in terms of costs and time would be imposed upon Member States. 
It is recommended to drop the variable. 

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Variable code 

V055 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Public subsidies to individuals 
G1 
UOE; ESSPROS, EU-LMP, SOCX, EU-SILC 
Basic and structural data (DE); Adult labour market training annual statistics 
(Ministry of Labour) (FI); OECD country report (FI); Educational expenditure 1998-
2002 (SE) 
UOE (annual) 
Full  coverage  of  the  variable  related  to  formal  education  and  student  grants  and 
loans in the UOE. However other public subsidies are not covered. In addition one 
cannot  easily  infer  from  the  UOE  the  amount  of  public  resources  were  devoted  to 
adults.  The  EU-LMP  database  collects 
training 
allowances,  tax  subsidies  related  to  labour  market  training.  Few  Member  States 
provide  data  on  tax  incentives  in  the  EU-LMP  database.  EU-SILC  collects 
information on ‘grants, scholarships and other education help received by students’. 
However,  it cannot be determined whether the allowances received came from the 
public or private sector. 
(1.) Since, it would be difficult to collect the total level public subsidies devoted to 
adult  individuals  from  only  one  source,  as  they  would  probably  not  include  items 
such  as  tax  incentives,  it  is  recommended  that  the  indicator  should  be  split  up  to 
collect information on different types of public subsidies. 
(2.)  It  is  recommended  that  new  questions  are  added  to  EU-SILC  to  gain  obtain 
information  on  the  various  types  of  public  subsides  given  to  individuals.  The  EU-
AES  should  consider  collecting  this  information.  Further  information  on  the 
proposal put forward for EU-SILC can be found in Chapter 6.  

information  on  vocational 

Variable code 

V056 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Number of hours spent on adult education and training 
G2 
LFS (and LLL ad hoc module) 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
LFS (annual) 
Full  coverage  of  the  variable.  The  LFS  asks  for  the  duration  of  the  education  or 
training attended during the past 4 weeks. 
The  LFS  can  provide  limited  information  regarding  the  length  of  the  educational 
course  /  or  training  attended  during  the  past  4  weeks.  It  is  recommended  that  the 
proposed  Adult  Education  Survey  should  be  explored  whether  to  collect  this 
information. 

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Variable code 

V057 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Number of adults participating in adult education and training outside the 
regular education system 
G2 
LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

Full coverage of the variable 
The  LFS  can  be  used  to  construct  this  variable  and  also  the  proposed  Adult 
Education Survey could perhaps collect this information. 

Variable code 

V058 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total adult population 
G2, G3 
LFS (and LLL ad hoc module), National Census 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

This variable can be constructed from a number of international data sources. 

Variable code 

V059 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of adults participating in adult education and training by age group 
G3 
LFS (and LLL ad hoc module) 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The LFS could be used and also the proposed Adult Education Survey perhaps could 
collect this information. 

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Variable code 

V060 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of adults participating in adult education and training by study 
orientation 
G3 
LLL ad hoc module 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
Full coverage of the variable only in the LFS ad hoc module 2002 

Recommendations 

The LFS could be used and also the proposed Adult Education Survey perhaps could 
collect this information. 

Variable code 

V061 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Mean hours of study by age group 
G3 
LFS (and LLL ad hoc module) 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 
The LFS could be used and also the proposed Adult Education Survey perhaps could 
collect this information. 

Variable code 

V062 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Number of further education programmes offered by higher education 
institution 
H1 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

This variable could be dropped, as none of the existing ESS data collections collect 
information  of  a  similar  nature  to  this  variable.  Collecting  information  on  this 
variable would probably require a new data collection, which would be costly and 
time-consuming. 

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Variable code 

V063 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of persons of different age groups who are acquiring further education 
H2 
LFS (and LLL ad hoc module) 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The LFS could be used and also the proposed Adult Education Survey perhaps could 
collect this information. 

Variable code 

V064 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Change in the number of adults having acquired a basic qualification (ISCED 
level 2) from the previous year (t-1) 
I1 
LFS 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The LFS could be used to collect this information. 

Variable code 

V065 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Change in the number of adults, having acquired a basic qualification from the 
previous year (t-1), who were enrolled to continue their education (i.e. second 
chance), since they dropped out of school without any qualifications 
I2 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

A  longitutdinal  follow-up  of  early  school leavers would be required to collect this 
information. This would require designing a new survey to collect the information 
on  this  one  variable.  Taking  this  into  account  the  huge  burden  that  would  be 
imposed both in terms of cost and time it is advised to drop the variable. 

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Variable code 

V066 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 

Limitations and remarks 

Change in the number of adults participating in language courses from the 
previous year (t-1) 
I3 
LFS – ad hoc module 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
The basic variable to construct the indicator is only available in the LFS ad hoc 
module 2002 
The core LFS does not distinguish language courses. 

Recommendations 

The proposed Adult Education Survey should be explored for collecting this variable 

Variable code 

V067 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 

Limitations and remarks 

Change in the number of adults participating in ICT courses from the previous 
year (t-1) 
I4 
LFS 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
The basic variable to construct the indicator is only available in the LFS ad hoc 
module 2002 
The core LFS does not distinguish ICT courses. 

Recommendations 

The proposed Adult Education Survey should be explored for collecting this variable 

Variable code 

V068 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Change  in  the  number  of  adults  participating  in  evening  course  from  the 
previous year (t-1) 
I5 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

Recommendations 

The proposed Adult Education Survey should be explored for collecting this variable 

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Variable code 

V069 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Change in the number of adults who have not received a basic education and a 
professional qualification from the previous year (t-1) 
I6 
LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
LFS (annual) 
Full  coverage  of  the  variable.  It  is  important  to  note  that  the  variable  has  to  be 
derived by linkage. Basic education refers to ISCED level 2. 

Recommendations 

The LFS could be used to collect this information. 

Variable code 

V070 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of students of professional education establishments 
J1 
UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The UOE could be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V071 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of apprentices 
J2 
LCS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
The LCS is conducted every four years (1992, 1996, 2000) 
Full coverage of the variable. 
According  to  the  LCS  definition,  it  covers  all  employees  that  do  not  yet  fully 
participate  in  the  production  process  and  work  either  under  an  apprenticeship 
contract or where vocational training predominates over productivity.   

Recommendations 

The LCS survey could be used to collect information on this variable. In addition, in 
the  next  round  of  the  CVTS  data  collection  it  is  being  proposed  to  collect 
information on initial vocational training. 

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Variable code 

V072 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of hours in continuing vocational training courses 
K1 
CVTS2, LFS 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999); LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The CVTS data collection could be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V073 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of employees 
K1 
CVTS2, LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999) ; LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

Since  it  was  advised  to  use  the  CVTS  to  provide  information  for  variable  V072, 
which  forms  part  of  the  information,  required  to  calculate  indicator  K1,  it  makes 
sense to use the CVTS to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V074 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of participants in CVTS courses 
K2, K3 
CVTS2, LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  
required to construct this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999) ; LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The CVTS data collection could be used to collect information on this variable. 

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Variable code 

V075 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of female participants in CVT courses 
K3 
CVTS2, LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999) ; LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The CVTS data collection could be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V076 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of male participants in CVT courses 
K3 
CVTS2, LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  
required to construct this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999) ; LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The CVTS data collection could be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V077 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total number of employees in all enterprises 
K3 
CVTS2, LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999) ; LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The CVTS data collection could be used to collect information on this variable. 

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Variable code 

V078 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total number of enterprises providing continuing vocational training courses 
K4 
CVTS2, LCS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999) ; LCS (every four years) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The CVTS data collection could be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V079 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total number of enterprises  
K4, K5 
CVTS2, LCS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999) ; LCS (every four years) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The CVTS data collection could be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V080 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Enterprises providing other form of training 
K5 
CVTS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  required to construct 
this indicator 

The CVTS data collection could be used to collect information on this variable. 

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Variable code 

V081 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total support given by employers for employer-sponsored programs and 
courses 
K6 
LCS ; UOE 
Anuario INE 2004  (ES); Survey on vocational training actions 2001 (PT) 
LCS (every four years), CVTS (every 6 years) 
Expenditure only relates to vocational training costs in the LCS. The CVTS does not 
collect  financial  data  on  other  forms  of  CVT  for  example,  open  and  distance 
learning  materials  and  courses.  Thus  a  true  figure  for  employer  support  is  not 
provided. 

Recommendations 

It is recommended the CVTS explores the possibility for collecting this information. 

Variable code 

V082 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Support given by employers for employer-sponsored programs and courses by 
full-time jobs 
K6 
CVTS2 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

The CVTS2 survey should be used to collect information on this variable.  

Variable code 

V083 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Support given by employers for employer-sponsored programs and courses by 
part-time jobs 
K6 
CVTS2 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

The CVTS2 survey should be used to collect information on this variable.  

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Variable code 

V084 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Employers expenditure on wages and salaries of apprentices 
K7 
LCS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
LCS (every four years) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The LCS survey should be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V085 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Enterprises expenditure on social contributions for apprentices 
K8 
LCS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  
required to construct this indicator 
LCS (every four years) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The LCS survey should be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V086 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of hours spent by adults undertaking education/training 
L1 
LFS (and LLL ad hoc module) 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable with respect to the number of hours in training per 
week. 

Recommendations 

The LFS should be used to collect information on this variable. The proposed Adult 
Education Survey should be explored in the frame of collecting this variable. 

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Variable code 

V087 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of collective agreements on CVT 
M1 
CVTS2 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
CVTS2 (1999)  
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The CVTS data collection should be used to collect information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V088 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Number of disabled students by level of education 
N1 
SENDDD (Special educational needs: students with disabilities, learning difficulties, 
and disadvantages) - OECD 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
2-yearly (enquiry started in 1996 with a pilot survey, since 1999 two-yearly) 
The SENDD database only covers students in compulsory education. To provide a 
basis  for  comparisons,  for  students  with  disabilities,  learning  difficulties  and 
disadvantages, a tri-partite taxonomy is used:  

Category A corresponds to needs arising from impairing conditions;  
Category B includes students experiencing learning or behaviour difficulties; and 
Category C covers students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

ESS  data  collections  such  as  the  UOE,  collect  information  on  the  whole  student 
population. The UOE does not differentiate between different groups in the student 
population such as the disabled, ethnic minorities etc. Proposing changes to existing 
data collections, such as the addition of further questions may not be feasible, as it 
would  impose  an  additional  reporting  burden  on  Member  States.  The  question  of 
confidentiality  with  respect  to  the  background  of  students  is  another  important 
aspect  that  needs  to  be  considered.  Some  Member  States  may  have  in  place  strict 
confidentiality  restrictions,  which  will  mean  that  this  information  may  not  be 
accessible.  Furthermore,  the  definition  of  disability  varies  between  Member  States 
and the data that would be reported would have to take into account in devising a 
classification system of various types of disabilities. See Chapter 6 for more details. 
Data  from  the  SENDDD  database  could  be  used  to  collect  information  on  this 
variable.  

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Variable code 

V089 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Number  of  educational  establishments  adapted  to  receive  students  with 
disabilities 
N2 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

None  of  the  ESS  data  collections  evaluated  are  designed  to collect information on 
neither  educational  establishments  nor  additional  information  pertaining  to  them.  
Proposing  modifications  to  existing  ESS  data  collections  in  order  to  collect  this 
information would not be in the scope or the objectives of any ESS data collection. 
Thus it is advised to drop the variable. 

Variable code 

V090 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Number of students with disabilities in higher education programmes. 
N3 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

ESS  data  collections  such  as  the  UOE,  collect  information  on  the  whole  student 
population. The UOE does not differentiate between different groups in the student 
population such as the disabled, ethnic minorities etc. Proposing changes to existing 
data collections, such as the addition of further questions may not be feasible, as it 
would  impose  an  additional  reporting  burden  on  Member  States.  The  question  of 
confidentiality  with  respect  to  the  background  of  students  is  another  important 
aspect  that  needs  to  be  considered.  Some  Member  States  may  have  in  place  strict 
confidentiality  restrictions,  which  will  mean  that  this  information  may  not  be 
accessible.  Furthermore,  the  definition  of  disability  varies  between  Member  States 
and the data that would be reported would have to be taken into account. Thus it is 
advised to drop this variable, pending further research.  

Variable code 

V091 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Number of adults 16-65 at the lowest levels of literacy 
O1 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

This information could be collected from international data collections such as the 
International Adult Literacy Survey. 

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CChhaapptteerr  55::  SSiittuuaattiioonn  rreeppoorrtt  oonn  tthhee  kkeeyy  vvaarriiaabblleess 

Variable code 

V092 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Number of adults 16-65 at the highest levels of literacy 
O1 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 

Recommendations 

This information could be collected from international data collections such as the 
International Adult Literacy Survey. 

Variable code 

V093 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Number of adults 16-65 
O1 
LFS, National Censuses 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Variable code 

V094 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Population aged 16 to 65, by highest level of educational attainment 
O2, O3, O4 
EU-SILC, HBS, LFS 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables required to construct 
this indicator 
EU-SILC (data will be collected for 2004), HBS (every five years), LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

It is recommended to use the LFS survey for collecting information on this variable. 

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Variable code 

V095 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Population aged 16 to 65, by sex 
O3 
EU-SILC, HBS, LFS, Census 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  
required to construct this indicator 
EU-SILC (data will be collected for 2004), HBS (every five years), LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

It is recommended to use the LFS survey for collecting information on this variable, 
since the source used to construct the other variables for O3 is the LFS. 

Variable code 

V096 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Population  aged  16  to  65,  by  highest  level  of  educational  attainment  by  age 
group 
O4 
EU-SILC, HBS, LFS 
None  of  the  national  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to  construct 
this indicator 
EU-SILC (data will be collected for 2004), HBS (every five years), LFS (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

It is recommended to use the LFS survey for collecting information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V097 

Type 

Core 

Priority 

Low 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 

National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Recommendations 

Public  expenditure  on  mobility  grants  to  students  in  higher  education 
institutions 
P1, P2 
None  of  the  international  sources  assessed  contains  the  variables  required  to 
construct this indicator 
Reports Accounts - Higher Education Authority (IE) 

It is important to note that no national data source was identified that contained this 
information. In consequence any recommendation to include an additional question 
in  an  international  data  source  would  impose  an  additional  burden.  However,  it  is 
recommended to enquire directly from Member States what information is available 
on  mobility  grants,  before  making  recommendations  to  add  questions  to  the  UOE 
data collection. 

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Variable code 

V098 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

Medium 

Variable title 
Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 

Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 

Total public grants given to students in higher education institutions 
P2 
UOE 
None of the national sources assessed contains the variables  
required to construct this indicator 
UOE (annual) 
Full coverage of the variable 

Recommendations 

The UOE can be used to provide information on this variable. 

Variable code 

V099 

Type 

Context 

Priority 

High 

Variable title 

Required for indicators 
International sources 
National sources 
Periodicity 
Limitations and remarks 
Recommendations 

Number  of  studies  made  by  higher  education  organisations  concerning 
education quality 
A1 
None 
None 

Since proposing the collection of this variable in any ESS sources is considered to 
be outside the scope it is advised to drop the variable. Existing ESS sources such as 
the  UOE  collect  information  by  ISCED  level  and  information  on  participants  and 
expenditure. 

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CChhaapptteerr  
66  

SScceennaarriiooss  aanndd  mmeetthhooddoollooggiiccaall  
bbaassiiss  ffoorr  ppoossssiibbllee  ffuuttuurree  ddaattaa  
ccoolllleeccttiioonn    

 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
CChhaapptteerr  66::  SScceennaarriiooss  aanndd  mmeetthhooddoollooggiiccaall  bbaassiiss  ffoorr  ppoossssiibbllee  ffuuttuurree  ddaattaa  ccoolllleeccttiioonn 

  SScceennaarriiooss  aanndd  mmeetthhooddoollooggiiccaall  bbaassiiss  ffoorr  
ppoossssiibbllee  ffuuttuurree  ddaattaa  ccoolllleeccttiioonn  

IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn  

For  this  study,  a  number  of  European  statistical  system’s  data  collections  were  assessed  in  order  to 
evaluate  their  potentials  in  meeting  the  information  requirements  set  out  by  the  examination  of  EU 
policy  documents.  The  subsequent  reconciliation  of  variables  required  for  policy  purposes  with  the 
variables that are currently available revealed a number of deficit variables, which at this stage could 
not be satisfactorily completed by ESS data sources.   

The gaps observed in the data could be categorised as follows: 

1.  Complete  absence  of  a  variable  (which  it  must  be  remembered  form  the  building  block  of 

indicators) 

2.  Presence of the variable, however: 

•  not  quite  the  required  concepts,  e.g.  the  HBS  collects  information  on  households 
expenditure on education separately, however it only relates to educational services, and 
not educational goods such as textbooks, transport etc.  

•  the latest data are very out-of-date, e.g. 2000 
•  continuous time series is lacking because, for example, the data source is quinquennial 
•  data are missing for many countries of the EU 

Strategy for filling gaps 

What  should  the  strategy  be  for  filling  these  gaps  in  the  data?    The  ideal  is  an  annual  survey  of 
education expenditure covering institutions and households.  In fact that would have to be at least two 
different surveys, one addressed to institutions and the other to households.  The annual periodicity is 
necessary  to  generate  data  on  trends.    It  should  be  self-evident  that  this  ideal  would  be  extremely 
costly  and  impose  very  heavy  burdens  on  respondents.    It  is  not  a  realistic  option.      We  therefore 
recommend the second-best, which is to build on existing instruments in one way or another. 

Of  course  this  second-best  is  more  practicable  but  it  is  not  without  its  drawbacks.  It  will  be  a 
patchwork  that  would  require  great  professional  skills  to  reconcile  different  sources  and  achieve 
comparability across both space and time.  Moreover, these sources normally exist to serve primarily a 
variety  of  purposes  other  that  that  of  providing  data  on  education  expenditure  and,  therefore,  to 
influence their contents would require considerable negotiation with their controlling authorities.  The 
sources that have been identified are as follows: 

-  Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS2) 
-  EU Labour Force Survey 

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-  Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 
-  EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 
-  EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 
-  EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 
-  European Statistics on Social Protection (ESSPROS) 
-  European System of National Accounts (ESA95) 
-  UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection (UOE) 

Strengths and weaknesses of ESS sources 

To  understand  the  extent  to  which  these  sources  can  fill  gaps,  we  have  to  appreciate  their  specific 
strengths and shortcomings as follows:  

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS2) 

Main relevant strengths 

•  A common European questionnaire was used as the basis for the survey. Any deviations from 
the common questionnaire were noted in the national sampling plan, including deviations from 
the recommended sequence of questions. 

•  It  collects  a  number  of  pertinent  variables  including  information  on  direct  and  indirect  labour 
costs of trainers and non-trainers, labour costs of trainers and non-trainers, hours spent in CVT 
courses by gender 

Main relevant weaknesses 

•  Only collects information on continuing vocational training undertaken in the enterprise. 
•  The survey is carried out approximately every 6 years. 
•  CVTS2 did not cover all EU Member States. Cyprus, Malta and Slovakia were not covered. 
•  CVTS  is  a  relatively  heavy  and  costly  survey.  Any  new  question  added  would  significantly 

increase the burden on enterprises and Member States. 

EU Labour Force Survey 

Main relevant strengths 

•  The survey is a quarterly sample survey of households since 1999. 
•  It  collects  information  on  the  educational  attainment  of  the  population,  which  can  be  broken 

down by age, sex, labour market status, occupation, and region. 

•  It  allows  the  opportunity  of  obtaining  comprehensive  information  across  the  entire  economy, 

which can be assessed in a global setting embracing society as a whole. 

•  It is undertaken by all EU Member States 

Main relevant weaknesses 

•  A labour force survey is designed to obtain information on the labour market and related issues. 

Thus it is not specifically designed with the objective of education / training in mind. 

•  Only  collects  information  on  participation  in  education  /  training,  and  the  duration  of  this 

education/training. 

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Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 

Main relevant strengths 

•  The HBSs are household expenditure surveys and are therefore the most appropriate instruments 

for collecting household expenditure on education. 

•  They are undertaken by all EU Member States 
•  They are harmonised ex post by Eurostat and lodged in New Cronos 
•  As they are multidimensional, the data on expenditure can be cross-classified by a wide range of 

demographic, social and economic characteristics of households, including ISCED aspects 

•  They offer scope for obtaining microdata that can be very flexibly analysed 

Main relevant weaknesses 

•  The  primary  purpose  of  HBSs  is  to  collect  expenditure  weights  for  compiling  the  consumers’ 

price indices, so the case for using them for other purposes has to be convincingly argued. 

•  These surveys come under the authority of Member States, not Eurostat, and so Eurostat has to 
use the medium of working groups to persuade Member States of the need to include additional 
questions. 

•  They  are  not  comparable  in  important  respects.    They  are  unsynchronised  in  that  they  cover 
different  years  and  different  periodicities.    The  reference  period  for  expenditure  might  differ 
between  countries.    They  suffer  from  varying  response  rates  and  different  kinds  of  response 
errors  and  non-response  biases.    Even  certain  concepts,  such  as  income,  are  not  defined 
identically in all of them. 

Survey of Incomes and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 

Main relevant strengths 

•  This is a Eurostat harmonised survey and so offers great scope for achieving comparability. A 

number of countries derive the required data from administrative registers. 

•  Financial topics are an important feature of EU-SILC 
•  As  it  is  multidimensional,  the  data  can  be  cross-classified  by  a  wide  range  of  demographic, 

social and economic characteristics of households, including ISCED aspects 

•  It offers scope for obtaining microdata that can be very flexibly analysed 
•  It  provides  the  opportunity  to  obtain  longitudinal  data,  hence  the  prospect  of  analysing 

transitions between different states of education and training 

Main relevant weaknesses 

•  The coverage of variables is defined by a Regulation, which means that it would not be easy to 
add  variables  to  EU-SILC.  However,  member  states  are  allowed  to  add  variables  for  purely 
domestic purposes 

•  The  financial  variables  are  income,  not  expenditure.    Unlike  the  HBS,  SILC  is  not  an 
expenditure survey.  One would have to argue that, as expenditure on education is an important 
component of living conditions, it should be covered in greater detail 

•  SILC is still in its infancy and there might be reluctance to change it too much too soon 

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EU Labour Cost Survey (LCS) 

Main relevant strengths 

•  The  classification  and  definitions  used  are  standard  international  classifications,  thus  ensuring 

comparability and compatibility between Member States  

•  Data was collected for all the EU Member States. 

Main relevant weaknesses 

•  LCS  aims  to  collect  comparable  data  on  the  level  and  composition  of  labour  costs  and  on  the 
structure and distribution of earnings. Hence the information collected on education and training 
relates only to the expenditure of enterprises on apprentices, and vocational training. 

•  The EU-LCS is only conducted every four years. 
•  The coverage of variables is defined by a Directive, which means that it would not be easy to 

add variables to the Labour Cost Survey. 

EU Labour Market Policy database (LMP) 

Main relevant strengths 

•  The data collection is annual and in the long-term can provide scope for a time-series. 
•  The collection aims to collect comparable information. 

Main relevant weaknesses 

•  Given the intention of the data collection to collect detailed information on labour market policy 
actions  undertaken  by  Member  States,  there  are  two  major  limitations  to  this  collection:  only 
labour  market  training  is  considered,  and  the  funding  can  only  be  public.  Private  funding  for 
labour market training is outside of the scope of this collection. 
•  The data collection only covers the pre 1st May 2004 Member States. 
•  There  is  no  comparability  between  the  Member  States  with  the  data  that  is  reported  on 

apprenticeship. 

•  Not all the data that is collected through the collection is made available in New Cronos. 

ESA and ESSPROS 

Main relevant strengths 

•  The ESA gives comprehensive aggregate expenditure on education by institutional sectors.  
•   They are comparable because they are compiled within a harmonised conceptual and statistical 

framework, the ESA. 

•   The totals they provide are normally used to calibrate the reliability of the grossed-up estimates 

from such surveys as HBS. 

•  The  same  strengths  apply  to  ESSPROS,  which  is  a  satellite  of  the  national  accounts,  with  the 
additional  benefits  that  in  ESSPROS  the  national  accounts  concepts  are  modified  to  fit  the 
viewpoint  of  the  beneficiary,  the  expenditure  can  be  functionalised  even  further  and  physical 
data on beneficiaries are added. 

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Main relevant weaknesses 

•  They are aggregates and provide no detail on individual institution or individual household, i.e. 

no microdata 

•  They cannot be cross-analysed by demographic, economic and social characteristics 
•  ESSPROS excludes the education function 
•  ESSPROS is in fact not satisfactorily bridged to the ESA 

Under this category would fall Satellite Accounts of Education Expenditure (SAEE) because they are 
an extension of the national accounts, with the following advantages: 
•  They allow linkage with the concepts and nomenclatures of the national accounts, thereby retaining 

their usefulness for studying the economic aspects of education expenditure 

•  But these concepts and definitions can also be varied to suit the specific needs of education policy 

and social policy. 

•  Physical  data  in  terms  of  number  of  recipients  classified  by  various  demographic,  economic  and 
social characteristics can be incorporated in these accounts.   Thus expenditures can be related to 
their corresponding beneficiaries. 

Unfortunately,  our  study  threw  up  only  one  instance  of  SAEE  in  EU  25,  which  was  in  France.  The 
lessons learnt from this example were sufficiently encouraging to suggest that our recommendations 
should include the construction of SAEE.  However, SAEEs cannot be built immediately but would 
require a substantial period of research into the methodological and statistical issues involved.   The 
Education  Statistics  unit  of  Eurostat  is  in  the  process  of  launching  a  feasibility  study  for  the 
development of Satellite accounts on education in close co-operation with the National accounts unit.  
The required research would involve in the first instance just a few countries with relevant experience 
or development activities, possibly under the leadership of one or more of them, before moving to the 
delivery of recommendations for all EU countries. 

UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection (UOE) 

Main relevant strengths 

•  The UOE data collection on education statistics aims to provide internationally comparable data 
on key aspects of education systems. It is based on the International Standard Classification of 
Education (ISCED). 

•  Data has been collected every year since 1998. A few data on enrolments, graduates and finance 

are available since 1990 or 1995. 

•  Formal education as defined by ISCED is fully covered by the collection. 
•  The UOE data collection on education statistics covers all the 25 EU Member States, as well as 

all candidate countries, with the exception of Croatia for the time being, 

Main relevant weaknesses 

•  Programmes or studies designated as “adult education” that are not similar to regular education 
programmes  are  not  included  (including  courses  or  classes  for  general  interest  or  personal 
enrichment and or leisure classes). The students in these type of programmes are assigned to the 
most appropriate ISCED level. Adult education is not treated as a separate level of education. 
•  In  many  countries,  private  expenditure  on  education  contained  in  some  indicators  is  not 

comprehensive. 

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•  Only  data  that  is  considered  sufficiently  complete  and  comparable  is  made  available  in  New 

Cronos; for the time being information on private expenditure is still limited. 

•  Some Member States only supply data on public institutions e.g HU, SK 
•  The timeliness of the data supplied varies for the different types of variables collected. The time 
lag for the collection of data on finance is 2 years after the end of the reference financial year, 
corresponding usually to the calendar year. Indicators are then made available in New Cronos 
within 6 months after the deadline. 

Proposals for filling information gaps by policy area 

The reconciliation of variables with information collected by ESS sources resulted in the identification 
of  information  deficits  in  each  of  the  sixteen  policy  areas  extracted  from  EU  policy  documents  in 
chapter 1. From the onset of the study it was recognised that information on some key variables will be 
missing. Furthermore it was also recognised that filling these gaps may not be possible for a number of 
reasons, including the possibility that the cost would impose a heavy burden.  

The situation regarding each variable was examined in chapter 5, with respect to the sources that can 
be used to provide information for this variable, the limitations of the source, and recommendations 
for further action. For some variables it was concluded that the best course of action was to drop the 
variable.  This  section  essentially  presents  an  overview  of  the  actions  that  are  recommended  in  each 
policy area concerning the information gaps identified.  

A  Resources devoted to education 
It was found that existing ESS sources could provide most of the information needed for the variables 
in  this  policy  area.  However,  the  coverage  of  these  variables  is  usually  by  ISCED  level.  
Consequently, adult education is only covered if the course of studies can be assigned to a particular 
ISCED  level.  The  case  study  of  the  satellite  accounts  of  education  in  France  demonstrated  that  it  is 
feasible  to  collect  information  on  extra-curricula  education  (i.e.  distance  learning,  continuing 
professional education, and other types of extra-curricula education). It is proposed that in the long run 
establishing satellite accounts of education would provide a fuller picture of the resources devoted to 
education.  

The following information gaps in terms of variables were identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

Variable name 

V014 
V016 
V017 
V018 
V019 
V021 

Expenditure on the purchase of teaching materials by level of education 
Number of educational establishments 
Number of educational establishments with a permanent internet connection 
Average cost of building maintenance before renovation 
Average cost of building maintenance after renovation 
Total expenditure incurred by households on education 

It  was  proposed  to  drop  a  number  of  these  variables  V014, V017, V018, and V019 for a number of 
reasons, which included that an additional burden would be imposed upon Member States and the fact 
that collecting these variables would be outside the scope of ESS sources.  Recently during a review of 
the UOE data collection, a proposal to collect data on the number of establishments was rejected. 

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Variable  V021  is  an  important  variable  as  it  provides  information  on  the  amount  co-financed  by 
individuals  in  financing  their  own  lifelong  learning.  The  EU-harmonised  Household  Budget  Survey 
collects  information  on  household  expenditure  on  education  services  only.  Since  the  information 
collected  does  not  give  a  true  picture  of  the  amounts  co-financed by individuals, it is recommended 
that Member States include additional questions in the diary questionnaire of their national HBS’s. A 
detailed proposal is set out in section 4, below.  

B    Resources  devoted  to  labour  market  training  and  vocational  guidance 

and counselling for the unemployed and other target groups 
The following information gaps in terms of variables were identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

V025 
V029 

Variable name 

Public expenditure on labour market training broken down by level of government 
Public  expenditure  on  vocational  guidance  and  counselling  to  the  unemployed  and 
other at risk groups 

Collecting information on these variables is very important, as it would help to give an overall picture 
of the public resources devoted to education and training. Nevertheless, during the course of the study 
it  was  found  that  collecting  data,  especially  on  vocational  guidance  at  the  national  level  could  pose 
considerable difficulties for some Member States.  It is suggested by some that these variables should 
be  dropped.    However,  the  issue  of  collecting  data  on  vocational  guidance  could  be  investigated 
further. 

C  Improving opportunities for unemployed by offering education/training 
The following information gaps in terms of variables were identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

V031 

Variable name 

Number  of  labour  market  participants  whose  previous  status  was  registered 
unemployed who found a job 

In  order  to  collect  information  on  V031,  national  longitudinal  data  sources  would  have  to  be 
established,  which  monitor  the  path  of  a  person  over  time  in  various  states  (employment, 
unemployment, education, employment training etc…). This is possible in the Scandinavian countries, 
which  have  a  history  of  collecting  such  data  from  different  types  of  register  (e.g.  registers  of 
employees, registers of unemployed persons, tax registers etc…) by unifying the data collected on an 
individual through a unique personal identification number (PIN). For example in DK, there are two 
such longitudinal sources; LOLA (Longitudinal Labour Market Statistics Register) and the Ministry’s 
of  Labour’s  DREAM  register.  Implementing  a  longitudinal  register  in  each  Member  State  would 
involve a huge burden both in terms of cost and time. Taking into account all these considerations it 
was advised to drop the variable.  

D  Resources devoted to higher education 
The following information gaps in terms of variables were identified in this policy area. 

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Var code 

Variable name 

V033 
V034 
V035 
V036 
V037 
V041 
V043 

Average pay of academic staff by type of higher education institution 
Average pay of persons working in the public sector 
Cost of one study place by type of higher education institution 
Government budget given to higher education institutions to cover one study place. 
Cost of studies charged to individuals by type of higher education institution 
Average government tuition fee expenditure  
Expenditure on the purchase of teaching materials in HEIs 

These gaps cannot be filled by any of the ESS data sources evaluated. Existing ESS data collections 
such as the UOE data collection can provide adequate information on the income and expenditure of 
higher education institutions. However they are unable to provide micro-level information on the way 
higher education institutions have allocated their financial budgets neither by governments nor on their 
internal budgetary requirements. In addition, it was found that this type of information is not available 
to the general public even at the national level. Furthermore to propose collecting more information on 
these  information  gaps  in  an  ESS  source  would  not  be  within  the  scope  or  objectives  of  the  data 
collection for some of these variables such as ‘Average pay of persons working in the public sector’. 

Thus, in the short-term it is recommended that bi-lateral contact with National Statistical Institutes and 
Ministries of Education should be established in order to ascertain the availability and accessibility of 
data for the following variables: 

-  Average pay of academic staff by type of higher education institution 
-  Average pay of persons working in the public sector 
-  Cost of one study place by type of higher education institution 
-  Government budget given to higher education institutions to cover one study place. 
-  Cost of studies charged to individuals by type of higher education institution 
-  Average government tuition fee expenditure 

In particular, it should be regarded as a major priority to try to fill in the following gaps:  

-  Cost of one study place by type of higher education institution; 
-  Government budget given to higher education institutions to cover one study place;  
-  Cost of studies charged to individuals by type of higher education institution. 

Having up to date information on these variables will give a better picture of how the cost of higher 
education  is  shared  between  the  public  and  private  sector,  and  provide  insight  into  the  question  of 
whether  higher  education  is  under-funded.  It  may  also be  considered to be more pertinent to collect 
information on these three variables by subject area, as it may shed light on the funding issue by field 
of discipline. 

E Efficiency of undergraduate programmes in higher education institutions 
The following information gap in terms of variables was identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

V052 

Variable name 

Number of students who do not continue their studies following year-of entry – full-
time first degree entrants 

None of the international or national data sources evaluated contained information on the number of 
dropouts in higher education. Given the scope and objectives of ESS sources, it is considered that the 

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best place to propose to collect such information would be the UOE data collection. However, recently 
during the revision of the UOE data collection, a proposal to collect information on survival in tertiary 
education  already  in  2005  was  made  and  accepted.  Such  a  survey  would  be  repeated  but  not  on  an 
annual basis (e.g. evrry 3 years].  

F  Quality assurance to meet labour market needs in higher education 
The following information gaps in terms of variables were identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

V054 
V099 

Variable name 

Number of students in non-university (non-academic) study programmes 
Number  of  studies  made  by  higher  education  organisations  concerning  education 
quality 

Proposing the collection of these variables in any ESS sources is considered to be outside the scope of 
existing ESS sources. Existing ESS sources such as the UOE collect information by ISCED level and 
information on participants and expenditure. Thus it was proposed to drop these variables.  

G  Resources devoted to adult education 
The following information gaps in terms of variables were identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

Variable name 

V055 

Public subsidies to individuals 

It is important to try to complete this information gap as it is needed to form the headline indicator in 
for  this  policy  area.  It  is  important  to  bear  in  mind  that  subsidies  to  adults  for  education  (including 
non-formal education and training) come in various forms such as the ‘Career Development Loan’ in 
the UK to ‘Special adult study/training grants’ in Sweden, and career – breaks in Denmark and other 
types  of  tax  breaks.    At  the  present  time  it  is  not  possible  to  collect  all  the  information  concerning 
public subsidies from one single source, thus it is proposed to break down this variable further by type 
of subsidy (see the relevant section below). 

The addition of questions to the EU-SILC questionnaire (see the relevant section below) can give an 
overall picture of the subsidies given to adults for education and training. Information on the different 
types  of  subsidies  received  for  education  and  training  could  be  cross-referenced  against  age  groups, 
and ISCED level.  
Alternative approach: 
Another approach would be to collect this data through the UOE questionnaire. The UOE collects information on 
the following types of public subsidy by level of government: 
-  Scholarships and other grants to students/households; 
-  Student loans. 

At the present time the UOE collects data on adult education if it can be ascribed to a particular ISCED level. 
However, one cannot determine the public subsidies that are given for adult education in the FINANCE-1 table, 
since  data  are  not  collected  separately.  Two  approaches  can  be  considered  to  collect  information  on  adult 
education: 

i.  Addition  of  an  extra  column  in  FINANCE-1  table  called  ‘Adult  Education’,  which  would  collect 
expenditure information on all the items requested in this table for adult education institutions. Data on 
adult education which is similar to regular education (and thus could be ascribed to a particular ISCED 
level)  would  only  be  collected  in  this  column.  This  approach  would  mean  that  information  that  was 
previously  not  included  on  adult  education  such  as  courses  and  classes  that  are  primarily  for  general 
interest or personal enrichment would be included if they are undertaken in an adult education institution. 

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However, some forms of adult education are not necessarily undertaken in adult education institutions, for 
example  they  can  be  undertaken  in  higher  education  institutions  etc..  This  would  mean  that  the  data 
collected would not be comprehensive. To gain a fuller picture of adult education, a census of institutions, 
agencies, etc undertaking adult education would have to be undertaken. Nevertheless, it is envisaged that 
the amounts that governments spend on subsidies to individuals in adult education can be answered.  
ii.  Alternatively  an  item  can  be  added  to  the  FINANCE-1  table  after  C12,  R12,  and  L12  which  is  ‘Total: 
Financial aid to students’ in order to determine the amount of these subsidies that was given to for the 
sole of purpose of participation in adult education. Thus the following item could be added: ‘{of which 
financial  aid  designated  for  adult  education}’.  However,  this  approach  does  not  fit  well  with  the 
classification by ISCED level and to the scope of the UOE data collection. 

It  can  be  seen  that  neither  of  the  two  approaches  outlined  is  perfect,  however  the  second  approach  would 
probably impose a smaller burden than the first approach. 
The alternative approach described here is rather academic as it is not easily practicable. 

The  EU-AES,  could  be  considered  to  be  the  best  place  to  collect  this  type  of  information,  as  it  is 
specifically  designed  to  collect  information  directly  from  participants  in  adult  education.  The  EU-
AES, which is currently in development, should consider collecting this information. 

H  Improvement of adult education opportunities 
The following information gap in terms of variables was identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

Variable name 

V062 

Number of further education programmes offered by higher education institutions 

Proposing the collection of these variables in any ESS data collection is considered to be outside the 
scope of any ESS sources, since data sources such as the UOE collect information by ISCED level. 

I  Efficiency of investments made in adult education 
The following information deficits were identified for this policy area: 

Var code 

V065 

V066 

V067 

V068 

Variable name 

Change  in  the  number  of  adults,  having  acquired  a  basic  qualification  from  the 
previous  year  (t-1),  who  were  enrolled  to  continue  their  education  (i.e.  second 
chance), since they dropped out of school without any qualifications 
Change in the number of adults participating in language courses from the previous 
year (t-1) 
Change in the number of adults participating in ICT courses from the previous year 
(t-1) 
Change  in  the  number  of  adults  participating  in  evening  courses  from  the  previous 
year (t-1) 

Information that was collected in the LFS ad hoc module on lifelong learning could be used to provide 
information  for  variables  V066  and  V067.  However  it  has  to  be  remembered  that  the  LFS  ad  hoc 
module  on  lifelong  learning  is  a  one-off  data  collection.  The  lack  of  information  collected  by  ESS 
sources on the variables needed for these indicators generally reflects the prominence that is given to 
formal  education.  Non-formal  education  related  to  adult  education  does  not  fit  in  well  with  existing 
ESS sources considering that the classification system used for education is ISCED. It is proposed that 
collecting  data  for  these  variables  is  taken  into  account  in  the  forthcoming  EU  Adult  Education 
Survey, which is currently under development. It is envisaged that the EU AES will have good longer-

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term prospects as it will be a central statistical tool for measuring participation of adults in education 
and learning. 

K  Resources devoted to training by enterprises 
The following information gap in terms of variables was identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

Variable name 

V081 

Total support given by employers for employer-sponsored programs and courses 

The  CVTS  could  be  considered  as  the  best  survey  to  collect  this  type  of  information.    However, 
CVTS2 did not collect data on employer’s expenditures on other forms of CVT. This includes open 
and distance learning materials and courses, instruction at conferences, workshops and seminars etc… 
Thus a true figure for employer support is not provided.  

It is proposed that financial data on other forms of CVT are collected in the CVTS. Thus additional 
questions  should  be  added  to  the  CVTS,  which  is  currently  under  revision  in  order  to  establish  the 
expenditure of employers on providing support to employees for education and training.  

N Integration of students with special needs in education 
The following information gap in terms of variables was identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

Variable name 

V088 
V089 
V090 

Number of disabled students by level of education 
Number of educational establishments adapted to receive students with disabilities 
Number of students with disabilities in higher education programmes 

The  study  revealed  that  none  of  the  ESS  data  sources  evaluated  contained  information  to  meet  the 
information  requirements  needed  in  this  policy  area.  It  was  also  observed  that  there  is  a  lack  of 
information contained in national data sources on this particular subject. There are a number of issues 
that need to be taken into consideration with respect to the collection of information of students with 
special needs, which are as follows: 

-  Reporting  burden  -  ESS  data  collections  such  as  the  UOE,  collect  information  on  the  whole 
student  population.  The  UOE  does  not  differentiate  between  different  groups  in  the  student 
population  such  as  the  disabled,  ethnic  minorities  etc.  Proposing  changes  to  existing  data 
collections,  such  as  the  addition  of  further  questions  would  impose  an  additional  reporting 
burden on Member States. 

-  Confidentiality - The question of confidentiality with respect to the background of students is 
another important aspect that needs to be considered. Some Member States may have in place 
strict  confidentiality  restrictions,  which  will  mean  that  this  type  of  information  may  not  be 
accessible. 

-  Methodological  issues  -  Collecting  comparable  information  on  the  disabled  is  fraught  with 
methodological  difficulties,  since  there  is  no  agreement  on  the  exact  concept  of  disability. 
Differences  in  national  policies  regarding  disabled  people  has  led  to  a  situation  where  each 
Member  State  has  its  own  systems  for  defining  the  population  of  disabled  people.  A  basic 
principle that is shared by all definitions on disability is that disability has a medical cause and 
results in limitations in daily activities. Furthermore, the definition of disability varies between 

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Member States and the data that would be reported would have to take into account in devising 
a classification system of various types of disabilities.  

The variables in this policy concentrated on students with disabilities, however these variables could 
be extended to cover students from disadvantaged backgrounds, learning difficulties etc…  Although 
the variables in this policy area focused on participant data, the list of variables should be extended to 
also cover the financial resources devoted to special needs education by source of funds. 

In summary it is recommended that the following course of action be adopted: 

i.  Extend  the  data  to  be  collected  in  this  policy  area  to  cover  everyone  with  special  needs  (e.g. 
disabled  persons,  persons  from  disadvantaged  backgrounds,  persons  with  learning  and 
behavioural difficulties); 

ii.  Extend  the  data  to  be  collected  in  this  policy  area  to  cover  the  financial  resources  devoted  to 

special needs education by source of funds. 

iii. Conduct a study to develop a methodology for collecting data on persons with special needs. A 
starting  point  in  this  exercise  could  be  the  OECD’s  SENDD  database  for  developing  a 
classification of persons with special needs 

It  has  to  be  mentioned  as  far  as  this  issue  is  concerned  that  there  is  a  need  for  extensive 
methodological development work to be done if appropriate data is to be available for this topic. There 
are  some  definitional  and  conceptual  issues  to  be  agreed  upon  by  various  groups  to  make  any  data 
collection meaningful. This matter is not within the scope of this project, but nevertheless, it needs to 
be  highlighted.  The  experience  of  collection  of  such  information  by  the  European  Agency  for  the 
Development in Special Needs Education1 would need to be evaluated. 

O Adult literacy and basic skills 
Despite the fact that information collected from international sources can satisfy some requirements in 
this  policy  area,  the  possibility  of  collecting  information  on  the  funding  of  adult  literacy  and  basic 
skills  should  be  explored.  This  aspect  could  be  taken  on  board  in  the  discussions  concerning  the 
implementation of the results of the Leonardo da Vinci II project “Defining an EU strategy for adult 
skills assessment” completed in 2004. 

P  Increasing mobility and exchange 
The following information gap in terms of variables was identified in this policy area. 

Var code 

Variable name 

V097 

Public expenditure on mobility grants to students in higher education institutions 

Information on EU mobility grants, such as Erasmus grants is available. However little is known about 
the resources devoted by Member States on promoting mobility. Data collected in ESS sources, such 
as  the  UOE  data  collection  collects  aggregated  data  on  scholarships  and  grants.  It  does  not  collect 
information on mobility grants as a separate item. 

1 http://www.european-agency.org/ 

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Thus, it is proposed to add an additional item in the FINANCE-1 table of the UOE data collection in 
order to collect this information. 

Modifying existing European Statistical System sources  

Following  the  evaluation  of  existing  ESS  sources,  it  can  be  concluded  that  the  room  for  modifying 
some  of  the  sources  would  be  very  limited.  Nevertheless,  two  particular  sources  can  be  further 
explored in order to try to meet the shortfall in information collected on education and training. The 
two ESS sources that could be exploited are as follows: 

-  Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS) 
-  EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 

EU-SILC 

There are three ways of seeking to harness the SILC: 

1.  Seek to add variables to those stipulated in the Regulations.  This would only be acceptable if it 
can be argued that, as a vital component of living conditions, there should be more variables on 
education and training than just the one in the existing list 

2.  Seek to influence the coverage of variables in the modules already earmarked for EU-SILC in 
2005, 2006 and 2007.  These modules concern different aspects of poverty and social exclusion. 
It would be reasonable to argue that these phenomena cannot be satisfactorily studied without 
the education dimension. 

3.  Seek  to  persuade  as  many  member  states  as  possible  to  add  variables  to  the  EU  list  for  other 
purposes i.e. for purposes outside the Regulations to meet, for example, some of the needs of 
DG EAC. 

All three options should be explored in close consultation with Eurostat. 

Bearing in mind that the coverage of variables is defined by a directive, we would still like to propose 
a  number  of  variables  that  could  be  added  to  the  EU-SILC  questionnaire.  The  purpose  of  these 
additional variables is to help to elucidate the level of subsidies received by households from public 
and private sources. It is envisaged that individuals maybe better able to reveal details of their personal 
household  finances.  This  is  particularly  true  of  providing  information  on  any  gifts  received  for 
educational  purposes.  It  could  be  considered  to  add  the  following  items  to  be  collected  for  personal 
data: 

1.  Public grants and scholarships (yes/no) 

  Amount received ….. 

2.  Grants and scholarships received from the private sector for educational purposes (yes/no) 

  Amount received ….. 

3.  Reimbursable loans received from a state student loan scheme(yes/no) 

  Amount received in the year….. 

4.  Reimbursable loans from private financial institutions for educational purposes (yes/no) 

  Amount received in the year….. 

5.  Reimbursable loans from non-household members for educational purposes (yes/no) 

  Amount received in the year….. 

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6.  Gifts  in  the  form  of  money  received  for  educational  purposes  from  a  non-household  member 

(yes/no) 
  Amount received in the year….. 

7.  Family allowances or child allowances contingent upon student status (yes/no) 

  Amount received in the year….. 

8.  Vocational training allowances2 (yes/no) 

  Amount received in the year….. 

Definitions  

In  order  to  maintain  coherence  with  other  ESS  sources,  wherever  possible  the  definition  employed 
would correspond to those used in existing Eurostat education and training data collections: 

Public grants and scholarships: Includes public scholarships and all kinds of similar public grants such 
as  fellowships,  awards  and  bursaries  for  students.  Government  scholarships  that  are  channelled 
through  educational  institutions  for  administrative  purposes  should  be  still  reported  as  government 
transfers to students. 

Grants  and  scholarships  received  from  the  private  sector  for  educational  purposes:  These  include 
scholarships and grants provided by businesses and religious or other non-profit organisations. 

Family allowances or child allowances dependent upon student status: Allowance that are dependent 
upon the educational status of a child. 

Reimbursable  loans  received  from  a  state  student  loan  scheme:    This  refers  to  loans  provided  by  a 
public  body  or  a  private  financial  institutions  as  part  of  a  state  student  loan  scheme.  The  loans 
provided  by  private  financial  institutions  will  generally  be  subsidised  or  guaranteed  by  the 
government,  and  perhaps  even  administered  by  a  government  body.  Expenditure  on  student  loans 
should be reported on a gross basis, that is without subtracting or netting out repayments or interest 
payments from the borrowers.  

Grants awarded in the form of a conditional loan (e.g. Netherlands ‘performance grant’ system), which 
is  convertible  into  a  non-repayable  grant  if  progress  requirements  are  met  should  be  reported  under 
this item and not under ‘public grants and scholarships’. 

Reimbursable  loans  from  private  financial  institutions  for  educational  purposes:  This  refers  to  loans 
provided by private financial institutions that are not taken out in the context of a state student loan 
scheme. These loans are for the expressed purpose of education (e.g. tuition fees, books, etc.) and/or 
living costs during the course of studies. Expenditure on student loans should be reported on a gross 
basis, that is without subtracting or netting out repayments or interest payments from the borrowers. 

Reimbursable  loans  from  non-household  members  for  educational  purposes:  This  includes  loans 
received from family and friends and other private sources not including private financial institutions 

2  The  current  set  of  variables  collect  data  on  vocational  training  allowances,  however  they  are  included 

aggregated together with other items under ‘unemployment benefits’. 

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Gifts  in  the  form  of  money  received  for  educational  purposes  from  a  non-household  member:  This 
refers to non-reimbursable items received from non-household members, which may take a number of 
different forms including cash, gift vouchers etc. 

Vocational training allowance: payments by social security funds or public agencies to targeted groups 
of persons in the labour force who take part in training schemes intended to develop their potential for 
employment. [Definition provided by EU-SILC] 

Household Budget Surveys 

In the evaluation of the Eurostat Harmonised database on national Household Budget Surveys (HBS), 
it  was  found  that  the  data  that  is  actually  collected  on  household  expenditure  on  education  refers  to 
educational  services  only.  This  means  that  it does  not include expenditures on educational materials 
such  as  books  and  stationary  or  educational  support  services  such  as  health  care  services,  transport 
services,  catering  and  accommodation.  Instead  household  expenditure  on  these  other  items  are 
collected under the aggregate general headings of for example, health, transport, books, etc… 

As we had mentioned under the strengths and weaknesses, Household Budget Surveys come under the 
authority of Member States, hence proposing new items to be collected would not be an easy task to 
fulfil. Nevertheless, a number of variables that could be added to the Household Budget Survey are put 
forward.  The  purpose  of  these  additional  variables  is  to  help  to  elucidate  private  household 
expenditure on education and training. It is suggested to add the following items to the personal diary 
of the household budget survey: 

1.  Tuition  fees:  educational  courses  (paid  any  tuition  fees  for  school,  nursery,  university  or  a 
parental contribution for any course of education, except for leisure classes and adult education 
courses) 

Amount paid ….. 

2.  Tuition fees: adult education courses 

Amount paid ….. 

3.  Registration fees: educational courses (paid any registration fees, for school, nursery, university 

or a parental contribution for any course of education  

Amount paid ….. 

4.  Fees  of:  non-household  member  (paid  any  educational  fees,  for  any  course  of  education 
(including university fees) on behalf of a child aged 16 to 24 who lives outside this household) 

Amount paid ….. 

5.  Maintenance  of:  non-household  member  (paid 

towards  any  maintenance  (meals  and 
accommodation) costs for a child aged 16 to 24 who lives outside this household attending any 
course of education (including university fees)  

Amount paid ….. 

6.  Equipment  specifically  requested  by  an  institution  purchased  for  use  in  the  classroom  (e.g. 

laboratory materials, art supplies). This does not include stationary or textbooks. 

Amount paid ….. 

7.  Private tutoring outside an educational establishment 

Amount paid ….. 

8.  Gifts in the form of money given to a non-household member for educational purposes  

Amount paid ….. 

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9.  Fees for leisure classes 
Amount paid ….. 

10. Ad hoc expenditure for school visits 

Amount paid ….. 

11. Transport for educational purposes 

Amount paid ….. 

12. School/ college textbooks and reference books for study as set out in the curriculum 

Amount paid ….. 

13. Self-learning  materials  for  use  outside  the  confines  of  a  classroom  (e.g.  textbooks,  software 

etc..) 

Amount paid ….. 

14. Reading & recreation (for personnel use) 

Amount paid ….. 

15. School dinner (child) 

Amount paid ….. 
16. School uniform (child) 
Amount paid ….. 

17. Meals paid for during the academic day whilst attending an educational establishment 

 Amount paid ….. 

18. Welfare services in educational institutions  

Amount paid ….. 

19. Health care services related to education  

Amount paid ….. 

20. Given a loan to a non-household member for educational purposes  

Amount paid ….. 

21. Stationary for educational purchases (e.g. pens, pencils, paper, etc…) 

Amount paid ….. 

Modifications to proposed indicators  

Two of the indicators formulated on the basis of policy needs were: 

1.  Public subsidies to the private sector as a percentage of total public expenditure on education 

and GDP (higher education) 

2.  Public  subsidies  to  individuals  as  a  percentage  of  total  public  expenditure  on  education  and 

GDP  (adult education) 

It has been found that collecting the information for this variable from only one data source would be 
difficult to achieve as public subsidies for education and training are diverse ranging from grants and 
loans to students, student transport passes, meal subsidies, and tax subsidies.  A number of ESS data 
sources  collect  information  on  a  few  of  the  aforementioned  subsidies.  For  example  the  UOE  data 
collection  collects  information  on  grants,  scholarships  and  loans,  whilst  ESSPROS  collects 
information on vocational training allowances. Given the fact that it would be difficult to achieve full 
coverage of public subsidies in any one source, and the coverage of some forms of subsidies would be 
difficult to achieve. Thus it is proposed that the above-mentioned indicators can be further spilt-up into 
further indicators. For example: 

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•  Public  expenditure  on  scholarships  and  grants  (total)  and  as  a  percentage  of  total  public 

expenditure on education; 

•  Public expenditure on student loans (total) and as a percentage of total public expenditure on 

education; 

Conclusions and recommendations 

The study has shed light on a number of important issues including: 

-  Establishing  information  that  is  required  on  funding  resources  for  education  and  training 

policies at the EU level; 

-  Locating  data  sources  containing  information  on  the  funding  of  education  and  training, 
including  both  sources  at  international  and  national  level.  In  consequence, data sources in the 
ESS  containing  information  on  the  resources  devoted  to  education  and  training  which  are  not 
regularly used were highlighted; 

-  Existing  ESS  sources  provide  comprehensive  coverage  on  the  resources  devoted  to  formal 
learning  as  defined  by  ISCED  level.  However,  these  sources  do  not  provide  comprehensive 
coverage on the resources devoted to adult education and learning; 
Identifying information gaps that exist in terms of variables needed to meet the statistical data 
requirements of policies, and at the same time ascertaining those policy areas where information 
requirements cannot be met by any ESS source; 

- 

-  The  limitations  imposed  in  proposing  modification  to  some  ESS  sources,  such  as  the  LFS 
because  of  the  objectives  and  scope  of  the  surveys  limit  the  type  of  information  that  can  be 
collected; 

-  Making suggestions on particular ESS sources, where modifications can be proposed in order to 

tackle the information deficits existing in terms of variables; 
-  Making suggestions for areas where more research is needed. 

As a way to addressing the shortfall in what is presently available and what the needs are, one could 
look at the scenario from three time-perspectives, short, medium and long term. A brief summary of 
these three time-perspectives is given below. 

Short-term 

The identification of statistical information needed in order to meet the policy needs for information 
on  investment  in  education  and  training  resulted  in  a  final  list  of  variables  (see  Annex  1).  The 
assessment of European Statistical System sources found that some of these variables already exist and 
thus could be readily used to complete the information. It is recommended that information from these 
existing sources should be used to meet the immediate needs identified. 

Furthermore,  the  analysis  of  existing  ESS  sources  revealed  that  a  number  of  them  contain  pertinent 
information  regarding  the  resources  devoted  to  education  and  training.  However,  currently  the 
European Commission only uses four sources (CVTS, EU Labour Force Survey, PISA, and the UOE 
data  collection)  of  information  on  a  regular  basis.  It  is  recommended  that  the  other  ESS  sources 
identified which contained information on education and training are also used. 

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Medium-term 

The  study  revealed  that  a  number  of  information  gaps  exist,  which  cannot  be  completed  by 
information  collected  from  existing  sources.  It  is  recommended  that  in  the  medium-term,  that  the 
proposals  put  forward  regarding  the  modification  of  existing  ESS  sources  such  as  EU-SILC  and 
Household  Budget  Surveys  are  taken  into  account  in  order  to  rectify  the  information  deficits. 
Improving  and  harmonising  some  methodological  aspects  will  in  the  medium  term  provide  some 
additional variables. A few questions could be introduced into existing questionnaires (with very great 
caution regarding long-term implications of this).  
If  medium  term  is  defined  as  the  next  five  years,  assuming  that  some  consensus  do  exist,  both  the 
CVTS and the LFS, for example, could each accommodate one or two key questions of relevance. 

Long-term 

In the long term, it is recommended that a new data collection is established in order to provide more 
comprehensive information on the resources devoted to education and training. The assessment of the 
Satellite Account of Education in France demonstrated the potential of this type of data collection in 
obtaining comprehensive information on education expenditure from both public and private sources. 
However,  in  the  present  state  of  the  art,  one  cannot  expect  many  countries  to  introduce  satellite 
accounts on education without further research, with the full involvement of countries possibly under 
the  leadership  of  one  or  more  of  them.    The  feasibility  study,  which  is  about  to  be  launched  by 
Eurostat is an important first step in this direction. It is recommended that methodological work should 
be undertaken in order to resolve the conceptual and statistical issues that will inevitably arise in the 
construction of a framework of this nature. 
•  The first step should be to set-up a comprehensive frame/map of what is needed. 
•  The second step is to set out full conceptual and definitional frame within which such collection 

should be performed 

•  The  third step is to see what existing data collection could be used to supply information for as 

many of the needed variables as possible. 

•  The fourth step is to present a coherent questionnaire to be used for the new survey which takes 
account  of  the  existing  surrogate  questionnaires  used  for  other  data  collections  for  relevant 
existing variables. 

Of  great  importance  is  the  need  to  avoid  duplicating  questions  (which  already  exist  in  some  other 
sources) in a new purpose-built survey. This study has gone a long way in identifying these variables 
and the data sources. 

Needless to say that a proposal of a new survey and  the extent of such survey could be expected to 
meet with very strong opposition for reasons ranging from political to those of additional burden on 
data suppliers. Consequently, a very good case needs to be made for such action which constitutes the 
bone of the long term strategy. 

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11 

IInnddiiccaattoorrss    

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex 1 

 Indicators 

In task 1, we examined the policy needs of data on the investments made in formal and non-formal 
learning. Based upon the policy needs identified, we are now putting forward a list of indicators to 
that  meet  those  policy  needs.    These  indicators  are  categorised  under  16  policy  issues.  They  are 
resonant  in  the  sense  that  they  are  directly  diagnostic  of  different  aspects  of  each  policy  issue, 
though not all of them are fully specified as statistical indicators as yet.  From each set we have 
selected one “headline” indicator, which we regard as representative of the indicators in that group. 
The selection is EU-RA’s and reflects our judgement, however arbitrary and subjective.  By that 
device, we achieve parsimony within hierarchical but nested indictor sets.  Having disaggregated 
the indicators into variables, our next task is to identify data availability on each of these variables. 

A Resources devoted to education  

A.1 Relative proportions of public and private expenditure on educational institutions for all levels 

of education 

A.2 Public expenditure on education transferred to educational institutions and public transfers to 
the  private  sector  as  a  percentage  of  total  public  expenditure  on  education,  by  level  of 
education 

A.3  Distribution  of  total  and  current  expenditure  on  educational  institutions  from  public  and 

private sources, by resource category and level of education 

A.4 Expenditure on institutions by service category as a percentage of GDP 
A.5 Expenditure per student on instruction, ancillary services and research and development  
A.6  Amounts  of  the  funds  from  the  budget  for  the  purchase  of  teaching  materials  by  level  of 

education 

A.7 Ratio of students to teaching staff in educational institutions by level of education 
A.8 Proportion of educational establishments with a permanent internet connection 
A.9 Average costs of building maintenance per student in the renovated educational establishments 

before and after renovation. 

A.10  Average  expenditure  per  household  on  education  and  percentage  of  households  incurring 

education expenditures 

A.11 University expenditures on R&D as a percentage of GDP 

B Resources devoted to labour market training and vocational guidance and counselling of the 

unemployed and other target groups 

B.1 Public expenditure on labour market training as a % of GDP 
B.2 Public expenditure on labour market training broken down by level of government 
B.3 Public expenditure on labour market training broken down by sex 
B.4  Public  expenditure  on  labour  market  training  as  a  %  of  total  expenditure  on  active  labour   

market polices 

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B.5 Public expenditure on vocational guidance and counselling to the unemployed and other at risk 

groups 

C Improvement of opportunities for the unemployed by offering education/training  
C.1 Percentage of unemployed job training participants employed after completion of program.  
C.2 Percentage of the registered unemployed who undertake labour market training.  
C.3 Number of registered unemployed who move into labour market training measures 

D Resources devoted to higher education  
D.1.  Average  pay  of  academic  staff,  as  compared  with  average  pay  of  persons  working  in  the 

public sector 

D.2   Cost of one study place covered by the government budget 
D.3   Cost of one study place covered by the individual 
D.4   Public subsidies to the private sector as a percentage of total public expenditure on education 

and GDP  

D.5   Average government tuition fee expenditure per student 
D.6 Amounts of the funds from the budget for the purchase of teaching materials. 
D.7 University revenues by source, as a percentage of total revenue  

E Efficiency of undergraduate programmes in higher education institutions 
E.1 Cost per graduate as compared to the cost per student 
E.2 Number of diplomas and degrees granted and graduation rates, by level of education 
E.3 Number of persons with academic degrees and professional qualifications who have actually 

taken up jobs 

E.4 Average employment income, by age group and education level 
E.5 Non-continuation following year of entry - full-time first degree entrants 

F Quality assurance to meet labour market needs in higher education 
F.1 Proportion of students in non-university (non-academic) study programmes 
F.2  Number  of  studies  made  by  the  higher  education  organisations  concerning  the  education 

quality 

G Resources devoted to adult education 
G.1    Public subsidies to individuals as a percentage of total public expenditure on education and 

GDP  

G.2  Percentage of the total adult employed population participating in adult education and training 
G.3   Mean annual number of hours spent on adult education and training per participant and per 

capita 

H Improvement of adult education opportunities   
H.1 Number of further education programmes offered by higher education institutions 
H.2 Number of persons of different age groups who are acquiring further education programmes 

I  Efficiency of investments made in adult education 
I.1 Growth in the number of adults having acquired a basic qualification (ISCED level 2) 

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I.2  Growth  in  the  number  of  adults  having  acquired  a  basic  qualification  who  dropped  out  of 

school without any qualifications 

I.3   Growth in the number of adults participating in language courses  
I.4   Growth in the number of adult participating in ICT courses 
I.5   Growth in the number of adults in evening courses. 
I.6 Decrease in the number of adults who have not received a basic education and a professional 

qualification 

J Improving access to vocational education 
J.1 Number of students of professional education establishments 
J.2 Number of apprentices 

K Resources devoted to training by enterprises 
K.1  Number  of  hours  in  continuing  vocational  training  courses  per  employee  (total  and  broken 

down by sex) 

K.2  Number  of  hours  in  continuing  vocational  training  courses  per  participant  (total  and  broken 

down by sex) 

K.3 Participants in CVT courses as a percentage of employees in all enterprises (total and broken 

down by sex) 

K.4 Enterprises providing continuing vocational training courses as a percentage of all enterprises 
K.5 Enterprises providing other forms of training as a percentage of all enterprises 
K.6 Enterprises with agreements about CVT 

-  Enterprises with agreements about CVT with more than 250 employees 

K.7 Percentage of the type of supports given by employers for employer-sponsored programs and 

courses, by types of jobs (full-time / part-time) 

K.8 Expenditure on wages and salaries of apprentices 
K.9 Enterprises expenditure on social contributions for apprentices 

L   Individual resources devoted to lifelong learning 
L.1 Time spent by adults undertaking education/training 

M Lifelong learning 
M.1 Lifelong learning in collective agreements 
M.2 Number of persons participating in the awareness raising activities of lifelong learning 

N Integration of students with special needs in education 
N.1 Proportion of students with disabilities integrated in education by level of education 
N.2 Number of educational establishments adapted to receive students with disabilities 
N.3 Number of students with disabilities in higher education programmes. 

O Adult Literacy and basic skills 
O.1 Percentage of the adult population aged 16-65 at the lowest and highest levels of literacy 
O.2 Level of educational attainment, population aged 25 to 64 
O.3 Population aged 25 to 64, by highest level of educational attainment and sex 

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O.4 Distribution of the population aged 25 to 64, by highest level of educational attainment and 

age group 

P Increasing mobility and exchange 

P.1 Public expenditure on mobility grants to students in higher education institutions  
P.2  Public  expenditure  on  mobility  grants  to  students  in  higher  education  institutions  as  a 

percentage of the total grants given to students 

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Headline indicators 

Code 
A 

B 
C 

D 

E 

F 

G 

H 
I 

J 
K 

L 
M 
N 

O 

P 

Headline indicators 
Relative proportions of public and private expenditure on educational institutions for all 
levels of education 
Public expenditure on labour market training as a % of GDP 
Percentage  of  unemployed  job  training  participants  employed  after  completion  of 
program 
Cost of one study place covered by the government budget 
Cost of one study place covered by the individual 
Cost per graduate as compared to the cost per student 
Number of diplomas and degrees granted and graduation rates, by level of education 
Number  of  studies  made  by  higher  education  organisations  concerning  the  education 
quality 
Public subsidies to individuals as a percentage of total public expenditure on education 
and GDP 
Mean annual number of hours spent on adult education and training per participant and 
per capita 
Number of persons of different age groups who are acquiring further education 
Growth in the number of adults having acquired a basic qualification who dropped out of 
school without any qualifications 
Growth in the number of adults having acquired a basic qualification (ISCED level 2) 

Number of students of professional education establishments 
Number  of  hours  in  continuing  vocational  training  courses  per  participant  (total  and 
broken down by sex)  
Time spent by adults undertaking education / training 
Lifelong learning in collective agreements 
Proportion of students with disabilities integrated in education by level of education 
Number of students with disabilities in higher education programmes 
Percentage of the adult population aged 16-65 at the lowest and highest levels of literacy 
Level of educational attainment, population aged 25 to 64 
Public expenditure on mobility grants to students in higher education institutions 
Public  expenditure  on  mobility  grants  to  students  in  higher  education  institutions  as  a 
percentage of the total grants to students 

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Breakdown of indicators into variables 

Code 

Indicator 

A.1 

A.2 

A.3 

A.4 

all 

for 

Relative  proportions 
of  public  and  private 
expenditure 
on 
educational 
institutions 
levels of education 
Public  expenditure  on 
transferred 
education 
to 
educational 
institutions  and  public 
transfers to the private 
sector  as  a  percentage 
public 
total 
of 
expenditure 
on 
education,  by  level  of 
education 
Distribution  of 
and 
expenditure 
educational 
from 
institutions 
public 
and  private 
sources,  by  resource 
category  and  level  of 
education 
on 
Expenditure 
institutions  by  service 
category 
a 
percentage of GDP 

total 
current 
on 

as 

Var 
No 
V001 
V002 

Variables 

Total public expenditures on educational institutions 
Total private expenditures on educational institutions 

V001 

V003 

V004 

Total public expenditures on educational institutions by level 
of education 
Total  public  transfers  to  the  private  sector  by  level  of 
education 
Total private expenditures on education by level of education 

V005 

V006 

V007 

Total current expenditure on educational institutions by level 
of education 
Current  expenditure  by  level  of  education  broken  down  by 
type 
Capital expenditure by level of education 

V008 

V009 

V010 

institutions  on 

instruction, 
Expenditure  by  educational 
research  and  development  (R&D)  and  ancillary  services  in 
educational institutions 
Private  expenditure  on  educational  goods  purchased  outside 
educational institutions 
National GDP 

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Code 

Indicator 

A.5 

A.6 

A.7 

A.8 

A.9 

A.10 

A.11 

B.1 

B.2 

B.3 

B.4 

in 

of 

staff 

costs 

Expenditure 
per 
student on instruction, 
ancillary  services  and 
research 
and 
development 
Amounts  of  the  funds 
from  the  budget  for 
the 
of 
purchase 
teaching  materials  by 
level of education 
Ratio  of  students  to 
teaching 
in 
educational 
institutions by level of 
education 
Proportion 
educational 
establishments  with  a 
internet 
permanent 
connection 
Average 
of 
building  maintenance 
per  student 
the 
renovated  educational 
establishments  before 
and after renovation. 
Average  expenditure 
on 
household 
per 
and 
education 
percentage 
of 
households 
incurring 
education 
expenditures 
University 
expenditures  on  R&D 
as  a  percentage  of 
GDP 
Public  expenditure  on 
labour market training 
as a % of GDP 
Public  expenditure  on 
labour market training 
broken  down  by  level 
of government 
Public  expenditure  on 
labour market training 
broken down by sex 
Public  expenditure  on 
labour market training 
total 
as  a  %  of 
expenditure  on  active 
labour 
  market 
polices 

Var 
No 
V011 

V012 

V013 
V014 

V011 

V015 

V016 
V017 

Variables 

Number  of  students  in  educational  institutions  by  level  of 
education 
Expenditure  on  instruction,  ancillary  services  and  research 
and development 

Total budget of educational institutions by level of education 
Expenditure on the purchase of teaching materials by level of 
education 

Number  of  students  in  educational  institutions  by  level  of 
education 
Number of teaching staff educational institutions by level of 
education 

Number of educational establishments 
Number  of  educational  establishments  with  a  permanent 
internet connection 

V018 
V019 
V011 

Average costs of building maintenance before renovation 
Average costs of building maintenance after renovation 
Number  of  students  in  educational  institutions  by  level  of 
education 

V020 
V021 
V022 

Total number of households incurring education expenditures 
Total expenditure incurred by households 
Total number of households 

V023 
V010 

University expenditures on R&D 
National GDP 

V024 
V010 

Public expenditure on labour market training 
National GDP 

V025 

Public  expenditure  on  labour  market  training  by  level  of 
government 

V026 
V027 

Public expenditure on labour market training for men 
Public expenditure on labour market training for women 

V024 
V028 

Public expenditure on labour market training 
Total public expenditure on active labour market policies 

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Code 

Indicator 

B.5 

C.1 

C.2 

C.3 

D.1 

D.2 

D.3 

D.4 

D.5 

D.6 

of 

the 

who 
labour 

of 
job 
participants 
after 
of 

Public  expenditure  on 
guidance 
vocational 
and  counselling  to the 
unemployed and other 
at risk groups 
Percentage 
unemployed 
training 
employed 
completion 
program. 
Percentage 
registered 
unemployed 
undertake 
market training. 
Number  of  registered 
who 
unemployed 
labour 
move 
into 
training 
market 
measures 
Average 
academic 
compared 
average 
persons  working 
the public sector 
Cost  of  one  study 
place  covered  by  the 
government budget 
Cost  of  one  study 
place  covered  by  the 
individual 
Public subsidies to the 
private  sector  as  a 
percentage  of 
total 
public  expenditure  on 
education and GDP 

of 
as 
with 
of 
in 

pay 
staff, 

pay 

Average  government 
tuition fee expenditure 
per student 

Amounts  of  the  funds 
from  the  budget  for 
of 
purchase 
the 
teaching materials. 

Var 
No 
V029 

Variables 

Public expenditure on vocational guidance and counselling to 
the unemployed and other at risk groups 

V030 

V031 

Number of labour market training participants whose previous 
status was registered unemployed 
Number of labour market training participants whose previous 
status was registered unemployed who found a job 

V030 

V032 

Number  of  registered  unemployed  who  move  into  labour 
market training measures 
Number of registered unemployed 

V030  Number  of  registered  unemployed  who  move  into  labour 

market training measures 

V033 

V034 

Average  pay  of  academic  staff  by  type  of  higher  education 
institution 
Average pay of persons working in the public sector 

V035 
V036 

V035 
V037 

V038 

V039 

V040 
V010 
V041 
V011 

V042 
V043 

Cost of one study place by type of higher education institution 
Government  budget  given  to  higher  education  institutions  to 
cover one study place 
Cost of one study place by type of higher education institution 
Cost  of  studies  charged  to  individuals  by  type  of  higher 
education institution 
Public  subsidies  given  to  enterprises  for  education  and 
training purposes 
Public  subsidies  given  to  individuals  for  education  and 
training purposes 
Total public expenditure on education 
National GDP 
Average government tuition fee expenditure 
Number  of  students  in  educational  institutions  by  level  of 
education 

Total budget of higher education institutions 
Expenditure  on  the  purchase  of  teaching  materials  in  higher 
education institutions 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

200

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex 1 

Code 

Indicator 

D.7 

E.1 

E.2 

E.3 

E.4 

E.5 

F.1 

G.1 

source, 

University 
by 
percentage  of 
revenue 

revenues 
a 
as 
total 

Cost  per  graduate  as 
compared  to  the  cost 
per student 
Number  of  diplomas 
and  degrees  granted 
and  graduation  rates, 
by level of education 

Number  of  persons 
with academic degrees 
professional 
and 
qualifications 
who 
have actually taken up 
jobs 
Average  employment 
income,  by  age  group 
and education level 
Non-continuation 
of 
year 
following 
entry  -  full-time  first 
degree entrants 
Proportion  of  students 
in 
non-university 
(non-academic)  study 
programmes 
to 
Public 
a 
individuals 
total 
percentage  of 
public  expenditure  on 
education and GDP 

subsidies 
as 

Var 
No 
V044 
V045 

Variables 

Total revenue of universities 
Revenues of university by resource category 

Cost per graduate 
Cost per student 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 

V046 
V047 
V048 
V049  Number of diplomas and degrees granted by higher education 

institutions 

V050  Number  of  persons  with  academic  degrees  and  professional 

qualifications who have actually taken up jobs 

V051  Average  employment  income,  by  age  group  and  education 

level 

V052  Number  of  students  who  do  not  continue  their  studies 
following year of entry - full-time first degree entrants 

V053 
V054 

Number of students in higher education 
Number  of  students  in  non-university  (non-academic)  study 
programmes 

V055 
V040 
V010 

Public subsidies to individuals 
Total public expenditure on education 
National GDP 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

201

 
 
 
 
Annex 1 

Code 

Indicator 

G.2 

G.3 

H.1 

H.2 

I.1 

I.2 

I.3 

I.4 

I.5 

are 

further 

Mean  annual  number 
of  hours  spent  on 
adult  education  and 
training 
per 
participant  and  per 
capita 
Percentage  of  adult 
population 
in 
participating 
education 
and 
training, by age group 
and  study  orientation, 
and  mean  hours  of 
study, by age group 
Number  of 
education 
programmes  offered 
by  higher  education 
organisation 
Number  of  persons  of 
different  age  groups 
acquiring 
who 
further 
education 
programmes 
Growth in the number 
having 
of 
acquired 
basic 
qualification  (ISCED 
level 2) 
Growth in the number 
having 
of 
acquired 
basic 
a 
who 
qualification 
dropped  out  of  school 
without 
any 
qualifications 
Growth in the number 
of  adults  participating 
in language courses 
Growth in the number 
of  adult  participating 
in ICT courses 
Growth in the number 
of  adults  in  evening 
courses 

adults 

adults 

a 

Var 
No 
V056 
V057 

V058 

V058 
V059 

V060 

V061 

Variables 

Number of hours spent on adult education and training 
Number of adults participating in adult education and training 
outside the regular education system 
Total adult population 

Total adult population 
Number of adults participating in adult education and training 
by age group 
Number of adults participating in adult education and training 
by study orientation 
 Mean hours of study by age group 

V062  Number  of  further  education  programmes  offered  by  higher 

education institution 

V063  Number of persons of different age groups who are acquiring 

further education programmes 

V064  Change  in  the  number  of  adults  having  acquired  a  basic 

qualification (ISCED level 2) from the previous year (t-1) 

V065  Change  in  the  number  of  adults,  having  acquired  a  basic 
qualification from the previous year (t-1), who were enrolled 
to  continue  their  education  (i.e.  second  chance),  since  they 
dropped out of school without any qualifications. 

V066  Change  in  the  number  of  adults  participating  in  language 

courses from the previous year (t-1) 

V067  Change  in  the  number  of  adults  participating  in  ICT  courses 

from the previous year (t-1) 

V068  Change  in  the  number  of  adults  participating  in  evening 

course from the previous year (t-1) 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

202

 
 
 
 
 
Annex 1 

Code 

Indicator 

Var 
No 

Variables 

I.6 

J.1 

J.2 

K.1 

K.2 

K.3 

K.4 

in 

of 

Decrease 
the 
number  of  adults  who 
have  not  received  a 
basic  education  and  a 
professional 
qualification 
Number of students of 
professional education 
establishments 
Number 
apprentices 
Number  of  hours  in 
continuing  vocational 
training  courses  per 
employee 
Number  of  hours  in 
continuing  vocational 
training  courses  per 
participant 
in  CVT 
Participants 
a 
as 
courses 
of 
percentage 
employees 
all 
enterprises  (total  and 
broken down by sex) 
Enterprises  providing 
continuing  vocational 
training  courses  as  a 
percentage 
all 
enterprises 

of 

in 

V069  Change in the number of young people who have not received a 
basic  education  and  a  professional  qualification  from  the 
previous year (t-1) 

V070  Number of students of professional education establishments 

V071  Number of apprentices 

V072 
V073 

Number of hours in continuing vocational training courses 
Number of employees 

V072 
V074 

Number of hours in continuing vocational training courses 
Number of participants in CVT courses 

V074 
V075 
V076 
V077 

Number of participants in CVT courses 
Number of female participants in CVT courses 
Number of male participants in CVT courses 
Total number of employees in all enterprises 

V078 

V079 

Total  number  of  enterprises  providing  continuing    vocational 
training courses 
Total number of enterprises 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

203

 
 
 
 
 
Annex 1 

Code 

Indicator 

K.5  

K.6 

K.7 

K.8 

L.1 

M.1 

N.1 

N.2 

N.3 

O.1 

O.2 

Enterprises  providing 
other forms of training 
as  a  percentage  of  all 
enterprises 
Percentage of the type 
of  supports  given  by 
for 
employers 
employer-sponsored 
programs and courses, 
by  types  of  jobs  (full-
time / part-time) 
Expenditure  on  wages 
and 
of 
salaries 
apprentices 
Enterprises 
expenditure  on  social 
contributions 
for 
apprentices 
Time  spent  by  adults 
undertaking 
education/training 
Lifelong 
learning  in 
collective agreements 
Proportion  of  students 
disabilities 
with 
integrated 
in 
education  by  level  of 
education 
Number 
educational 
establishments 
adapted 
students 
disabilities 
Number  of  students 
with  disabilities 
in 
education 
higher 
programmes. 
Percentage 
the 
adult  population  aged 
16-65  at  the  lowest 
and  highest  levels  of 
literacy 
Level  of  educational 
attainment,  population 
aged 25 to 64 

receive 
with 

of 

of 

to 

Var 
No 
V080 
V079 

V081 

V082 

V083 

Variables 

Enterprises providing other forms of training 
Total number of enterprises 

Total  support  given  by  employers  for  employer-sponsored 
programs and courses, 
Support  given  by  employers  for  employer-sponsored  programs 
and courses by full-time jobs 
Support  given  by  employers  for  employer-sponsored  programs 
and courses by part-time jobs 

V084  Employers expenditure on wages and salaries of apprentices 

V085  Enterprises expenditure on social contributions for apprentices 

V086  Number of hours spent by adults undertaking education/training 

V087  Number of collective agreements on CVT 

V011 

V088 

Number  of  students  in  educational  institutions  by  level  of 
education 
Number of disabled students by level of education 

V089  Number  of  educational  establishments  adapted  to  receive 

students with disabilities 

V090  Number  of  students  with  disabilities  in  higher  education 

programmes. 

V091 
V092 
V093 

Number of adults 16-65 at the lowest levels of literacy 
Number of adults 16-65 at the highest levels of literacy 
Number of adults 16-65 

V094  Level of educational attainment, population aged 25 to 64 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

204

 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex 1 

Code 

Indicator 

O.3 

O.4 

P.1  

P.2 

Population  aged  25  to 
64, by highest level of 
educational attainment 
and sex 
Distribution  of 
the 
population  aged  25  to 
64, by highest level of 
educational attainment 
and age group 
Public  expenditure  on 
to 
mobility 
grants 
students 
in  higher 
education institutions 
Public  expenditure  on 
to 
mobility 
grants 
students 
in  higher 
education  institutions 
as  a  percentage  of  the 
total  grants  given  to 
students 

Var 
No 
V094 

V095 

V094 

V096 

Variables 

Population  aged  25  to  64,  by  highest  level  of  educational 
attainment 
Population aged 25 to 64, by sex 

Population  aged  25  to  64,  by  highest  level  of  educational 
attainment 
Population  aged  25  to  64,  by  highest  level  of  educational 
attainment by age group 

V097  Public  expenditure  on  mobility  grants  to  students  in  higher 

education institutions 

V097 

V098 

Public  expenditure  on  mobility  grants  to  students  in  higher 
education institutions 
Total  public  grants  given  to  students  in  higher  education 
institutions 

EExxpplloorriinngg  ssoouurrcceess  oonn  ffuunnddiinngg  ffoorr  LLiiffeelloonngg  LLeeaarrnniinngg 

205

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AAnnnneexx  
22 

SSuummmmaarryy  ooff  iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn  
ccoonnttaaiinneedd  iinn  nnaattiioonnaall  ssoouurrcceess  

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex 2 

 Summary of information contained in 
national sources 

Introduction 

This annex aims to provide some necessary background information on the national data sources 
identified. It contains the following tables: 

i. 

Type of funding sources identified in national data sources 
This  table  essentially  identifies  the  type  of  funding  sources  for  which  information  is 
collected  in  each  national  data  source.  The  classification  of  financial  arrangements  was 
used  in  classifying  the  funding  sources  identified.  The  classification  of  financial 
arrangements  provides  a  detailed  breakdown  of  funding  sources  whilst  at  the  same  time 
distinguishing between public and private sources. 

ii.  Summary of information contained in the national data sources 

This  table  essentially  contains  some  important  details  concerning  each  data  source.  In 
particular, the table tries to establish the following details concerning each source: 

-  Variables contained (restricted to those variables related to the resources devoted to 

education); 

-  Type of prices in which the data is reported (current or constant); 
-  Type of expenditure (direct, indirect, or opportunity costs); 
-  Data source (whether it is administrative or a survey, if it is a survey whether it is a 

census or a sample survey); 

-  Frequency of availability (or periodicity); 
-  Data availability (for which years is the data available; 
-  Language; 
-  Type of year (academic, calendar, or financial). 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

207

  
 
  
 
 
 
Annex 2 

Country 

Austria 

Belgium 

Belgium 

Denmark 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy 

Luxembourg 

Netherlands 

Portugal 

Spain 

Sweden 

UK 

UK 

LLiisstt  ooff  ddaattaa  ssoouurrccee  aabbbbrreevviiaattiioonnss  uusseedd  

Source 
code 
AT1 
AT2 
AT3 
AT4 
BE1 

Name of source 

Survey of education spending 
Hochschulbericht 
Education at a glance 
Education and science in Austria 
Annuaire 

BE2 
BE3 
DK1 
DK2 
FI1 
FI2 
FI3 
FI4 
FI5 
FR1 
FR2 
DE1 
DE2 
DE3 
IE1 
IE2 
IE3 
IE4 
IT1 
IT2 
IT3 
IT4 

LU1 

LU2 
NL1 
NL2 
NL3 
PT1 
PT2 
ES1 
ES2 
ES3 
ES4 
ES5 
SE1 
SE2 
SE3 
UK1 
UK2 
UK3 

UK4 
UK5 
UK6 
UK7 
UK8 

UK9 

L'enseignement en chiffres 
Le développement de l'éducation 
Facts and Figures- Education indicators - Denmark 2002 
Statistical yearbook 2002 
Education in Finland - Statistics and indicators 
Kota database 
Adult labour market training annual statistics 
Finnish universities in 2002 
Ministry of Education budget 2004 
Reperes et references statistiques.  
Vocational training expenditure in 2001 
Statistics 
Basic and structural data 
Finanzen der hochschulen 2002 
HEA Annual Accounts 
Statistical report 
Report 
Annual report and financial statement 
The municipal and commune expenditure on education in 2000 
Learning when adults 
Lifelong learning in Italy -report 2002 
Follow-up  of  the  Council  of  the  European  Union's  resolution  on 
lifelong learning 
Les chiffres clés de l'éducation nationale - statistiques et indicateurs 
2000-01 
Statistics 
Key Figures 2002 
Budget for 2004 
The education system in the Netherlands 2004 
Statistics on education 
Survey on vocational training actions 2001 
Statistics on public expenditure on education 2000 
Anuario 2002 
Continuous Survey on Households Budgets 
Spain in Figures 2002 
Anuario 2004 (Labour Cost Survey) 
Educational expenditure 1998-2002 
NU-database 
Statistical tables 
Resources of higher education institutions 
Regions in figures 
Student support: statistics of student support for higher education in 
England and Wales 
Education and training expenditure since 1993-94 
Departmental report 2004 
Expenditure on school education in Scotland 2003 
Education Statistics in Wales 2002 
Higher education, further education and training statistics in Wales 

2002/03 Student income and expenditure survey 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

208

 
Annex 2 

Central 

TTyyppee  ooff  ffuunnddiinngg  ssoouurrcceess  iiddeennttiiffiieedd  iinn  nnaattiioonnaall  ddaattaa  ssoouurrcceess  

Regional 

Government   
Local 

International 
agency 

Business related funding sources 

Non-business 
related 

Households

Private 

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Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

209

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Central  

Regional Local 

International 
agency 

Business related funding sources 

Government   

Private 

Non-business 
related 

Households

.

d
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DE1 
DE2 

DE3 

IE1 

IE2 

IE3  

IE4 

IT1 

IT2 

IT3 

IT4 

LU1 
LU2 

NL1 

 X  X 

X 

 X 

X  

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

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X 

X  X 

X  X 

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X 

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a
f

X 

X 
X 

X 

 X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X    

X    

X 

X 

X 

X 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

210

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Central  

Regional Local 

International 
agency 

Business related funding sources 

Government   

Private 

Non-business 
related 

Households

.

d
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N

/

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S

s
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i
l
i

m
a
f

NL2 

NL3 

PT1  

PT2 

ES1 

ES2 

ES3 

ES4 

ES5 

SE1 

SE2 

SE3 

UK1 

UK2 

UK3 

X  X 

X    

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X    

X 

X 

 X 

 X

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

211

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
Annex 2 

Central  

Regional Local 

International 
agency 

Business related funding sources 

Government   

Private 

Non-business 
related 

Households

.

d
e

l
a
n
o
i
t
a

s
e
i
r
t
s
i
n
m

i

X 

 Source 
Code  N
UK4 

s
e
i
t
i
r
o
h
t
u
a
e
t
a
t
S

/

l
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i

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t
s
i
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m
r
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h
t
O

 X

UK5 

UK6 
UK7 
UK8 
UK9 

X 

X 

 X

X 

s
d
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f
n
a
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p
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X 

X  

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

212

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
Summary of information contained in the national data sources 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Survey 

Direct Indirect Opp Admin Census Sample

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Current 

X 

X 

Yearly 

1995-2000 

English 

 Calendar 

Annex 2 

Source 
code 

AT1 

AT2 

Variables 

Education spending by general government 
according to educational sectors and public 
bodies  
Education spending by general government 
according to educational sectors.  
Total University budget and broken down by 
type 
Expenditure of HEIs broken down by type 
(staff costs, operating expenses, expenditure 
for buildings, promotion of science and 
research) 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

AT3  Ministry budget by type of school: 

Current 

X 

AT4 

Apprentice training colleges; Technical and 
vocational intermediate and higher colleges; 
Teacher training 
Expenditure on universities and 
Fachhochschulen in Austria; 
Expenditure on universities and 
Fachhochschulen as a percentage of total 
federal expenditure; 
Expenditure on universities and 
Fachhochschulen as a percentage of the GDP
Beneficiaries of pupil support and / or 
accommodation grants, school year 2000/01;
Study grants and / or study allowance, winter 
term 2002; 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

Current 

X  

X  

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Yearly 

1995-2000 

 English 

 Calendar 

Yearly 

1996-2001 

Yearly 

1996-2001 

Yearly 

Yearly 

2000 

Yearly 

2000 

Yearly 

2000 

Yearly 

2000 

Yearly 

2000 

German 

German 

German 
and 
English 

Academic 

German  Academic 

German  Academic 

German  Academic 

German  Academic 

German  Academic 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

213

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

BE1 

BE2 

BE3 

DK1 

Variables 

Total community expenditure on education 
and by type of activity 
Cost per student based upon the community 
budget by type of education 
Total community expenditure on loans at the 
secondary level 
Total community expenditure on loans at the 
tertiary level 
Community budget by type of education 

Public budget broken down by type of 
education 
Public budget on research 

Budget ERF (research) broken down by 
purpose: Teaching, training, research, and 
other 
Public expenditure on primary and lower 
secondary education 

Public expenditure per pupil in primary and 
lower secondary education 
Public expenditure on upper secondary 
education 
Public expenditure per pupil in upper 
secondary education 
Expenditure per graduate in upper secondary 
education 

Type of 
prices 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Constant 
(2000 
prices) 
Constant

Constant

Constant

Current 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Survey 

Direct Indirect Opp Admin Census Sample

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

X 

X 

X 

X 

 X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

Yearly 

1993-2001 

French 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-2001 

French 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-2001 

French 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-2001 

French 

Financial 

Yearly  Data is available from 1998-
1999, and from 2002-2003.  
Available from 1989 to 2004 French 

French 

Financial 

Calendar 

   Occasionally
   Occasionally Available from 1989 to 
2004. 
   Occasionally Available from 1989 to 
2004. 

French 

Calendar 

French 

Calendar 

   Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English  Calendar 

2000. 

   Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English  Calendar 

2000. 

   Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English  Calendar 

2000. 

   Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English  Calendar 

2000. 

   Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English  Calendar 

2000. 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

214

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 DK1 

Constant 

Public expenditure on teaching in vocational 
education and training: total; and by subject 
area 
Public expenditure per pupil in vocational 
education and training 
Ministry of education expenditure on higher 
education: total and by subject area  
Expenditure per graduate in higher education Current 

Constant 

Constant 

Public expenditure total for adult education 
and by type of programme: folk high schools; 
open education; home economics and textile 
design schools; Danish as a second language; 
special education for adults; reading courses 
for adults; evening schools; DK Maritime 
authority courses; Minister of cultural affairs 
courses; courses for farmers 
Expenditure on State education grant and 
loans: total and broken down into: grants; 
SU-loans for upper secondary education and 
higher education 
Allocation per support recipient, broken 
down into grants and SU-loans in upper 
secondary education and higher education 

Constant 

Current 

 Constant 
(2000 
prices) 

DK2 

Circulation of daily newspapers 

Hours of television broadcasting broken 
down by subject including education 
Expenditure of public libraries: total of which 
is staff salaries 

Current 

X 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin  Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English 

Calendar 

2000. 

Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English 

Calendar 

2000. 

Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English 

Calendar 

2000. 

Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English 

Calendar 

2000. 

Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English 

Calendar 

2000. 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English 

Calendar 

2000. 

Occasionally Data available from 1993 to 

English 

Calendar 

2000. 

Yearly  

Yearly  

Yearly  

Data available from 1998 to 
2003 
Data only available for 2001 
and 2002 
Data only available from 
2000 to 2002 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

215

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 DK2 

FI1 

FI2 

FI3 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Total public expenditure, and broken down 
into central government, counties, and 
municipalities and broken down into theatres; 
libraries, archives; and museums 
Total public expenditure per citizen, and 
broken down into central government, 
counties, and municipalities and broken down 
into theatres; libraries, archives; and 
museums 
Current educational expenditure by type of 
education 
Current expenditure per student by type of 
education 
Teaching staff: Person-years in teaching by 
types of post, Persons years financed from 
external funds 
Other staff: by source of financing 
Appropriations: final accounts according to 
cost type. External financing according to 
cost type 

Costs per result areas in universities 
Ministry of Labour appropriations for 
purchases of labour market training and 
social benefits for students, (excluding ESF 
financing) 
Price of a student workday in labour market 
training (excluding ESF financing) 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 
Current 

Current 
 Current

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

 Current

X 

Price of a student workday in labour market 
training (excluding ESF financing) 

 Current

X 

Cost of social benefits in labour market 
training by financing party. 

 Current

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

   Yearly 

Data only available for 2000 
and 2001. 

English  Calendar 

   Yearly 

Data only available for 2000 
and 2001. 

English  Calendar 

   One-off 

Data only available for 1996. English 

   One-off 

Data only available for 1996.   

   Yearly 

1995 onwards 

Finnish 

Calendar 

1995 onwards 
1995 onwards 

Finnish 
Finnish 

Calendar 
Calendar 

1995 onwards 
2001/2002 

Yearly 

Finnish 
English 

Calendar 

X 

X 
X 

X 

Yearly 

2001/2002 

Yearly 

2001/2002 

Yearly 

2001/2002 

English 

English 

English 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

216

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

FI4 

FI5 

FR1  

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Survey 

Direct Indirect Opp Admin Census Sample

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Expenditure (chargeable services excluded); 
Academy of Finland funding decisions; 
Ministry of Education funding for open 
university teaching 

Current 

X 

Current 

Current 

Ministry of Education budget 2004; Final 
accounts 2002; Final accounts 2003 by type 
of education 
Student financial aid : Sector of the Minister 
of Culture budget 2004; Final accounts 2002; 
Final accounts 2003 
Total public expenditure and broken down by 
type of Ministry: Education; and other 
Expenditure on education by type of activity : 
administration; canteens, boarding schools; 
others; purchase of goods and services 
(school transport; school books; equipment); 
staff salaries 
Income by type of source in primary 
education; education ministries; other 
ministries, regional bodies; other bodies; 
enterprises; and households 
Expenditure per student in primary education Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Income by type of source in secondary 
education; education ministries; other 
ministries, regional bodies; other bodies; 
enterprises; and households 
Expenditure per student in secondary 
education 
Income by type of source of HEIs; education 
ministries; other ministries, regional bodies; 
other bodies; enterprises; and households 

Current 

X 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

   Yearly 

Available for 2000 only 

Data available from 2002 

Calendar 

Finnish 
and 
abridged 
version in 
English 
 English  Fiscal 

Data available from 2002 

 English  Fiscal 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

French 

   Yearly 

 1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

2000 onwards 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

French 

French 

French 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

217

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 FR1 

Variables 

Expenditure per student in higher education 
(universities; and also IUT) 
Expenditure per student on engineering 
training 
Income by type of source; education 
ministries; other ministries, regional bodies; 
other bodies; enterprises; and households 
Apprenticeship tax received by type of 
institution: 2nd degree public, 2nd degree 
private, and higher education 
Apprenticeship tax per student by type of 
institution: 2nd degree public, 2nd degree 
private, and higher education 
Expenditure per student by type of region, 
broken down by 2nd degree; apprentice 
(CFA); and in higher education  
[Apprenticeship (tax)] 
Income by type of source for artistic 
education; education ministries; other 
ministries, regional bodies; other bodies; 
enterprises; and households 
Income by type of source for special 
education; education ministries; other 
ministries, regional bodies; other bodies; 
enterprises; and households 

Income by type of source for extra-curricular 
activities (includes: training 
courses;continued training; distance learning; 
evening classes, individual lesons; 
educational television); education ministries; 
other ministries, regional bodies; other 
bodies; enterprises; and households 

Type of 
prices 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

French 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

218

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 FR1 

FR2 

DE1 

DE2  

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

State financial aid to students broken down 
into grants; housing grants (ALS); personal 
aid (APL); transport subsidies 
Indirect help: universities services; 
reimbursements for students which are 
exempt from paying registration fees 
Increase in daily family allowance for 
students who are fiscally attached to their 
parents home 
Tax reductions for education for students 
pursuing higher education 
Financing of vocational training by source 
(state, enterprises, families) 
Expenditure of public budget on education, 
science and culture  
Budget for education, science and research by 
providing institutions 
Expenditure per pupil in public schools, by 
type of school and by type of expenditure 
(staff, current, capital) 
Budget for education by source for 
continuing vocational education and training 
Expenditure on continuing vocational 
education and training by type of expenditure 
(current, capital, etc.) 
Current expenditure of higher education 
institutions on teaching and research per 
student in Germany by subject group and 
type of institution  
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
by subject group, field of teaching and 
research and type of institution in Germany  

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

   Yearly 

1999 onwards 

French 

Occasional  Data available from 1997 

French 

Yearly 

and 2001. 
 Data are available from 
2000 to 2002 
  Data are available from 
2000 to 2002 
Only available for 2000. 

English 

English 

Financial 

X 

X 

Occasional Available for 1998. 

Available from 1992 to 
1998. 

English 

English 

Data are available from 1995 
to 1999 

English  Calendar 

Data are available from 1997 
to 1999 

English  Calendar 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

219

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 DE2 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Current 

X 

X 

Data is available from 1997 
to 2000. 

English  Calendar 

Expenditure on training assistance according 
to type of assistance (total; of which is loans; 
and average amount granted per assisted 
person) and assisted persons according to 
Family status (single; married) and Education 
and training institutions in Germany  
Educational budget by type of school:  
Vocational schools; Institutions of higher 
education; In-firm training; continuing 
Vocational education and training provided 
by companies, private non-profit 
organisations; central, regional and local 
authorities 
Grants to participants in continuing education 
courses from the Education budget 

Assistance from Federal Employment office 
to participants in Education and training 
courses 
Expenditure by the Federal Government, the 
laender and local authorities on higher 
education 
Expenditure by the Federal Government, the 
laender and local authorities on continuing 
education 

Expenditure by the Federal Government, the 
laender and local authorities on assistance 
schemes 
Expenditure on higher education by type of 
expenditure: staff; operating expenditure; 
Capital investments 
Expenditure on continuing education by type 
of expenditure: staff; operating expenditure; 
Capital investments 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

 Data is available from 1997 
to 2000. 

English  Calendar 

 Data is available from 1997 
to 2000. 

 Data is available from 1997 
to 2000. 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

 Data is available from 1997 
to 2000. 

English  Calendar 

 Data is available from 1997 
to 2000. 

English  Calendar 

Data is available from 1992 -
1999 

English  Calendar 

Data is available from 1992 -
2000 

English  Calendar 

Data is available from 1992 -
2000 

English  Calendar 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

220

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

DE2  

DE3 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Expenditure on assistance schemes by type of 
expenditure: staff; operating expenditure; 
Capital investments 
Expenditure on higher education institutions 
as a percentage of total public expenditure 
Expenditure on continuing education 
institutions as a percentage of total public 
expenditure 
Expenditure on assistance schemes as a 
percentage of total public expenditure 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
as a percentage of gross domestic product 
Expenditure of continuing education 
institutions as a percentage of gross domestic 
product 
Expenditure of assistance schemes as a 
percentage of gross domestic product 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
by type of school 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
by type of subject 
Income of higher education institutions by 
purpose: administrative; basic subsidies; and 
additional research funds 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
by type: current and capital 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
by type (current and capital) and by type of 
school 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
by type (current and capital) and by subject 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Data is available from 1992 -
2000 

English  Calendar 

Data is available from 1992 -
2000 
Data is available from 1992 -
2000 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

Data is available from 1992 -
2000 
Data is available from 1992 -
2000 
Data is available from 1992 -
2000 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

Data is available from 1992 -
2000 
Data is available from 1995 -
2002 
Data is available from 1995 -
2002 
Data is available from 1995 -
2002 

English  Calendar 

German  Calendar 

German  Calendar 

German  Calendar 

Data is available from 1995 -
2002 
Data is available for 2001 - 
2002 only. 

German  Calendar 

German  Calendar 

Data is available for 2001 - 
2002 only. 

German  Calendar 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

221

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

IE1 

IE2 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Current 
Current 
Current 

Current 
Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Recurrent grants by type for HEIs 
Capital grants by type for HEIs 
Research initiative grants for higher 
education 
Erasmus grants 
Capital expenditure on the school building 
programme at second level 
Expenditure per pupil for school transport 
(second level) 
Financial aid to students towards the cost of 
books in second-level education 
Receipts and expenditure of the vocational 
education committees, including grants from 
the department, tuition fees, and other fees 
(sale of books, bank interest) 
Statement  of  expenditure  of  public  funds, 
including  staff  pay,  payments  to  local  in 
respect to superannuation charges, per capita 
grants  towards  operating  costs  of  secondary 
schools. 

schools, 

schools, 

community 
science 

Capital  expenditure  on  secondary  schools, 
and 
vocational 
comprehensive 
and 
technology (investment) fund 
Public  aid  to  third  level  students  including: 
university  scholarships,  higher  education 
grants - tuition fees, and maintenance grants, 
scholarships awarded by VEC to institutes of 
technology  (tuition  fees,  and  maintenance 
fees),  students  on  certificate  and  diploma 
courses  in  institutes  of  technology  (tuition 
fees and maintenance grants) 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Yearly 

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

1995 onwards 
1995 onwards 
1995 onwards 

English 

Fiscal 

Yearly 

1995 onwards 
1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

222

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

IE2 

IE3 

IE4  

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Statement  of  expenditure  of  public  funds, 
including  staff  pay,  HEA  general  expenses, 
HEA  grants  to  Universities  and  colleges, 
etc… Capital expenditure 
Expenditure for training, training grants, ITC 
skills, etc. 
Programme costs of ‘Apprenticeship’ 

Total  training  programme  costs  [Bridging 
Foundation] 
State  funding  for  training  and  integration 
supports and Funding from National training 
fund [Foundation/Progression in CTWS] 
Staff  pay  related  to  training  services  [Return 
to work] 
Expenditure  on  evening  courses  related  to 
entrepreneurship [traineeship] 
FÁSnet College  

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

IT1 

IT2 

IT3 

IT4 

Current and capital expenditure by type of 
education 
Budget for lifelong learning by type of 
institutions and source of financing (%) 
Public funding by type of action for in-work 
training 
Transfers to regional authorities for in-work 
training 
Public funding by type of action for lifelong 
learning 
ESF funding by type of action 
State expenditure by level of education 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 
Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

Available for 2002. 

English 

31.12. 

Yearly  Data is available from 1998 

English 

31.12 

onwards 

Yearly  Data is available from 1998 

English 

onwards 

Yearly  Data is available from 1998 

English 

onwards 

Yearly  Data is available from 1998 

English 

onwards 

Yearly  Data is available from 1998 

English 

onwards 

Yearly  Data is available from 1998 

English 

onwards 
Only avalable for 1999 and 
2000. 
X  Occasionally Data available for 2002. 

Once 

Italian 

Financial 

Italian 

   Occasionally Data available from 1996 to 

Italian 

2000. 
Data available for 2000-01. 

   Occasionally 2002 

Italian 

2002 
Available for 2001. 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

223

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

LU1 

LU2 

NL1 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 
Current 

Budget for education by type of education 
and/or programme( school sports, private 
schools, school canteens, adult education, 
Inspectorate, pre-primary and primary 
education, secondary, technical secondary 
education, professional education) 
Education allowances paid per family 
Allowance for school re-opening by number 
of children  
Government expenditure on secondary 
vocational education 
Government expenditure on adult education  Current 
Current 
Government expenditure on integration 
courses 
Government expenditure on knowledge 
centres 
Course fees received for adult and vocational 
education 
Income from contract work of adult and 
vocational education institutions 
Expenditure of adult and vocational 
education institutions by type: staff costs; 
accommodation; and other expenses 
Income of higher professional education 
institutions from central government 
Expenditure per student in higher 
professional education 
Institutional costs per students in higher 
professional education 
Government spending per student higher 
professional education 
Income from contract work of higher 
professional education institutions 
Income from tuition fees of higher 
professional education institutions  

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

 1995 to 2001 

French 

Yearly  X 
X 

French 

1998-2002 

1998-2002 
1998-2002 

1998-2002 

1998-2002 

1997-2002 

1997-2002 

1997-2002 

1997-2002 

1998-2002 

1998-2002 

1998-2002 

1998-2002 

English  Calendar 
English  Calendar 
English 

English 

Calendar 
Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

English 

Calendar 

224

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 NL1 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Expenditure of higher professional education 
institutions by type: staff costs; depreciation; 
and other expenses 
Central government grant for teaching, per 
student in universities 
Institutional grant per student in universities  Current 

Current 

Current 

Actual costs of teaching in universities 

Current 

Educational resources per student in 
universities 
Income of universities from central 
government 
Income from tuition fees of universities 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Income from contract work of universities 

Current 

Expenditure of universities by type: staff 
costs; depreciation; and other expenses 
Total expenditure on student grants and 
public transport passes by type of education 
Public transport passes by type of education  Current 

Current 

Current 

Total student aid broken down by type: Basic 
grants; supplementary grants; travel 
expenses; interest-bearing loans and by type 
of education 
Expenditure on student aids and public 
transport passes per entitled student in 
vocational training 
Expenditure on student aids and public 
transport passes per entitled student in higher 
professional education 
Expenditure  on  student  aids  and  public 
in 
transport  passes  per  entitled  student 
universities 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

Data available from 1998-
2002 

English 

Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 
Data available from 1998-
2002 

English 

English 

English 

English 

English 

English 

English 

English 

English 

English 

English 

Data available from 1998-
2002 

English 

Data available from 1998-
2002 

English 

Data available from 1998-
2002 

English 

year 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

Calendar 

225

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

NL2 

Total budget by type of education 

Current 

NL3 

PT1 

PT2 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Total expenditure of primary and special 
education 
Expenditure per pupil in primary and special 
education 
Current 
Total expenditure of secondary education 
Expenditure per pupil in secondary education Current 
Current 
Student finance expenditure and transport 
passes in secondary education 
Study cost allowances of secondary education Current 
Current 
Total expenditure of adult and vocational 
education 
Total expenditure of higher professional 
education 
Expenditure per pupil in higher professional 
education 
Student finance expenditure and transport 
passes in higher professional education 
Total expenditure of universities 
Expenditure per pupil in universities 
Student finance expenditure and transport 
passes for universities 
Expenditure per pupil in vocational training  Current 
Current 
Student finance expenditure and transport 
passes for vocational training 
Study cost allowances for Vocational training 
+ higher education 
Government expenditure by type of education 
(primary, secondary, special, adult, etc) 
Total cost by sector of economic activity and 
size of enterprises 
Mean cost per trainee by sector of economic 
activity and size of enterprises 

Current 
Current 
Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

All data are available from 
2000 to 2004. 

English 

Occasionally 2000-2002 

2000-2002 

2000-2002 
2000-2002 
2000-2002 

2000-2002 

2000-2002 

2000-2002 

2000-2002 

2000-2002 

2000-2002 
2000-2002 
2000-2002 

2000-2002 
2000-2002 

2000-2002 

X 

Yearly  Only available for 1997. 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 
English  Calendar 
English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 
English  Calendar 
English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 
English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 
Portuguese   

X 

X 

Occasionally

Only available for 2001. 

Portuguese  

Only available for 2001. 

Portuguese 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

226

  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

PT2 

ES1 

ES2 

ES3 

ES4 

ES5 

SE1 

Variables 

Total cost for enterprises by sector of 
economic activity and size of enterprises 
Public expenditure by type of education 

ESF funds by type of programme in 
vocational training 
Expenditure on education 

Expenditure on training at work - breakdown 
of labour costs 
Expenditure on training at work - breakdown 
of labour costs 
Expenditure on childcare 

Expenditure per pupil in childcare and by 
type 

Expenditure per organiser 

Expenditure on pre-school, per pupil, by type 
of expenditure and organiser 
Expenditure on compulsory school 

Expenditure per compulsory school pupil  
Expenditure on upper secondary school by 
type 

Expenditure on upper secondary school per 
pupil and by type 

Expenditure on higher education 

Compensation per full-time student and 
subject area 
Adult education expenditure  

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Current 

X 

X 

Only available for 2001. 

Portuguese 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current/
constant
Current 

Current/
constant

Current 

Current/
constant

Current 
Current/
constant

Current 

Current/
constant

Current 

Current/
constant

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

Yearly 

All data are available for 
2000-01. 
Available for 2002. 

Spanish 

Spanish 

Quarterly 
and yearly 

Data available since 1985 

Spanish  Calendar 

Data available for 2000 

Spanish  Calendar 

Yearly 

Yearly 

2003 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 
Yearly 

1998-2002 
1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Spanish  Calendar 

Swedish, 
but tables 
include a 
translation 
of the title  
into 
English 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 
 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

227

 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

Annex 2 

Source 
code 

Variables 

 SE1 

Expenditure on compulsory schools for 
intellectually disabled children 

Expenditure per pupil in compulsory schools 
for intellectually disabled children 
Expenditure on schools for pupils with 
hearing/vision problems and physical 
disabilities 
Expenditure per pupil on schools for pupils 
with hearing/vision problems and physical 
disabilities 
Expenditure on adult education for 
intellectually disabled 

Expenditure on adult education for 
intellectually disabled per pupil  
Expenditure on the national centre for 
flexible learning by type 
Expenditure on Swedish tuition for 
immigrants 

Expenditure on Swedish tuition for 
immigrants per pupil  

Expenditure on supplementary schools 

Expenditure on supplementary schools per 
pupil  
Expenditure on folk high schools per type 
Study associations per type 
Expenditure on employment training 
Expenditure on education abbroad 
National, regional and international income 
for teaching of higher education institutions 
Income by selling services to industry related 
to teaching of higher education institutions 
Expenditure on staff in HEIs 
Other current expenditure of HEIs 
Rental of HEIs 

SE2 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

Type of 
prices 

Current/
constant

Current 

Current/
constant

Current 

Current/
constant

Current 

Current 

Current/
constant

Current/
constant

Current/
constant

Current 

Current 
Constant
Constant
Current 
Current 

Current 

Current 
Current 
Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

Yearly 

1998-2002 

year 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

 Calendar 

   Yearly 
   Yearly 
   Yearly 
   Yearly 
Yearly 

1998-2002 
1998-2002 
1998-2002 
1998-2002 
1995-2002 

 Calendar 
 Calendar 
 Calendar 
 Calendar 
Swedish  Calendar 

Yearly 

1995-2002 

Swedish  Calendar 

Yearly 
Yearly 
Yearly 

1995-2002 
1995-2002 
1995-2002 

Swedish  Calendar 
Swedish  Calendar 
Swedish  Calendar 

228

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

SE2 

SE3  

UK1 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Depreciation of HEIs 
Interest payments of HEIs 
Cost per graduate in higher education 
Cost per student in higher education 
Municipal adult education: Costs by 
organiser : Total expenditure broken down by 
tuition fees; premises fixtures and fittings; 
teaching materials; student welfare; and other
Municipal adult education: Costs by 
organizer, per full-time student, 2001, 
distribution measurements 
Independent supplementary Education: Costs 
by organiser: Total expenditure broken down 
by tuition fees; premises fixtures and fittings; 
teaching materials; student welfare; and other
Funding Council Grants (public income) for 
higher education 
Academic fees and support grants (total) in 
higher education institutions 
Full-time HE Fees - home rates (HEIs) 
Full-time HE Fees -other rates (HEIs) 
Part-time HE Fees (HEIs) 
Non-credit-bearing course fees (HEIs) 
Other fees and support grants (HEIs) 
International funds for teaching of higher 
education institutions from 
Course validation fees of higher education 
institutions  
Income of higher education institutions from 
UK government bodies, health and hospital 
authorities  
UK industry, commerce and public co 
operations with higher education institutions 
Income of higher education institutions from 
EU sources 

Current 
Current 
Current 
Current 
Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 
Current 
Current 
Current 
Current 
Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Yearly 
1995-2002 
Yearly 
1995-2002 
Yearly 
1995-2002 
Yearly 
1995-2002 
Occasional Only available for 2001 

Swedish  Calendar 
Swedish  Calendar 
Swedish  Calendar 
Swedish  Calendar 
English   Financial 

Occasional Only available for 2001 

English   Financial 

Occasional Only available for 2001 

English   Financial 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Financial 
year, ie 1 
August to 
31 July 

   Yearly 
   Yearly 
   Yearly 
   Yearly 
   Yearly 
Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 
1994/1995 onwards 
1994/1995 onwards 
1994/1995 onwards 
1994/1995 onwards 
1994/1995 onwards 

English 
English 
English 
English 
English 
English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

229

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 UK1 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Other overseas sources of higher education 
institutions 
Income from health and hospital authorities 
of higher education institutions 
Grants from local authorities of higher 
education institutions 
Other general income of higher education 
institutions 
Depreciation of higher education institutions  Current 
Current 
Interest payable of higher education 
institutions 
Academic staff costs of higher education 
institutions, broken down by area 
Other staff costs of higher education 
institutions, broken down by area 

Current 

Current 

Current 

UK2 

UK3 

Other operating expenses of higher education 
institutions 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
broken down by departments 
Employees of working age by sex receiving 
any job-related training (hours spent) 
Employees of working age by sex receiving 
on the job training (hours spent) 
Employees of working age by sex receiving 
off the job training (hours spent) 
Employees of working age by sex receiving 
on and off the job training (hours spent) 
Average number of hours in training in the 
last week 
Total sum borrowed by students in higher 
education 
Public expenditure on all student awards in 
higher education 
Public expenditure on fees in higher 
education 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

year 

Financial 
year, ie 1 
August to 
31 July 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

   Yearly 
Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 
1994/1995 onwards 

English 
English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

Yearly 

1994/1995 onwards 

English 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X  Quarterly 
Quarterly 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Quarterly 

Quarterly 

Quarterly 

   Yearly 
Yearly 

Yearly 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

English  Calendar 

1991/1992 and 1997/1998 to 
2000/2001 
1991/1992 and 1997/1998 to 
2000/2001 
1991/1992 and 1997/1998 to 
2000/2001 

English  Academic 

English  Academic 

English  Academic 

230

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

 UK3 

Public expenditure on maintenance grants 

Current 

UK4 

Average LEA/SLC  fee expenditure per 
student 
Average LEA/SLC  maintenance expenditure 
per student 
Capital and current expenditure by local and 
central government on education and learning
Central government expenditure on schools 
by type of program  
Local authorities expenditure on schools 
Capital and current expenditure (staff) of 
schools 
Income by type (sales, tuition fees, parental 
contributions, etc) 
Central government expenditure on support 
for young people by type of program 
Capital and current expenditure (staff) on 
support for young people 
Income for support for young people by type 
(sales, tuition fees, parental contributions, 
etc) 
Central government expenditure by type of 
program on higher education 
Local authorities expenditure on higher 
education 
Central government expenditure on further 
education, adult education, skills and lifelong 
learning by type of program 
Capital and current expenditure (staff) of 
further education, adult education, skills and 
lifelong learning 
Income by type (sales, tuition fees, parental 
contributions, etc) for further education, adult 
education, skills and lifelong learning 

Current 

Current 

Current/
constant
Current/
constant
Current 
Current 

Current 

Current/
constant
Current 

Current 

Current/
constant
Current 

Current/
constant

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X  

X  
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X  

X 

X 

X 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

1991/1992 and 1997/1998 to 
2000/2001 
1991/1992 and 1997/1998 to 
2000/2001 
1991/1992 and 1997/1998 to 
2000/2001 
1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English  Academic 

English  Academic 

English  Academic 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

   Yearly 
Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 
1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 
English 

Financial 
Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

231

  
  
 
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 UK4 

UK5 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Central and local authority expenditure on 
further education, adult education, skills and 
lifelong learning 
Central government expenditure on further 
education, adult education, skills and lifelong 
learning by type of program 
Local authorities expenditure on further 
education, adult education, skills and lifelong 
learning 
Local authority capital expenditure on 
education 
Cost per pupil in local education authority 
maintained schools  
Departmental expenditure by type of fund or 
programme 
Education expenditure by type of expenditure 
and type of school 
Local government expenditure by type of 
school and cost 
Revenue funding per school-pupil 

Current/
constant

Current/
constant

Current 

Current 

Constant

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Departmental expenditure on support for 
children, young people and family by type of 
programme 
Departmental expenditure on higher 
education by type of fund or programme 
Education expenditure on higher education 
by central and local government  
Funding for FTE students in higher education Current 

Current 

Current 

Departmental expenditure by type of 
programme on further education, adult 
education, skills and lifelong learning 
Education expenditure on further education, 
adult education, skills and lifelong learning 
by central and local government 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

1993-1994 to 2001 -2002 

English 

Financial 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Yearly 

Data available from 1998/99 
to 2002/03. 
Data available from 1998/99 
to 2001/02. 
Data available from 1998/99 
to 2001/02. 
Data available from 1998/99 
to 2002/03. 
Data available from 1998/99 
to 2002/03. 

English 

Financial 

English 

Financial 

English 

Financial 

English 

Financial 

English 

Financial 

Data available from 1998/99 
to 2002/03. 
Data available from 1998/99 
to 2001/02. 
Data available from 1998/99 
to 2002/03. 
Data available from 1998/99 
to 2002/03. 

English 

Financial 

English 

Financial 

English 

Financial 

English 

Financial 

Data available from 1998/99 
to 2001/02. 

English 

Financial 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

232

 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

UK5  

Funding for FTE students 

Current 

UK6 

UK7 

Local government expenditure on adult and 
community learning 
Gross revenue education expenditure by local 
authorities on pre-school education 
Gross revenue education expenditure by local 
authorities on primary education 
Gross revenues expenditure by type of 
expenditure (teachers, property costs, etc) on 
primary education 
Gross revenue education expenditure by local 
authorities on secondary education 
Gross revenues expenditure by type of 
expenditure (teachers, property costs, etc) on 
secondary education 
Gross revenue education expenditure by local 
authorities on special education 
Gross revenues expenditure by type of 
expenditure (teachers, property costs, etc) on 
special education 
Gross revenue education expenditure by local 
authorities on other vocational education 
Gross revenue education expenditure by local 
authorities on community education 
Local authority revenue expenditure on 
primary education 
Local authority revenue expenditure on 
secondary education 
Local authority revenue expenditure on 
special education 
Local authority revenue expenditure on 
education for adults 
Local authority revenue expenditure on other 
continuing education 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Yearly 

 Yearly 

Once 

Once 

Once 

Once 

Once 

Once 

Once 

Once 

Once 

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Data available from 1998/99 
to 2002/03. 
Data available from 1998/99 
to 2001/02. 
1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

English 

 Financial 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

1996/1997 to 2001/2002 

English 

Financial 

Once 

 1997 to 2000. 

English 

Financial 

 1997 to 2000. 

 1997 to 2000. 

 1997 to 2000. 

 1997 to 2000. 

English 

English 

English 

English 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

233

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
Annex 2 

Source 
code 

 UK7 

UK8 

Variables 

Type of 
prices 

Expenditure 

Data source 

Direct Indirect Opp

Admin Census Sample

Survey 

Frequency 
of 
availability

Data availability 

Language  Type of 

year 

Current 

Current 
Current 

Local authority revenue expenditure on the 
youth service 
Expenditure on further education 
Government supported training programme 
expenditure on further education 
Expenditure on higher education 
Current 
Current 
Income of further education institutions 
Expenditure of further education institutions  Current 
Current 
Expenditure per unit student load taught in 
further education 
Pay expenditure on teaching and learning in 
further education 
Income of higher education institutions by 
source (funding council grants, tuition fees 
and contracts, research grants & contracts, 
other income, endowment & investment 
income,  
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
by category (staff costs, depreciation, other 
operating expenses, interest payable) 

Current 

Current 

Current 

UK9 

Staff cost by activity in higher education 
Expenditure of higher education institutions 
by activity (academic department, academic 
services, admin & central services, premises, 
residence & catering ops, research grants & 
contracts, other) 
Students' expenditure by type of expenditure 
(housing, living, participation) 
Students' expenditure by socio-economic 
characteristics 
Students' expenditure by institutional 
characteristics 
Comparison of students' expenditure 

Current 
Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

Current 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

 1997 to 2000. 

English 

 1997 to 2000. 
 1997 to 2000. 

 1997 to 2000. 
2000/2001 
2000/2001 
2000/2001 

Yearly 

English  Academic 
English  Academic 

English  Academic 
English  Academic 
English 
English 

2000/2001 

English 

Yearly 

2000/2001 

English  Academic 

2000/2001 

English 

2000/2001 
2000/2001 

English 
English 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

Occasional Data only available for 
2002/03. 

English  Academic 

X  Occasional  Data only available for 

English  Academic 

2002/03. 

X  Occasional  Data only available for 

English  Academic 

2002/03. 

X  Occasional  Data only available for 
1998/99 and 2002/03. 

English  Academic 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

234

  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
AAnnnneexx  
33 

OOvveerrvviieeww  ooff  mmeetthhooddoollooggiieess  aanndd  
iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn  ccoonnttaaiinneedd  iinn  
iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall  ssoouurrcceess  

  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overview of methodologies and 
information contained in international 
sources 

Introduction 

The general aim of this annex to provide information on national data sources that collect or provide 
information on the resources that are devoted to education and training. The annex is sub-divided into 
the following sections: 

Section A  National household panel surveys 

Belgium 
Germany 
Sweden 
United Kingdom 

Section B 
Section C  Adult Education Surveys 

Student income and expenditure survey 

Finland 
United Kingdom 
USA 

Learning and Training at Work survey 

Section D 
Section E  Omnibus Survey 
Section F 
Section G 

General Socio-Economic Survey 
Expenditure  data  that  is  provided  by  the  Member  States  to 
the National Action Plans for Employment 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

236 

              
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SSeeccttiioonn  AA:: NNaattiioonnaall  HHoouusseehhoolldd  PPaanneell  SSuurrvveeyyss  

This section presents some details concerning the information collected on education and training in 
household panel surveys in 4 Member States (Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom).  
A  brief  overview  is  given  explaining  the  background  of  each  survey,  methodological  notes,  and  the 
questions asked in each survey pertaining to education / training. 

BBeellggiiuumm  

In  1989,  the  Programming  Departments  of  the  Scientific  Policy  (now  Federal  Services  of  the 
Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs) charge the Services of Family Sociology of the University 
of Liege and of the "Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen" to launch together a great scale survey, the 
Panel Study on Belgian Households, PSBH (“Panel Démographie Familiale”). Each year, the same set 
of  questions  is  submitted  to  the  same  sample  of  individuals  and  families  in  Brussels,  Flanders  and 
Wallonia. The questionnaire prepared by the two university centres approaches topics like the family 
structure and relationships, housing, health, children, mobility, living conditions, values and opinions, 
etc.  Currently  available  data  relate  to  more  than  10,000  people  and  offer  almost  infinite  analysis 
possibilities. 

The sample 
The sample is a balanced sample of communes, divided into 275 points of sampling (or clusters). The 
initial selection of households for inclusion in the panel survey was made as follow: on the basis of the 
file of the National Register (Registre National), 100 addresses of heads of household in each cluster 
were selected randomly (i.e. 27.500 addresses). In order to correct the refusal in certain categories of 
the  population,  a  first  "manipulation"  of  each  cluster  was  realized:  a  precise  code  was  attributed  to 
each address according to two criteria (the age of the head of household and the size of the household). 
On the basis of a classification of the addresses according to ascending codes, each cluster was divided 
into two lists: a list A, made up of 20 start addresses and a list B of 80 addresses of replacement. At 
the  moment  of  the  investigation  (first  wave  of  survey  P.S.B.H.),  if  it  was  impossible  to  interview  a 
household in list A, the investigator turned to a household in the list B of the same code. 

Age of the head of 
household 

+65  
30-65  
- 30 

Size of the household 

1 person 
code 1 
code 4 
code 7 

2-4 people 
code 2 
code 5 
code 8 

5 + people 
code 3 
code 6 
code 9 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

237 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sample stages 
A  panel  is  a  longitudinal  survey  where  the  successive  phases  of  realization  are  very  precisely 
elaborated. The development of the questionnaire is subjected to many methodological rules. It must 
covers  a  maximum  of  fields  without  being  too  heavy  to  pass,  on  the  one  hand,  and  must  make  it 
possible  to  calculate  coherent  and  complete  indicators,  on  the  other  hand.  The  fieldwork  consists 
primarily of the training of the interviewer and field supervisors, where the principal mean is to give 
interviewers  a  greater  understanding  of  the  “rules”  prevailing  in  the  matter  of  interviewing  people. 
They will be then ready to contact their sample and interview them. The thousands of data collected 
are coded and cleaned, operations which take almost a year before the data will be ready for users. 

The questionnaires 
Each wave is based on four types of questionnaires, then converted into four computer files. They are: 
•  A contact sheet: presentation of the household (who lives in the household, dates of birth of the 

individuals in the household, relationship with the household reference person, etc.)  

•  The  household  questionnaire:  this  contains  questions  about  the  household  (characteristics  of 

house, incomes of households, etc.)   

•  The  adult  questionnaire:  each  person  of  more  than  16  years  answers  this  questionnaire.  It 
constitutes  a  kind  of  biography  of  the  person,  with  in  particular  questions  about  the  family  life, 
personal incomes, education and training, values, leisure, health, etc;  

•  The child questionnaire: filled by an adult of the household, this questionnaire aims at determining 
the well-being (education, leisure, etc.) of individuals of less than 16 years living in the household. 

The questions 

Adult questionnaire – spring 2002 

2.A. Can you give me the reason for which your occupation is temporarily suspended? 

−  Sickness or accident 
−  Technical, seasonal or economic unemployment 
−  Maternal leave 
−  Parental leave 
−  Leave for other family reasons 
−  Leave for training, education, social promotion 
− 
−  Other  

Interruption of career 

31. How are you remunerated for your work as apprentice or for your training? Do you receive a salary from 
your employer, social allowances or study allowances? 

−  Salary 
−  Social or study allowances 

51. For which reason do you work part time? 
− 
− 

I am studying or doing a training 
I look after children or other members of my family 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

238 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
− 
− 
− 
− 
− 

I am sick or handicapped  
I can not find a full-time employment/ I have not the possibility for working more hours in my actual job 
I don’t want to work more hours 
I don’t work part time 
I have other reasons 

61. Which is your main occupation? 
−  Student or in a training 
−  Unemployed 
−  Pre-retired 
−  Pensioner 
−  Housewife 
− 

I have an occupation (less than 15 hours per week but I cannot regard any the preceding proposals as being 
my principal activity) 

−  Other 

120. What did you study? 
−  Lower secondary education 

General 
Technical 
Professional 
Artistic 

−  Upper secondary education 

General 
Technical 
Professional 
Artistic 

−  Tertiary education 

Non-university short course 
Non-university long course 
University 
Post-university 

124. Which type of vocational education is this or was this? 
−  Training in a school or university establishment 
−  Training at the workplace 
−  Work and school-based training programme 
−  Other training in connection with employment programmes (i.e. FOREM training) 

125. Are (Were) these training paid or organised by the employer? 
−  Yes 
−  Non 
− 

I was not in any professional activity 

129. Since January 2000, have you followed any… 

YES 

NO 

Language course 
Other course 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

239 

              
 
 
 
         
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                                 
                                        
 
148A. In 2001, did you receive any allowance such as “allocations d’attente”, unemployment benefits, “pause-
carrière”? 

YES  NO 

monthly amount 

number of months 

“allocations d’attente” 
− 
“pause-carrière” 
− 
−  Unemployment benefit 
−  Training allowance (FOREM or ORBEM) 
−  Mobility allowance from FOREM or ORBEM 
− 

“Fonds pour la sécurité d’existence” 

GGeerrmmaannyy  

The German socio-economic panel (SOEP) is a longitudinal survey of private households and persons 
in  Germany.    It  is  called  simply  “living  in  Germany”.  The  SOEP  was  started  in  1984  when  6,000 
households  were  selected  and  interviewed.  The  aim  of  the  survey  is  to  collect  yearly  microdata  on 
persons,  households  and  families,  to  measure  stability  and  change  in  living  conditions  by  following 
principally  a  micro-economic  approach  enriched  with  sociological  and  political  science  variables, 
mainly determined by the “Social Indicator movement”.  

A stable set of core questions is asked every year covering the most essential areas of interest of the 
study:  population  and  demography,  education,  training,  and  qualification,  labor  market  and 
occupational dynamics, earnings, income and social security, housing, health, household production, 
basic  orientation  (preferences,  values,  etc.)  and  satisfaction  with  life  in  general  and  various  aspects. 
Additionally,  as  a  yearly  topical  module,  the  basic  information  in  one  of  these  areas  is  enlarged  by 
detailed questions.  

The sample 
The original SOEP sample was drawn in 1983. The SOEP was expanded to the territory of the German 
Democratic Republic in June 1990.  

The SOEP samples are: 
Sample A “Residents in the FRG” - covers persons in private households with a household head who 
does  not  belong  to  the  main  foreigner  groups  of  “guestworkers”  (i.e.  household  heads  who  are 
Turkish, Greek, Yugoslavian, Spanish or Italian). Sample A was intended to net 4,500 households. In 
the  end  the  completed  net  sample  contained  4,554  households.  The  ADM1  master  tape  from  1982 
served as a basis for collecting sample A. 584 sample points were randomly selected from it by means 
of  a  multi-stage  stratified  sampling  procedure.  The  interviewer  selected  the  households  within  the 
selected  constituency  according  to  the  random-route  procedure.  Working  from  a  given  random  start 
address the interviewer had to select every seventh household as a target household. 

1  ADM  is  the  “Arbeitsgemeinschaft  Deutscher  Marktforschungsinstitute”  (Working  Group  of  the  German  Marketing  Research 

Institutes). 

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Sample B “Foreigners in the FRG” - consists of five autonomous samples for the five numerically 
largest foreign nationality groups living as immigrants in the FRG in 1984. Population B was selected 
from primary sampling units (PSUs) of counties and metropolitan areas. A random selection of PSUs 
was independently drawn for each nationality. Using immigrant registration records in each PSU, the 
respondents  were  then  selected  by  probability  sampling,  i.e.  systematic  sampling  with  random  start 
address. The household of the respondent selected in this manner then came into the sample, provided 
that the household head had the same citizenship as the selected respondent. 

Sample  C  “German  Residents  in  the  GDR”    -  covers  persons  in  private  households  where  the 
household head was a GDR citizen. In contrast to the ADM master sample in the old FRG, the sample 
frame  is  a  probability  selection  of  private  addresses  drawn  from  the  central  residents’  data  base 
(Pietzke  1991)2.  That  is  to  say,  addresses  are  drawn  by  fixed  steps  with  random  start  (issue  date: 
March 14, 1990). 

Sample D “Immigrants”  - started in 1994/95 in two different samples. In 1994, the first sample D1 
had 236 households and in 1995, the second sample D2 had 295 households, making in 1995 a total 
522  households.  This  sample  consisted  of  households  in  which  at  least  one  household  member  had 
moved from abroad to West Germany after 1984.  

Sample  E  “Refreshment”    -  In  1998,  a  new  sample  was  selected  from  the  population  of  private 
households  in  Germany.  The  new  sample, also denoted as subsample E, was selected independently 
from the ongoing panel (subsamples A through D). The selection scheme used for sample E essentially 
resembles the scheme also used to select subsample A except from slight differences in the selection 
of  the  second-stage  sample,  mainly  due  to  testing  a  new  survey  instrument  (using  a  laptop  for  the 
personal  interviews,  i.e.  computer  assisted  personal  interview  (CAPI)  vs.  paper-and-pencil  personal 
interviews  (PAPI)).  Sample  E  was  intended  to  net  1000  households.  At  the  end  the  completed  net 
sample contained 1979 households. 

Sample F “Innovation”  - Starting in 2000, subsample F, was selected from the population of private 
households in Germany. Like subsample E, it was selected independently from all other subsamples 
and the selection schema was essentially the same as for selecting subsample A and E, however, with 
one  exception:  the  selection  of  households within PSUs. First, the population was divided in to two 
parts: those households with all adults (age >16) with the German nationality (“German” households) 
and  those  households  where  at  least  one  adult  does  not  have  German  nationality  (“non-German” 
households).  Within  each  PSU,  24  households  were  selected  according  in  the  same  manner,  as  in 
subsamples A and E. However, “German” households were selected mainly using the fist 12 addresses 
within  each  PSU.  In  fact,  a  few  were  selected  from  the  second  12  addresses  as  well.  The  “non-
German” households were selected using all the 24 addresses. Like in subsample E, in addition to the 
traditional  interview  technique  (PAPI),  CAPI  was  used  and  more  information  about  non-responding 
units is available as compared to subsamples A–D. Sample F was intended to net 6000 households. 

2 The ADM group first brought out a drawing frame for the new Bundeslaender using the election districts as a basis after the 
first national election in both Germanys in Dec.1990. 

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Sample  G  “Oversampling  of  High  Income”  -  Sub-sample  G  was  selected  independently  from  all 
other sub-samples from the population of private households in 2002. The selection scheme required 
that the responding household had a monthly income of at least DM 7,500 (EURO 3835). The number 
of observed and valid private households in sub-sample G in 2002 was 1, 224.  

Sample stages 
The interview methodology of the SOEP is based on a set of pre-tested questionnaires for households 
and individuals. Principally an interviewer tries to obtain face-to-face interviews with all members of a 
given  survey  household  aged  16  years  and  over.  All  persons  in  HH  are  to  be  surveyed  also  the 
following years. In case of residential mobility, the person is to be followed within the survey territory 
(Federal Republic of Germany). 
In the SOEP, the entire data processing, including the data structure as well as variable naming, is very 
closely connected to the way the information was obtained. Some variables, which are often used, are 
not asked directly but must be calculated (for example the highest level of education).  
Due  to  different  sampling  probabilities,  non-response  in  the  first  wave  and  attrition  in  the  course  of 
time,  a  weighting  (“projection”) of the sample cases is required in order to be able to infer the case 
numbers  of  the  target  population.  For  a  panel  like  the  SOEP  two  steps  of  weighting  need  to  be 
distinguished: 
• Cross-sectional weighting 
• Weighting of longitudinal populations. 

The questionnaire 
There are different versions of the questionnaires. First, the questionnaires for the foreigner’s sample 
(B) and immigrant sample (D) cover additional measures of integration or information on re-migration 
behavior. Secondly, in 1990 and the first years of the German unification process, the questionnaire 
for the East German sample (C) also contained some additional specific variables (since 1992 there are 
no  longer  different  questionnaires  (and  data  files)  for  East  and  West  Germany).    Since  1996,  the 
questionnaires are uniform and completely integrated for all samples. Additionally each respondent is 
asked to fill out a biography questionnaire covering information on the life course (e.g. marital history, 
social background, employment biography etc.). 

Living in Germany  
Individual questionnaire 2004 

8. What type of education or continuing training is that? 

Vocational education: 

Primary vocational training year, vocational preparatory year 
("Berufsgrundbildungsjahr, Berufsvorbereitungsjahr") ... ......................................... 
Vocational school without apprenticeship ... ............................................................. 
Apprenticeship .............................................. ............................................................ 
Full-time vocational school ("Berufsfachschule, Handelsschule") ................. .......... 
School for health care professions .............. .............................................................. 
Trade and technical school  
("Fachschule", for example, "Meister-, Technikerschule") ....................................... 
Education as public employee ................................................................................... 
Other: ......................................................................................................................... 

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General school: 

Secondary general school ("Hauptschule")... ............................................................. 
Intermediate School ("Realschule") ................ .......................................................... 
Upper Secondary School ("Gymnasium").................................................................. 
Comprehensive School ("Gesamtschule").... ............................................................. 
Evening Intermediate School ("Abendrealschule") ................................................... 
"Fachoberschule" ......................................... ............................................................. 

Higher Education: 

"Fachhochschule" ...................................................................................................... 
University, other higher education institution ........................................................... 

Training, classes for further education and training: 

Professional or vocational retraining ("Umschulung")  ............................................. 
Further education in your profession ............ ............................................................ 
Professional rehabilitation ......................................................................................... 
Further education in politics or general ..................................................................... 
Other: ......................................................................................................................... 

68. From which of the following income sources do you personally receive money at this time? 
For all the applicable sources of income, please indicate how large an amount is each month. If you are unable to 
state the exact amount, please estimate. 

Own pension  
(If you have more than one, please add them together) ...................................................................... 
Widower's pension, orphan's pension  
(If you have more than one, please add them together) ...................................................................... 
Support from the "Arbeitsamt" in the form of: 
•  Unemployment pay ("Arbeitslosengeld")........................................................................................  
•  Unemployment assistance (or Unemployment pay II) ....................................................................  
•  Support for further training and education ("Unterhaltsgeld bei Fortbildung") /  
    Transition pay ("Übergangsgeld"), other ........................................................................................  
Early retirement pay from the former employer .................................................................................  
Maternity benefit during maternity leave ("Erziehungsgeld") ............................................................  
BAföG (state support for higher education), grants, vocational training support .....................  
Pay for compulsory military service, community service in place of military service ("Zivildienst")  
Alimony or child support from your former partner  
(including temporary child support from the state before the question of child support is decided)..  
Other types of financial assistance from persons who do not live in the household...........................  
None of these ...................................................................................................................................... 

118. We would now like to know more about the courses for further professional education you attended. 
If you have attended several courses in the last three years, please give information for the last three only. 

118.f) How high were the costs that you had to pay yourself? 

Amount  
Euros:..............  
I didn't have to pay anything myself .................................................................................  

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118.h)  Did  you  receive  financial  support  from  your  employer,  from  the  Employment  Office 
("Arbeitsamt"), or from another source for this instruction? 

Yes, from my employer ....................................................................................................   
Yes, from the Employment Office ("Arbeitsamt") ...........................................................   
Yes, from the social welfare office ...................................................................................  
Yes, from another source ..................................................................................................  
No .....................................................................................................................................  

SSwweeddeenn  

The  Swedish  HUS  panel  provides  individual  and  household  data  for  a  random  sample  from  the 
Swedish non-institutionalised population. The first wave of data was collected in 1984 and since then 
data  were  collected  in  1986,  1988,  1991,  1993,  1996  and  1998.  Data  cover  many  topics  the  most 
important being: labour market experiences, current employment, earnings, schooling, socio-economic 
background,  housing,  child  care,  incomes  and  taxes,  wealth  and  time-use.  Event  history  data  are 
available for labour market events, household changes, childcare and housing. 

The sample 
The 1984 sample was a two-stage random sample of about 2000 households with a response rate of 
75%. The response rates in the next panels have stayed above 80%. The population excluded people 
75 years or older, those who lived in institutions or abroad, and those who did not speak Swedish well 
enough  for  an  interview.  The  1988  and  1991  waves  were  exceptions.  They  were smaller waves and 
most  of  the  data  collection  was  done  by  mail  questionnaires.  As  in  earlier  surveys,  data  from  the 
interviews was subsequently supplemented by registry data, but only for those respondents who had 
given  their  express  consent.  In  the  above-mentioned  questionnaires  each  respondent  had  the 
opportunity to indicate whether he/she preferred to answer questions about tax assessments etc. or to 
permit to take the corresponding information from the SCB registry. 

Sample stage 
Training of the interviewers was carried out for Sifo’s interviewers in Ronneby; representatives of the 
HUS  project  provided  information  on  the  preconditions  and  background  of  the  project.  In  1984  all 
interviews  were  personal  interviews  and  since  then  the  design  has  been  to  administer  personal 
interviews to respondents who join the panel for the first time while other panel members have been 
interviewed  by  telephone.  A  letter  of  notification  and  informational  materials  were  sent  out  to 
respondents one to two weeks before the planned telephone interview. In households with two spouses 
both  spouses  were  interviewed.  In  some  households  also  a  third  adult  was  interviewed.  Designated 
respondents  have  been  followed  also  if  the  original  household  had  split.  Household  members  who 
became 18 were added to the list of respondents and they were also followed if they left their parents 
household. People who married or started to live with a designated respondent were also interviewed.  

The  data  collected  are  recorded  in  two  types  of  data  files:  rectangular  files  with  cross-sectional 
information  in  which  each  individual  constitutes  a  record,  and  rectangular  files  with  event-history 
data,  so-called  “spell  files”,  in  which  each  event  or  condition  constitutes  a  record.  The  latter  files 
contain dated information to facilitate following a sequence of events, such as an individual’s labour 
market  experiences.  Generally  an  analysis  of  this  type  of  file  also  involves  using  cross-sectional 

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information on individuals and households.  This is done by matching the cross-sectional information 
by using respondent numbers. 

Household questionnaire 1996 
Section K: household income 

NONTAX SCHOLARSHIP 

VAR 407 
SS362 (LARGE-SCALE QUESTIONNAIRE - CODED 1 AT CC04). The following questions ask whether or 
not you had one or more of the following kinds of income in 1995? Did you or anyone else in your household 
receive any NON-TAXABLE scholarships in 1995? 
YES................................................. 
NO................................................... 

AMOUNT SCHOLARSHIP 

VAR 408 
SS363 (IF YES - CODED 1 AT SS362) Amount of non-taxable scholarship(s): 
Amount: ..........................................  

STUDY BENEFITS 

VAR 413 
SS368 (LARGE-SCALE QUESTIONNAIRE - CODED 1 AT CC04) Did you or anyone in your household 
receive any study benefits in 1995: Non-reimbursable allowance? 
YES................................................. 
NO................................................... 

AMOUNT STUDY BENEF 

VAR 414 
SS369 (IF YES - CODED 1 AT SS368) Amount of such allowance: 
Amount: ..........................................  

REG TAX STUDY SUPP 

VAR 415 
SS906 (LARGE-SCALE QUESTIONNAIRE AND REGISTRY DATA - CODED 1 AT CC04 AND 1 AT 
CC05) Registry information: Taxable, non-reimbursable study support: 
Amount: ..........................................  

STUDY BENEFITS 

VAR 416 
SS370 (LARGE-SCALE QUESTIONNAIRE - CODED 1 AT CC04) Did you or anyone else in your household 
receive any study benefits in 1995: Reimbursable loan(s)? Include only loans paid out in 1995. 
YES................................................. 
NO................................................... 

AMOUNT REIMB LOAN 

VAR 417 
SS371 (IF YES - CODED 1 AT SS370) Amount of loan: 
Amount: ..........................................  

REPAY STUDENT LOAN 

VAR 427 
SS380 (LARGE-SCALE QUESTIONNAIRE - CODED 1 AT CC04) Did you or anyone else in your household 
make repayments on a student loan or public assistance? 

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YES................................................. 
NO................................................... 

AMOUNT REPAID 

VAR 428 
SS381 (IF YES - CODED 1 AT SS380) Amount repaid. Registry information refers only to repayments on study 
benefits. 
Amount:  ......................................... 

UUnniitteedd  KKiinnggddoomm  

The  British  Household  Panel  Survey  (BHPS)  is  carried  out  by  the  ESRC  UK  Longitudinal  Studies 
Centre together with the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex. The 
main  objective  of  the  survey  is  to  further  our  understanding  of  social  and  economic  change  at  the 
individual and household level in Britain, to identify, model and forecast such changes, their causes 
and  consequences  in  relation  to  a  range  of  socio-economic  variables.  The  BHPS  is  designed  as  a 
research  resource  for  a  wide  range  of  social  science  disciplines  and  to  support  interdisciplinary 
research in many areas. The BHPS was designed as an annual survey of each adult (16+) member of a 
nationally  representative  sample  of  more  than  5,000  households,  making  a  total  of  approximately 
10,000 individual interviews. The same individuals will be re-interviewed in successive waves and, if 
they  split-off  from  original  households,  all  adult  members  of  their  new  households  will  also  be 
interviewed. Children are interviewed once they reach the age of 16; there is also a special survey of 
11-15 year old household members from Wave Four onwards. Additional sub-samples were added to 
the BHPS in 1997 and 1999. 

The sample 
The  sample  consisted  of  8167  issued  addresses  drawn  from  the  Postcode  Address  File.  Interviews 
were attempted at all private households found at these addresses (subject to selection where multiple 
households were found).  

The  initial  selection  of  households  for  inclusion  in  the  panel  survey  was  made  using  a  two-stage 
clustered probability design and systematic sampling. The frame used for the selection of sample units 
was the small users Postcode Address File (PAF) for Great Britain south of the Caledonian Canal (i.e. 
excluding Northern Ireland).  In the first stage of selection 250 postcode sectors were selected as the 
primary sampling units (PSUs), which on average contain 2,500 delivery points. In order to make this 
selection, the population of delivery points was implicitly stratified into an ordered listing by region 
and  three  socio-demographic  variables  (the  socio-demographic  variables  were  derived  from 
information  obtained  for  the  1981  Census).  The  PSUs  were  then  selected  from  this  listing  using  a 
systematic procedure with a random integer start and a systematically applied sampling interval. 

In  the  second  stage  of  selection,  delivery  points,  which  are  approximately  equivalent  to  addresses, 
were  sampled  from  each  selected  PSU  using  an  analogous  systematic  procedure.  For  a  selected 
delivery  point  with  up  to  three  households  present,  all  households  were  included  in  the  sample.  All 
individuals  enumerated  in  respondent  households  became  part  of  the  longitudinal  sample.  All  these 

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sample  members  are  known  as  Original  Sample  Members  (OSMs).  The  sample  for  the  subsequent 
waves consists of all adults in  all households containing at least one member who was resident in a 
household  interviewed  at  Wave  One,  regardless  of  whether  that  individual  had  been  interviewed  in 
Wave One. Since the start of BHPS in 1991, a number of additional sub-samples have been added to 
the  survey:  The  ECHP  sub-sample  (United  Kingdom  European  Community  Household  Panel); 
Scotland and Wales Extension Samples; Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey. 

Sample stages 
The first stage of the Wave One mainstage survey was preceded by a number of pretests and pilots. 
Pretest interviewing allowed draft questionnaires and procedures to be tested, evaluated and improved. 
Pilot  interviewing  was  a  "dress  rehearsal"  testing  of  the  data  collection  instruments  and  procedures. 
For  the  following  waves,  pretests  were  used  to  test  the  variable  component  that  was  added  to  each 
wave. 

All interviewers and field supervisors were briefed at one of 14 two-day briefing sessions, presented 
jointly by the Research Centre and NOP all round the country. In the first wave, before contacting any 
of their sample, interviewers mailed out an introductory letter from the Research Centre to all sampled 
addresses  (addressed  to  "The  Occupier"),  together  with  a  small  leaflet  outlining  the  purpose  of  the 
survey. In subsequent waves, all eligible respondents, excluding a small number of firm refusals, were 
sent an advance letter prior to contact by the interviewer. The BHPS data thus collected, have to go 
through two major processing phases, carried out by the fieldwork agency: visual edits and data input; 
data cleaning. 

The questionnaires 

The questionnaire package consists of: 

-  A household coversheet, which contains an interviewer call record, observations on the type of 

accommodation and the final household outcomes.  

-  A  household  composition  form  which  is  administered,  in  most  cases,  at  the  interviewer's  first 
contact with an adult member of the household. The interviewer gathers a complete listing of all 
household members together with some brief summary data of their sex, date of birth, marital 
and employment status and their relationship to the household reference person (HRP).  

-  A  short  household  questionnaire  administered  with  the  household  reference  person.  This 
contains questions about the accommodation and tenure and some household level measures of 
consumption.  

-  The  individual  schedule  covers  topics  like  neighborhood,  individual  demographics,  residential 
mobility,  health  and  caring,  current  employment  and  earnings,  employment  changes  over  the 
past year, lifetime childbirth, marital and relationship history, employment status history, values 
and opinions, household finances and organization. 

-  A  self-completion  questionnaire:  questions  included  are  subjective  or  attitudinal  questions 
particularly  vulnerable  to  the  influence  of  other  people's  presence  during  completion,  or 
potentially sensitive questions requiring additional privacy.  

-  A proxy schedule is used to collect information about household members absent throughout the 

field period or too old or infirm to complete the interview themselves.  

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-  A  telephone  questionnaire,  developed  from  the  proxy  schedule,  for  use  by  an  experienced 
interviewer employed by the Centre. This is used when all other efforts to achieve a face-to-face 
interview have failed. 

Living in Britain/Scotland/Wales – wave 11 (3)  
Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey – wave 1 
Individual questionnaire 

D18. Have you attended any education institution full-time since September 1st 2000? 
(INCLUDE CONTINUING PERIODS OF FULL-TIME EDUCATION WHICH STARTED BEFORE 
September 1st 2000) 
Yes ............................ 1 ASK D19 
No.............................. 2 GO TO D67 

D19.  I  would  like  to  ask  for  some  details  about  all  the  periods  of  full-time  education  you  have  had  since 
September 1st 2000, starting with the most recent course or period of education, even if that is not finished yet. 

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D60. Please look at this card and tell me which, if any, of these further education institutions you have attended 
full-time or are attending? 
(IF MORE THAN ONE, CODE MOST RECENT) 
Nursing school/Teaching Hospital ............................ ........... 1 
College of further/higher education ........................... ........... 2 ASK D61 
Other College or training establishment 
(PLEASE GIVE DETAILS)…………………………… ...... 3 
Polytechnic/Scottish Central Institutions ................... ........... 4 
University .............................................................................. 5 
None of above........................................................................ 7  

F1. I am going to show you four cards listing different types of income and payments. 
Please look at this card (SHOWCARD F1) and tell me if, since September 1st 2000, you have received any of 
the types of income or payments shown, either just yourself or jointly? 

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F3a.  (TRANSFER  THE  NAME  AND  CODE  OF  EACH  RECEIVED  INTO  SEPARATE  INCOME  GRIDS. 
FOR EACH ONE ASK 3b 3f BELOW AND RECORD ANSWERS IN GRIDS). 
F3b. And for which months since September 1st 2000 have you received..... ? 
F3c. Are you still receiving ............?  
F3d. How much was the last payment of ...... you received?  

F41.  (SHOWCARD  F10)  Do  you  send  or  give  money  to  any  person  who  does  not  live  here  for  any  of  the 
purposes listed on this card? 

Living in Britain/Scotland/Wales – wave 11 (3)  
Northern Ireland Household Panel Survey – wave 1 
proxy questionnaire 

P13. (SHOWCARD P2) Could you look at this card and tell me what type of education institution (NAME) is 
attending/attended last? 

Comprehensive school ............................................................................. 01 
Grammar school (not fee-paying) ............................................................ 02 
Fee paying Grammar school .................................................................... 03 
Sixth form College/Tertiary College........................................................ 04 
Public or other private school .................................................................. 05 

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Other type of school 
(PLEASE GIVE DETAILS) .................................................................... 06 
Nursing school/Teaching Hospital........................................................... 07 GO TO P22 
College of further/higher education ......................................................... 08 (page 8) 
Other College or training establishment 
(PLEASE GIVE DETAILS) .................................................................... 09 
Polytechnic/Scottish Central Institutions ................................................. 10 
University................................................................................................. 11 

Living in Britain – wave 11 
Telephone questionnaire 

T12. What was the last type of educational institution (you attended or are attending)? 

Comprehensive school ......................................................................01 
Grammar school (not fee-paying) .....................................................02 
Fee paying Grammar school .............................................................03 
Sixth form College/Tertiary College.................................................04 
Public or other private school ...........................................................05 
Other type of school 
(PLEASE GIVE DETAILS) .............................................................06 
Nursing School/Teaching hospital ....................................................07 
College of Further/Higher Education................................................08 
Other college or training establishment 
(PLEASE GIVE DETAILS) .............................................................09 
Polytechnic/Scottish Central Institutions ..........................................10 
University..........................................................................................11  

SSeeccttiioonn  BB::  AAdduulltt  EEdduuccaattiioonn  SSuurrvveeyyss  

The aim of this section is to give an insight into the purpose and the type of information collected in 
Adult Education Surveys in Finland and the UK.  

Adult  Education  Surveys  (AES)  in  Finland  and  the  UK  focus  on  collecting  information  on 
participation in education and training, incentives to participate, and obstacles to participation. Despite 
the fact that these are specific surveys on adult education, neither the Finnish nor the UK AES collects 
information  on  course  costs  nor  on  any  other  type  of  educational  support  expenses  incurred  by  the 
individual whilst participation in education and training. For purposes of comparison, a summary of an 
AES conducted in the USA has been included.  In the contrast to the AES’s of Finland and the UK, the 
USA AES collects information is on tuition costs, and expenditures on books.  

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AAdduulltt  EEdduuccaattiioonn  SSuurrvveeyy  22000000  ––  SSttaattiissttiiccss  FFiinnllaanndd  

Statistics  Finland  conducted  the  Adult  Education  Survey  2000  (AES2000)  in  order  to  produce 
statistical  data  and  publications  relating  to  adult  education  and  learning  for  decision-making.  Apart 
from personal information, this survey includes questions on educational and family background, work 
and workplace, participation in education and training, learning at work, need for and willingness to 
participate  in  adult  education,  information  technology  skills,  foreign  language  skills  and  everyday 
learning. 

The AES2000 is the fourth survey of a series that started in 1980. Since then, two other surveys were 
conducted in 1990 and 1995. The Ministry of education that the AES2000 be carried out in such a way 
that comparisons with the previous surveys and similar international surveys are possible. 

Main concepts 

Participation in education and training 

The purpose of the Adult Education Survey was to study participation in all organized education and 
training  and  not  only  that  specifically  arranged  for  adults.  Similarly,  with  the  notion  of  life-long 
learning  in  mind,  respondents  were  asked  about  what  basic  educational  qualifications  they  had 
obtained  during  their  whole  life  and  to  what  extent  they  had  taken  part  in  training  arranged  in 
connection with their work or occupation and in education and training courses abroad. Efforts were 
then  made  to  determine  more  precisely  the  nature  of  the  adult  education  and  training  that  the 
respondent had received. The reference period for this was the twelve months preceding the interview. 

Education  was  taken  for  the  present  purposes  to  comprise  all  activities  specifically  arranged  and 
organised  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  about learning, provided they had lasted for at least six hours 
overall, including study periods or courses that had not been completed, if the respondent had taken 
part  for  at  least  that  length  of  time.  It  was  also  required  that  these  activities  should  have  had  a  pre-
arranged  curriculum  or  syllabus  and  that  there  should  have  been  a  specific  provider  or  organiser 
responsible  for  the  arrangements.  Information  sessions,  advertising  campaigns,  sales  drives  and 
meetings were not regarded as forms of education. 

Adult education 

Adult education and training was defined by reference to the organisation providing it as comprising: 

•  Education  at  evening  schools  (upper  secondary  schools  for  adults,  evening  upper  secondary 
schools, evening departments of upper secondary schools, evening secondary schools, evening 
departments of secondary schools) 

•  Apprenticeship training 
•  Unemployment retraining provided by the labour authorities 
•  Education arranged especially for adults by vocational schools or institutes, polytechnics and 

adult vocational training centres (incl. open polytechnic teaching and private pupils) 

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•  Courses  at  folk  colleges  (or  folk  high  schools)  other  than  ones  providing  a  vocational 

qualification 

•  Teaching at the adult departments of schools of music other than ones providing a vocational 

qualification 

•  Courses at sports colleges other than ones providing a vocational qualification 
•  Professional supplementary or continuing education courses at universities, university colleges 

or their continuing education centres 

•  Separate qualifications or open university courses at universities, university colleges or their 

continuing education centres 

•  Educational activities at summer universities 
•  Teaching provided at adult education centres or institutes 
•  Courses at language schools or colleges in Finland 
•  Correspondence courses 
•  Education and training arranged by organisations, associations and societies 
•  Study groups and courses arranged by study centres 
•  Courses arranged by separate text editing (typing) schools 
•  Courses arranged by schools or colleges of dancing 
•  Education  and  training  arranged  by  employers  at  places  of  work  or  on  their  own  or  other 

educational premises 

•  Education  and  training  arranged  by  private  educational  companies,  consultants  or  centres 

(operated on commercial principles) 

•  Conferences, seminars and other educational meetings 
•  Other educational courses or events that can be regarded as constituting adult education (incl. 

study abroad) 

Study  at  driving  schools  and  study  by  means  of  radio  or  television  programmes  or  courses  were 
considered  separately.  The  above  definition  was  chosen  in  order  to  achieve  comparability  with  the 
previous  Adult  Education  Surveys,  of  1980,  1990  and  1995.  It  is  also  possible  to  define  adult 
education  in  other  ways  in  the  context  of  this  material,  by  basing  the  criteria  on  other  educational 
organisations or starting out from the age of the respondent, for instance. 

Population, sample and response rate 

Aiming  to  monitor  the realization of the principle of lifelong learning, the AES2000 focused on the 
whole population, not just the population of active working age. Thus, the population of the survey is 
made up of persons aged 18 to 79 permanently resident in Finland. With systematic sampling, 5000 
persons were drawn to the sample. The response rate reached 74% for the age group 18-64 and 64% 
for the age group 65-79. 

Main issues addressed in the AES2000: 

•  Participation in adult education by age, sex, level of education, work status, etc. 
•  Need and willingness to participate in education and training. 
•  Conditions, incentives and obstacles to participation in education and training. 
•  Perception and effects of adult education. 
•  Effects of adult education on regional, professional and workplace mobility. 

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254 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
•  Evolution  of  education  and  training,  obstacles,  views,  effects,  conditions,  etc.  since  the 

1980’s. 

•  Position of Finland concerning adult education in relation to other countries. 
•  Knowledge of foreign languages. 
•  PC literacy. 
• 

Importance of learning of life skills. 

The AES 2000 questionnaire 

Below, we explain more in detail the most relevant issues addressed in the questionnaire. 

Background information about work 
All interviewees were asked about their current activities: 

•  Wage earner 
•  Entrepreneur on a farm 
•  Entrepreneur in a business 
•  Working on a family farm without an actual wage 
•  Working in a family enterprise without an actual wage 
•  Unemployed or laid off without pay 
•  Conscript 
•  Student or pupil 
•  Work disability pension or chronically ill 
•  On pension for age or years of work 
•  On unemployment pension 
•  Home-maker 

After, there are several questions for the different types of interviewees, such as: years in employment, 
employment during the last year, situation before unemployment, present, last and main occupation, 
job stability, full-/part-time, field of activity, business size, etc. 
Educational background 

The  AES2000  collects  information  on  the  educational  attainment,  higher  qualifications  and  years  of 
schooling. 

Family situation 
The variables collected are: marital status, partner’s main activity, qualifications and occupation, and 
children. 

Participation in education and training 

•  Courses taken in Finland in the respondent’s lifetime. 
•  Participation in training, vocational training in different types of establishments 
•  Organisation of education and training 
•  Studies abroad 

Adult education courses 

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The  AES2000  questionnaire  addresses  in  detail  the  participation  in  adult  education  in  the  last  12 
months: 

•  Type of course 
•  Content of the course 
•  Type of organizer 
•  Purpose of the training: work, studies, hobbies, etc. 

Time used for training and expenses 
An entire section of the survey is devoted to time used and expenses, which is relevant to this study. 
Hence, interviewees are asked whether or not the studies took place during: 

•  Paid working hours 
•  Day-time 
•  During holiday 
•  Evenings 
•  Unpaid leave 
•  Study leave 

Further, several questions are related to how the studying expenses were covered:  

•  Employer taking part in covering the expenses 
•  Self-contributions 
•  State-funded aid 
•  Trade union subsidies 
•  Other type of aid 

Questions on one randomly selected course 

•  Did it lead to a qualification or degree? 
•  Did it offered useful information? 
•  Did it helped in coping at work? 
•  Did it give new skills? 
•  Did it motivate to search further information? 
•  Did it have a positive effect on job motivation? 
•  Did it improve self-confidence? 

The reasons and need for and willingness to participate in training 
This section sheds some light on the reasons individuals have to participate in training or education. 
Wage  earners,  entrepreneurs  and  unemployed  are  asked  to  what  extent  their  interest  in  attending 
further training in the near future is influenced by the following factors: 

•  Unemployment or the threat of it 
•  The chance or desire to be given different work tasks 
•  The chance or desire to be given more demanding work tasks 
•  The desire to change/get a new job 
•  The desire to change occupation 
•  The desire to receive better pay than at present 
•  To maintain and develop your skills in your occupation 
•  The chance of getting a permanent job 
•  The desire to set up your own business 

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•  To obtain formal qualifications 
•  For self-development 
•  The desire for change 
•  The desire to meet new people 
•  Because your co-workers or friends are participating 
•  For the esteem that comes with the training 

Obstacles to participate in training 
When  discussing  the  reasons  to  participate  in  training,  it  is  convenient  to  tackle  the  reasons  not  to 
participate  in  training  or  the  obstacles.  The  AES  identifies  several  reasons  that  make  it  difficult  or 
prevent individuals from taking courses on their own time and at their expense: 

•  Lack of interest 
•  Fatigue 
•  Believe that training is of no benefit at all 
•  Employer does not value training enough 
•  Poor quality of training or education 
•  Hobbies 
•  Little basic education 
•  Fear of failure 
•  Difficult or irregular working hours 
•  Financial reasons 
•  Reasons related to child care 
•  Other family reasons 
•  Reasons related to health or age 
•  Lack of information on studies opportunities 
•  Lack of suitable educational opportunities 
•  Location of educational facilities and transportation problems 

Perceived benefits of participation in training 

•  Better pay 
•  New tasks at work 
•  Promotion 
•  Change of job or occupation 
•  Keep job 
•  Get permanent job 

Changes and uncertainty at work 
Definitely  changes  and  uncertainty  at  work  may  be  two  very  important  factors  to  decide  to  follow 
training courses. For this reason the questionnaire considers the following possibilities: 

•  Likeliness to change occupation within two years 
•  Likeliness to change employer within two years 
•  Likeliness to change tasks within two years 
•  Threaten of unemployment 
•  Threaten of being moved against your own wishes 
•  Changes in current job 

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Learning and skills at work 

•  How  long  it  would  take  for  a  new  employee  with  the  necessary  basic  training  to  learn  your 

work 

•  How you were taught your present tasks 
•  Orientation training given by the employer 
•  Teaching by immediate superiors 
•  Teaching by co-workers 
•  Self-training at work 

NNaattiioonnaall  AAdduulltt  LLeeaarrnniinngg  SSuurrvveeyy  22000022  ––  UUKK  

Introduction 

The  National  Adult  Learning  Survey  (NALS)  series  is  used  to  evaluate  the  effectiveness  of  adult 
learning  policies  and  to  monitor  progress  in  meeting  the  National  learning  Target  for  adult 
participation.  The  NALS  2002  is  the  fourth  survey  in  the  NALS  series;  the  previous  surveys  were 
carried out in 2001, 20001 and 1997. 

Two broad categories of learning, taught and self-directed16, are used in NALS series. As in previous 
surveys,  a  series  of  questions  were  asked  in  NALS  2002  to  establish  if  respondents  had  undertaken 
any of these types of learning in the previous three years (i.e. since February 1999) or since leaving 
continuous full-time (CFT) education, whichever was shorter. 

Main concepts 

The NALS 2002 breaks down answers by taught, self-directed, vocational and non-vocational training.  

Taught learning 

•  Any taught courses meant to lead to a qualification 
•  Any taught courses designed to help develop skills used in a job 
•  Any courses, instructions or tuition in driving, playing a musical instrument, art or craft, sport 

or any practical skill 

•  Evening classes 
•  Learning involving an individual working on their own from a package of materials provided 

by an employer, college, commercial organisation or other training provider 

•  Any other taught course, instruction or tuition 

Self-directed learning 

•  Supervised training while doing a job 
•  Time spent keeping up to date with developments in one’s work or profession 
•  Deliberately trying to improve one’s knowledge about anything or teach oneself a skill 

without taking part in a taught course. 

Vocational learning 

•  Related to the respondent’s job at the time of starting the learning, or 

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•  Started in order to help with a future job, or 
•  Started in order to help with voluntary work 

Non-vocational learning 

•  Not related to the respondent’s job at the time of starting the learning, and 
•  Not started in order to help with a future job, and 
•  Not started in order to help with voluntary work. 

Learner 
A respondent who has left CFT education and has taken part in at least one of the above taught or self-
directed  learning  activities  within  three  years  prior  to  the  survey  or  since  leaving  CFT  education 
(whichever period was shorter). 

Population, sample and response rate 

The  survey  fieldwork  was  conducted  between  February  and  June  2002.  9,504  addresses  in  England 
and  Wales  were  randomly  selected  from  the  Postcode  Address  File  (PAF)  and  interviews  were 
attempted  with  up  to  two  eligible  adults  aged  16  or  over  in  each  household.  11,080  potential 
respondents were identified and 6,668 computer assisted interviews (CAPI) were conducted, giving a 
response rate of 60%. This compares to a response rate of 63% in 2001, and 75% in 1997. 
In line with previous surveys in the series, the 2002 data have been weighted to correct for different 
household and individual selection probabilities, and non-response. Data on the sources of information 
advice  and  guidance  selected  for  follow  up  questions,  and  the  child  selected  for  the  family  learning 
questions have also been weighted to take into account the different selection probabilities here. 

Main issues addressed in the NALS 2002: 

•  Participation  in  learning  by  age,  sex,  level  of  education,  work  status,  ethnicity,  caring 

responsibilities, etc. 

•  Obstacles and incentives to learning 
•  Taught learning attending to the number of courses, provider, motivators, outcomes, etc. 
•  Self-directed learning attending to motivators, outcome, use of ICT, etc. 
•  Use of ICT 
•  Family learning 
• 
•  Awareness of learning campaigns and other initiatives 

Information, advice and guidance 

The NALS 2002 questionnaire 

Below, we explain more in detail the most relevant issues addressed in the questionnaire. 

Participation in training and demographic characteristics 
Gender 
Ethnicity 
Disability 
Caring responsibility 
Age 

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259 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Participation in training attending to other factors  
Educational attainment  
Basic skills difficulties 
Working status (employee, self-employed, unemployed, retired, etc.) 
Occupational status (managerial, skilled manual, semi-skilled manual, etc.) 
Income group 

Obstacles to learning 
As the Finnish AES2000, the NALS also pays special attention to reasons and obstacles to learning. In 
regard to the obstacles to learning the NALS 2002 identifies several ones, which could be grouped as 
follows: 

•  Lack of interest or need to learn, other priorities 
•  Lack of time 
•  Financial obstacles 
•  Lack of information or opportunities 
•  Miscellaneous worries and difficulties 
•  Age 
•  Transport constraints 
•  Health/disabilities 

Incentives to learning 
Further,  the  NALS  analyses  how  certain  incentives  such  as  childcare,  funding,  advice  or  transport 
would encourage individuals to do some learning. 

Employment related reasons (and benefits) for starting learning are: 

•  To develop new job skills. 
•  To develop career. 
•  To get job satisfaction. 
•  To get a (new) job. 
•  To change type of work. 
•  To get a promotion. 
•  To get a pay rise. 
•  To help set up a business. 
•  To stay in job, that may be lost. 
•  To help with work related health problems. 

Wider motivators for learning 

•  To improve knowledge about subject. 
•  To do something interesting. 
•  Gain a qualification. 
•  Curious about subject. 
•  To meet new people. 
•  To have fun. 
•  To fill spare time. 
•  To keep body active. 

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•  To start another course. 
•  To get involved in volunteering. 
•  To help children with school work. 
•  To help with disability. 

Subject of learning 

•  Professional training  
•  Computing  
•  Leisure activities  
•  Training as a result of official guidelines  
•  Administration and management  
•  Academic subjects  
•  Driving lessons  
•  Self development – e.g. self-awareness/ esteem, assertiveness training  
•  Use of specific equipment –e.g. machinery, transport  
•  Communication skills - e.g. customer care, public speaking  
•  Basic skills - e.g. literacy, numeracy, writing  
•  English language/ writing skills 

Course providers 

•  Employer  
•  Professional organisation  
•  Further Education or tertiary college  
•  Higher Education institution  
•  Adult education institute  
•  School/other educational institution  
•  Commercial organisation  
•  Charity/voluntary group  
•  Community organisation  
• 
•  Religious organisation  
•  Sports club/ association  
•  Trade Union/Staff association  
•  Business Link/TEC/LEC  
•  Other organisation 

Job centre/club  

Problems experienced with course 

Inconvenient place  
Inconvenient time  

•  Too expensive  
• 
• 
•  Badly organised  
•  Too short  
•  Pace too quick  
•  Pace too slow 
•  Badly taught  
•  Too many students/trainees in group  
•  Not practical enough  

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•  Too long  
•  Too few students / trainees in group 

Whether course was made compulsory 
•  Employer made it compulsory  
•  Professional body made it compulsory  
•  Course compulsory by legislation  
•  Trade Union/ Staff Assoc made it comp  
•  Other person made it compulsory  
•  Course not compulsory 

Sources of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) which helped taught learners decide to take the 
course  

Internet/website  

•  Employer  
•  Friends relatives or work colleagues  
•  Educational institution  
•  Media/ Yellow Pages  
•  Leaflets  
• 
•  Other person or organisation  
•  Community, voluntary or religious organisation  
•  New Deal or JSA adviser  
•  Public library  
•  Business link/IAG partnership/Careers Services  
•  Trade union  
• 
• 

learndirect (telephone helpline)  
learndirect (website) 

The NALS 2002 also addresses topics such as the need to pay or free service for IAG and whether or 
not the respondents have ever applied for Career Development Loans. 

Note:  
This section on the National Household Education Surveys programme in the USA is intended to 
provide some background information on the information contained in AES surveys undertaken 
outside Europe. It should be noted that one of the fundamental differences between the two AES 
surveys conducted in Europe and the USA AES is that the USA AES actually collects the costs of 
the programme if paid by the individual. In particular it collects separate information for : 

-  Tuition and fees to attend classes 
-  Books and other materials 

NNaattiioonnaall  HHoouusseehhoolldd  EEdduuccaattiioonn  SSuurrvveeyyss  ((NNHHEESS))  pprrooggrraammmmee  iinn  tthhee  UUSSAA  

The  chief  goal  of  the  NHES  is  to  describe  Americans’  educational  experiences,  thereby  offering 
policymakers,  researchers,  and  educators  a  variety  of  statistics  on  the  condition  of  education  in  the 
U.S.  To  monitor  educational  trends  over  time,  NHES  conducts  repeated  measurements  of  the  same 

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phenomena in different years. The NHES has also fielded one-time surveys on topics of interest to the 
Department of Education. The NHES was conducted in the springs of 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 
2001,  and  2003.  The  NHES  includes,  among  other  surveys,  the  Adult  Education  and  Parent  and 
Family Involvement in Education surveys. The NHES will continue to be conducted regularly in the 
future, covering the same topics investigated in earlier collections. In 2005, surveys will cover Adult 
Education  and  Lifelong  Learning,  Early  Childhood  Program  Participation,  and  Before-  and  After-
School Programs and Activities. 

US Adult Education Surveys 

Adult Education surveys were conducted in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2001, and 2003. The next is scheduled 
to take place in 2005.  
Surveys have asked about participation in 

•  English as a second language (ESL)  
•  Basic skills courses  
•  Credential (degree or diploma) programs  
•  Apprenticeships  
•  Work-related courses  
•  Personal interest/personal development courses  
• 

Informal learning at work  

For each program or course, information is collected about 

•  Subject  
•  Duration  
•  Cost  
•  Location  
•  Sponsorship  
•  Employer support  

Extensive background, employment, and household information was also collected for each adult. 

Participation in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning: 2000-01 

The AELL-NHES:2001 incorporates a broad approach to the range of education activities that may be 
considered  adult  education,  including  both  formal  and  informal  learning  activities.  Formal  learning 
addressed in the AELL survey includes English as a Second Language (ESL), basic skills education, 
part-time postsecondary degree or diploma programs, apprenticeship programs, work-related courses, 
and  personal  interest  courses.  Although  informal  learning  can  be  related  to  either  work  or  personal 
interest,  the  AELL-NHES:2001  addresses  only  work-related  informal  learning,  including  computer-
based  tutorials,  mentoring  at  the  workplace,  attending  conferences  or  “brown-bag”  presentations,  or 
reading professional journals or magazines. 

In  the  AELL-NHES:2001,  adults  were  asked  about  participation  in  seven  types  of  formal  adult 
education activities during the 12 months prior to the interview. They are listed below in the order in 
which they appeared in the survey. 

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-  English as a Second Language (ESL)–classes for adults whose main language is not English to 
develop the English language skills necessary to pursue further education, to enter or advance in 
the job market, to enrich their personal and family lives, or to better adapt to American society. 
-  Adult  Basic  Education  (ABE),  General  Educational  Development  (GED)  preparation  classes, 
and  adult  high  school  programs–programs  or  classes  to  help  adults  improve  basic  reading, 
writing, and math skills or prepare for a high school diploma or its equivalent. 

-  College  or university degree programs–formal  postsecondary programs leading to a college or 
university  degree,  or  other  education  certificate  programs,  such  as  post-baccalaureate,  post-
master’s, or post-doctoral certificate programs. 

-  Vocational  or  technical  diploma  programs–formal  postsecondary  programs  leading  to  a 

postsecondary vocational or technical degree or diploma in an occupational field. 

-  Apprenticeship programs–formal, on-the-job training, and other related instruction leading to a 

journeyman status in a skilled trade or craft. 

-  Work-related  courses–those  related  to  a  job  or  career  other  than  postsecondary  degree  or 
diploma programs or apprenticeship programs, whether or not respondents had a job when they 
took the courses. Some examples are courses taken at work, courses taken elsewhere that relate 
to a job or career, or courses for a license or certification for a job. 

-  Personal interest courses–various types of educational activities that have an instructor and are 
not included in the categories described above. These courses are not taken as part of a college 
or vocational degree or diploma program. Examples include courses related to health, hobbies or 
sports lessons, foreign languages, dance or music, and Bible study. 

Traditionally, full-time enrollment in college or university degree programs or vocational or technical 
degree or diploma programs has not been considered to be adult education, and this convention was 
maintained  in  this  report.  If  adults  participated  only  in  postsecondary  degree,  certificate, or diploma 
programs as full-time students, they were not counted as adult education participants in the calculation 
of the participation rates in overall adult education activities, college or university degree programs, or 
in vocational or technical diploma programs. However, adults who were full-time degree seekers may 
have  participated  in  adult  education  activities  in  addition  to  their  full-time  college  or  vocational 
education. If so, they were counted as participants in those types of adult education. For example, if an 
adult  was  enrolled  in  a  bachelor’s  degree  program  on  a  full-time  basis  and  took  part  in  computer 
desktop  publishing  class  for  work-related  reasons,  he/she  was  counted  as  an  adult  education 
participant in overall participation rate and in work-related courses. However, he/she was not counted 
as  a  participant  in  the  college  or  university  degree  program.  On  the  other  hand,  if  an  adult  was 
pursuing  a  master’s  degree  on  a  part-time  basis  for  a  semester  and  on  a  full-time  basis  for  another 
semester, he/she was included in the calculation of the overall participation rate and participation rate 
in  college  or  university  degree  programs,  because  their  part-time  participation  in  a  postsecondary 
program is considered adult education. 

Survey Methodology and Data Reliability 

The  2001  National  Household  Education  Surveys  Program  (NHES:2001)  is  a  telephone  survey 
conducted  by  the  U.S.  Department  of  Education's  National  Center  for  Education  Statistics  (NCES). 
Data  collection  took  place  from  January  2  through  April  14  of  2001.  The  sample  is  nationally 
representative of all civilian, noninstitutionalized persons in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

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This sample was selected using random digit dial (RDD) methods, and the data were collected using 
computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technology. 

In  the  NHES:2001,  a  set  of  household  screening  items  was  administered  to  an  adult  member  of  the 
household.  Household  members  were  enumerated,  the  adult  education  participation  status  of  each 
adult  was  collected,  and  the  sample  of  adults  was  selected  according  to  the  sample  design.  The  key 
determinants  of  the  sample  size  were  the  requirements  to  detect  changes  from  previous  estimates  of 
participation in adult education activities overall and participation by educational activity (using data 
from  the  AE-NHES:1995  and  AE-NHES:1999).  The  requirements  to  estimate  participation  by 
race/ethnicity  and  by  prior  educational  attainment  (i.e.,  less  than  high  school  or  high  school  and 
higher)  were  also  considered  in  the  design  of  the  sampling  approach.  The  sample  included  both 
participants and nonparticipants in educational activities. 

In the AELL interview, information was collected about demographic characteristics, participation in a 
wide range of educational activities in the previous 12 months, and labor force participation. The only 
person  who  could  respond  to  the  AELL  interview  was  the  sampled  adult  him/herself.  Multiple 
attempts  were  made  to  complete  interviews  with  persons  not  available  at  the  time  of  selection. 
Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish. This report is based on the 10,873 completed 
AELL interviews. 

Data Reliability 

Estimates produced using data from the NHES:2001 are subject to two types of error, sampling and 
nonsampling  errors.  Nonsampling  errors  are  errors  made  in  the  collection  and  processing  of  data. 
Sampling errors occur because the data are collected from a sample rather than the whole population. 

Response Rates 

In the NHES:2001, Screeners were completed with 48,385 households, with a Screener response rate 
of  69.2  percent.  Of  the  13,858  adults  sampled  for  the  AELL-NHES:2001,  77.2  percent  or  10,873 
adults completed the interview. Thus, the overall response rate for the AELL interview is 53.4 percent 
(the product of the Screener response rate and the AELL completion rate). 

A nonresponse bias analysis was undertaken to examine non-response and the potential bias associated 
with nonresponse in NHES:1999 (Nolin et al. 2000). Because the NHES:2001 and NHES:1999 survey 
administrations were very similar in terms of their target populations, contact procedures, and salience, 
it is likely that any nonresponse bias present in NHES:2001 estimates would be similar to nonresponse 
bias in estimates from NHES:1999. Thus the results of the NHES:1999 non-response bias study can be 
used to assess the potential for non response bias in NHES:2001. 

The  analysis  of  non  response  bias  showed  no  evidence  of  bias  in  estimates  from  the  NHES:1999 
Parent, Youth, and Adult Education Surveys. The statistical adjustments used in weighting may have 
corrected  at  least  partially  for  biases  that  might  have  existed  due  to  differential  non-response.  Of 
course, non-response bias may still be present in other variables that were not studied. In NHES:2001, 
the largest component of non-response was non response to the Screener. With the use of a CHAID 
analysis  to  create  the  non-response  adjustment  cells  that  were  used  to  adjust  for  Screener  non-

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response, there is evidence from the NHES:1999 nonresponse bias analysis study to suggest that there 
is little nonresponse bias attributable to Screener nonresponse. 

Item nonresponse (i.e., the failure to complete some items in an otherwise completed interview) was 
very low for most items in the AELL-NHES:2001. As shown in exhibit 1, the item response rates for 
most  variables  in  this  report  are  98  percent  or  higher.  As  in  many  surveys,  item  response  rates  are 
lower for questions concerning salary or household income. These items pertained to few respondents 
(only  8  cases)  and  a  single  nonresponse  under  these  circumstances  has  a  large  effect  on  the  item 
response  rates.  Items  with missing data were imputed using a hot-deck procedure in which cells are 
formed that contain cases with similar characteristics and a donor value is used to impute the missing 
value.  

Sampling Errors 

The sample of telephone households selected for the NHES:2001 is just one of many possible samples 
that could have been selected. Therefore, estimates produced from the NHES:2001 sample may differ 
from estimates that would have been produced from other samples. This type of variability is called 
sampling error because it arises from using a sample of households with telephones, rather than having 
surveyed all households with telephones. 

The standard error is a measure of the variability due to sampling when estimating a statistic; standard 
errors  for  estimates  presented  in  this  report  were  computed  using  a  jackknife  replication  method. 
Standard  errors  can  be  used  as  a  measure  of  the  precision  expected  from  a  particular  sample.  The 
probability  that  a  sample  estimate  would  differ  from  the  population  parameter  obtained  from  a 
complete census count by less than 1 standard error is about 68 percent. The chance that the difference 
would be less than 1.65 standard errors is about 90 percent; and that the difference would be less than 
1.96 standard errors, about 95 percent. 

National Household Education Surveys programme: questionnaires 

Below are the main questions concerning funding in the field of adult education and lifelong learning, 
which can be found in the questionnaires of the National Household Education Surveys programme. 

Adult education 

AELL-NHES:2001 and AEWR-NHES:2003 

• 

• 

In  the  past  12  months,  about  how  much  of  your  own  or  your  family’s  money  did  you  pay 
for… 

a. Tuition and fees to attend classes 
b. How much for books and other materials 

(Have  you  been/Were  you)  employed  during  the  time  you  (have  been/were)  taking  the 
classes? 

•  Did your employer require you to take the classes? 
•  Did your employer suggest or encourage you to take the classes? 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

266 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
• 
• 
• 

(Are you taking/Did you take) the classes at your workplace? 
(Are you taking/Did you take) the classes during your regular work hours? 
(Are/Were)  you  being  paid  by  your  employer  during  the  hours  you  (are/were)  taking  the 
classes? 

•  Did your employer... 

a. Pay all or part of the tuition and fees for the classes 
b. Pay all or part of the costs of books and other materials 

(Is/Was) the (INSTRUCTIONAL PROVIDER) also your employer? 

• 
•  Did you take the program mainly for work-related reasons or mainly for personal interest? 
•  How many total classroom hours was that? 
• 

(Have  you  been/Were  you)  employed  during  the  time  you  (have  been/were)  taking  the 
program? 

•  Who provided the program? Was it… 
a. Your employer? 
b. A labor union?  
c. The local or state government?  
d. The federal government? 
e. Anyone else?  

•  Who was that? 
•  Did you take the program for any of the following reasons?  How about .  

a.  To maintain or improve skills or knowledge that you already had?  
b.  To learn completely new skills or knowledge?  
c.  Because your employer required or recommended that you take it?  
d.  To receive a promotion or pay raise?  
e.  To help you change your job or career field, enter the workforce, or start your own 
business?  
f.  To get or keep a state or industry certificate or license?  
g.  Any other reason?  

•  During  the  past  12  months,  did  you  receive  any  financial  support  for  the  program  that  you 

don’t have to  pay  back from  any of the following sources?  How about.  

a.    A local, state, or federal government?  
b.    Labor unions?  
c.    Private foundations?  
d.    Professional or trade organizations?  

•  Did your employer.  

a.    Reimburse  you  or  pay  directly  for  all  or  part  of  the  tuition  and  fees  for  the 
program?     
b.    Reimburse  you  or  pay  directly  for  all  or  part  of  the  costs  of  books  and  other 
materials?  

•  Were  any  of  the  costs  for  tuition  and  fees  or  for  books  and  materials  paid  for  through  your 

self-employed business?  

•  Please tell me whether  (your  employer/any of the employers you  worked  for  in  the  past  

12 months) offer(s) any of the following benefits to you.  How about.    
a.  Tuition reimbursement or direct tuition payment?  
b.  Reimbursement or direct payment for textbooks and other training materials?  
c.  Giving you time to take training while you were being paid?  

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

267 

              
 
d.  Training,  workshops,  seminars,  or  work-related  courses  or  classes  at  your 
workplace? 

•  Please tell me if you have done any of the following things related to your job or career in the 

past 12 months.  How about...  

a.  Received on-the-job demonstrations of equipment, techniques, or procedures by a 
supervisor or co-worker?  
b.  Received other supervised training or mentoring on the job?  
c.  Self-paced study using books, procedures manuals, audiotapes, or videos?  
d.  Self-paced study using computer-based software tutorials, including CD-ROM or 
from the Internet?  
e.  Attending brown-bag or informal presentations?  
f.    Attending  conferences,  trade  shows,  or  conventions  related  to  your  work  or 
profession? 

•  As a result of doing these less-formal learning activities during the past 12 months, have you.  

Improved skills and knowledge you already had 

a. 
b.  Learned entirely new skills?  
c.  Increased your employability in the labor market?  
d.  Improved your ability to advance in your career?  
e.    Gotten  a  new  job  or  position,  changed  your  career  field,  or  started  your  own 
business?  
f. Made more money?  
g.  Anything else? 

Parent and Family Involvement in Education 

PFI-NHES:2003 

•  Do you feel you have enough information about the amount needed for college or vocational 
school to start planning how to pay for (his/her) education, or have you not thought about it 
yet?  

•  Since the beginning of this school year, has your child ever received a free or reduced-price 

lunch at school?  

•  Does  your  child’s  school  serve  school  lunches  for  free  or  at  a  reduced  price  to  low-income 

children?  

•  Was your child approved to receive free or reduced-price school lunches by (his/her) school?  

Civic Involvement 

NHES:1999 YOUTH INTERVIEW 

•  During  this  school  year,  have  you  worked  at  a  job  for  pay,  for  example,  in  a  restaurant  or 

babysitting? 

•  On average, how may hours do you work each week during the school year? 
•  Did you try to find a job during this school year? 
•  Have  you  gotten  information  about  the  cost  of  tuition  and  mandatory  fees  at  a  specific  (in-

state public/out-of-state public/private) college? 

•  What is the cost of 1 year’s tuition and mandatory fees at that college? 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

268 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
• 

Is that tuition and mandatory fees only, or does that also include other fees such as room and 
board? 

•  Do  you  think  you  could  or  could  not  give  a  fairly  accurate  estimate  of  the  cost  of  1  year’s 
tuition and mandatory fees at (an in-state public/an out-of-state public/a private) college that 
you might attend? 

•  About how much would that be? 
• 

Is that tuition and mandatory fees only, or does that also include other fees such as room and 
board? 

•  Do you think you could or could not give a fairly accurate estimate of the average cost of 1 

year’s tuition and mandatory fees at a public 4-year college in your state? 

•  About how much would that be? 
• 

Is that tuition and mandatory fees only, or does that also include other fees such as room and 
board? 

•  Are you more likely to attend a vocational or technical school, a 2-year community college, a 

junior college, some other type of school, or have you not thought about this yet? 

•  Have  you  gotten  information  about  the  cost  of  tuition  and  mandatory  fees  at  a  specific 

(vocational or technical school/2-year community college/junior college/school)? 

•  What is the cost of 1 year’s tuition and mandatory fees at that school? 
•  This  school  year,  have  you  talked  with  ((your  parents)/(your  mother/  stepmother/foster 
mother/father/  stepfather/foster  father/grandmother/grandfather/aunt/uncle/  cousin)/(ADULT 
foster 
RESPONDENT)/(or  mother/ 
father/grandmother/grandfather/aunt/ uncle/cousin) (or (the) other adult(s) in your household)) 
about the cost of education after high school? 

foster  mother/father/ 

step-mother/ 

stepfather/ 

•  This  school  year,  have  you  talked  with  ((your  parents)/(your  mother/  stepmother/foster 
mother/father/  stepfather/foster  father/grandmother/grandfather/aunt/uncle/  cousin)/(ADULT 
RESPONDENT)/(or  mother/ 
foster 
father/grandmother/grandfather/aunt/ uncle/cousin) (or (the) other adult(s) in your household)) 
about financial aid for education after high school? 

foster  mother/father/ 

step-mother/ 

stepfather/ 

SSeeccttiioonn  CC::  TThhee  22000022//0033  SSttuuddeenntt  iinnccoommee  aanndd  eexxppeennddiittuurree  ssuurrvveeyy  iinn  
tthhee  UUKK  

1.  Background 

The  2002/03  Student  Income  and  Expenditure  Survey  concerns  the  expenditure  and  income  of 
students in higher education in England and Wales and the impact of recent changes in student support 
arrangements. It is based on research, commissioned by the Department of Education and Skills.  

In  1998  student  financial  support  was  reformed.  Means-tested  mandatory  maintenance  grants  were 
phased  out.  Instead,  the  main  support  for  living  costs  was  to  be  provided  solely  via  low-interest 
student loans, which had been introduced in 1990. In addition, student loans were means-tested for the 
first time while the methods for repaying the loan were changed so repayments more closely reflected 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

269 

              
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
student’s  income  on  graduation.  Furthermore,  means-tested  contributions  to  tuition  fees  were 
introduced. All the students surveyed were subject to these provisions introduced in 1998. The survey 
findings, therefore, highlight the impact of the reforms of student funding arrangements and how they 
have contributed to the continuing restructuring of student’s income, expenditure and debt. 

The  survey  builds  on  earlier  research  commissioned  by  the  Department  to  monitor  the  changes  in 
student finances. This study focuses exclusively on full-time single childless students aged under 25 at 
the start of their course, studying at higher education institutes in England and Wales. 

2.  Methodology 

1,249 full-time, single, childless undergraduate students, aged under 25 at the start of their course and 
drawn from 49 higher education institutions throughout England and Wales, were interviewed face-to-
face  between  March  and  June  2003.  Supplementary  information  on  students’  expenditure  was 
collected  from  diaries  that  they  kept  for  a  week  following  their  interview.  A  two-stage  stratified 
sampling strategy was used. First, the HEIs were selected with a probability proportional to size. Then 
a  quota  sample  was  employed  to  select  the  students  using  non-interlocking  quota  for  their:  year  of 
study; broad subject area; and whether or not they contributed towards tuition fees.  

2.1  The methodological approach 

The methodological approach planned was a simpler version of that ultimately adopted in the 1995/96 
and  1998/99  Student  Income  and  Expenditure  Survey  studies.  Due  to  changes  in  the  HE  sector’s 
attitude  towards  issues  of  student  confidentiality  and  data  protection  and  the  increasing  demands 
placed  on  Universities  to  collect  and  provide  data  on  their  student  population,  the  random  sampling 
approach was not used. Instead, a quota sampling approach was used.  

2.2  The sample design 

The students included in the survey attended 49 different universities and colleges of HE in England 
and Wales. The university and colleges involved in the survey had been selected in the following way. 
A list of full-time undergraduates students from England and Wales studying in England and Wales, 
based on HESA returns for the academic year 2000/01 was taken. As the decision had been taken to 
over-sample  slightly  the  new  institutions,  the  list  of  institutions  containing  eligible  students  was 
divided  into  three,  on  the  basis  of  institution  type  (old  university,  new  university,  and  other 
institutions).  Then  within  each  of  these  three  lists,  the  institutions  were  stratified  by  region/country 
(region  within  England  and  Wales).  The  total  number  of  eligible  full-time  students  in  each  list  was 
summed  across  all  institutions  and  divided  by  the  number  of  sampling  points  required  for  that 
institution  type,  in  order  to  give  the  sampling  intervals.  From  a  random  starting  point  this  sampling 
interval were applied until the specified number of sampling points from each list had been selected 
with probability of selection proportional to number of eligible students. 

A total of 50 different institutions were actually selected to take part in the study through this process. 
all but two of the sampled institutions did eventually agree to take part in the survey, with the two that 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

270 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
did not being replaced by other institutions of the same type in the same region. The reasons given for 
these  refusals  were  lack  of  staff  time  at  the  institution  to  supervise  the  interviewers  and  the  large 
number of other surveys that had recently taken place on site. 

A  quota  sampling  approach  was  adopted  from  the  beginning  for  this  study.  This  would  mean 
interviewers  recruiting  respondents  face-to-face  on  campus.  Once  the  institutions  had  been  selected, 
the  next  task  was  to  liase  with  the  universities  and  colleges  over  the  practical  arrangements,  which 
would  need  to  be  made.  The  interviewers  were  given  screening  questionnaires  to  enable  them  to 
identify students eligible to take part in the survey, plus sheets detailing the approximate quotas (25 
students in total). 

2.3  The research instruments 

The questionnaire was based on the questionnaire used in 1998/99 survey but in a far simplified form. 
The  questionnaire  was  piloted  to  test  it  for  length  and  general  acceptability.  Following  this,  the 
questionnaire was revised with the aim of shortening it and of simplifying certain sections.  

All respondents were asked by the interviewers if they would be willing to keep an expenditure diary 
for seven days following the interview. 

2.4  The weighting  

Given that the selection procedure was not random, it was necessary to evaluate the representativeness 
of  the  sample.  Weights  were  not  applied  for  eligibility  for  fees,  gender,  or  subject  of  study,  as  the 
achieved sample did not vary significantly form the actual eligible student population.   

Differences between the national profile and characteristics of the diary sample were also adjusted.  

2.5  The diary response rates 

Of all the students who were interviewed, just over a third (429 students) returned a completed diary. 
There are a number of reasons for this low response rate, though the main explanations relate to timing 
of the fieldwork and the incentives. The Easter holiday meant that many students had to wait until they 
returned back to complete the diary, which in turn meant some had forgotten or were too distracted by 
exams to complete the diaries. The fact that the incentive (10 GBP gift voucher) was not dependent on 
diary completion was also a significant factor in the poor response rate. 

The  students  who  did  not  complete  the  diary,  were  interviewed  and  so  completed  the  main 
questionnaire. In order not to lose those cases altogether from the analysis, it was necessary to impute 
some of the missing diary data, as was done for the previous surveys. A simple method of imputation 
was  used  based  on  predicting  values  from  a  model  for  each  element  of  the  diary  with  potential 
determinants  of  these expenditure included as model regressors. The potential determinants includes 
were the main break variables used throughout the main report: gender, ethnicity, social class, whether 
aged 21 or over, whether lived with parents, etc. 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

271 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.6  Extreme values 

Extremes values were defined as a deviation from the mean of plus or minus three times the standard 
deviation for each particular underived quantitative variable, each corresponding with a questionnaire 
item.  For  all  quantitative  variables,  extreme  variables  were  identified  and  set  to  the  value  of  the 
threshold. For most variables, this procedure was not required, but for variables where it was required, 
it only affected a small number of cases where values were outside of the normal range. 

3.  Type of information collected 

The following background information was collected: 

-  Gender 
-  Age Started Course 
-  Ethnicity (i.e. white non-white) 
-  Socio-economic class  
-  Family member studied at university 
-  Living & housing arrangements 
⇒  With Parents  
⇒  University provided housing  
⇒  Other rented housing 

-  Type of institution 
-  Region 
-  Whether paid tuition fees 
-  Whether taken out a loan 

Amongst the information collected on the income and expenditure of students were the following: 

Student’s income 

-  Main  sources  of  student  support  (student  loans,  hardship  loans,  and  Access/Hardship  scheme 

funds etc…); 

-  Other  sources  of  student  support  (includes  money  from  bursaries;  charities;  EU  programmes; 

and other organizations); 

-  Family support (includes students’ parental contribution as well as gifts in money or kind and 

contributions from non-relatives and friends); 

-  Employment (any paid work undertaken during the academic year including the short vacations 

but excluding the summer vacation); 

-  Social security benefits; 
-  Other income (Includes miscellaneous source such as money from lodgers, the sale of books and 

equipment, and receipts from investments). 

Student expenditure 

-  Living  costs  (This  includes  some  household  goods,  personal  items  such  as  toiletries,  clothes, 

entertainment, some non- course related travel, other general expenditure). 

-  Housing  costs  (This  includes  their  rent,  or  mortgage;  any  retainer  fee  paid  over  the  vacation; 

council tax; household insurance and utility bills); 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

272 

              
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
-  Participation  costs  (This  includes  students’  personal  contribution  to  fees;  the  costs  of  their 

books, equipment and stationery; and some travel to and from college). 

Other information collected 

•  All  students  were  asked  whether  they  had  made  any  financial  preparations  before  going  to 

university to save money for their time at university: 
-  Full time holiday job  
-  Working full time  
-  Part-time holiday job  
-  Part-time job during school/college term  
-  Saving money given as presents  
-  Other  
-  None of the above 

•  Student’s savings 
•  Student’s debt 

-  Commercial credit (This included bank loans, credit and store cards, and hire purchase) 
-  Overdraft  
-  Arrears  
- 
-  Outstanding Student Loan Debt 
-  Outstanding Student Hardship 
-  Loan 

Informal Loans from Family and Friends 

SSeeccttiioonn  DD::  TThhee  LLeeaarrnniinngg  aanndd  TTrraaiinniinngg  aatt  WWoorrkk  22000022  ssuurrvveeyy  iinn  tthhee  
UUKK  

1.  Background 

Learning  and  Training  at  Work  2002  is  the  fourth  in  an  annual  series  of  employer  surveys  that 
investigate workforce development. The survey also investigates awareness of and involvement with a 
number  of  training  and  development  initiatives.  Learning  and  training  information  had  previously 
been collected, along with information on recruitment difficulties, skill shortages and skill gaps, in the 
annual Skill Needs in Britain (SNIB) surveys, which were carried out between 1990 and 1998. 

The objectives of the 2002 Learning and Training at Work survey were to collect information about: 

•  The volume, type and pattern of off-the-job training; 
•  Key indicators of employers’ commitment to training such as Investors in People; 
•  Learning opportunities offered; 
•  Awareness of and involvement with a number of initiatives relevant to training. 

2.  Methodology 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

273 

              
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  survey  consisted  of  4,010  telephone  interviews  with  employers  in  England  having  1  or  more 
employees at the specific location sampled. All business sectors, public and private, with the exception 
of schools and Local Education Authorities were covered. A pilot of 100 interviews was conducted at 
the end of August 2002 prior to the main interviewing programme in order to ensure the questionnaire 
and general approach met the objectives of the study. 

In  the  2002  study,  the  main  stage  of  interviewing  was  carried  out  between  30  September  and  8 
November. In the 2001 study fieldwork took place between 20 October and 4 December; in the 2000 
study between 17 July and 20 October; and in the 1999 study between 3 November and 21 December. 
The average length of interview in the 2002 study was 19 minutes and the overall response rate to the 
survey  was  62%.  All  interviews  were  carried  out  from  IFF’s  telephone  centre  in  London  by  fully 
trained business-to-business interviewers. 

3.  Sample Design and Weighting 

Sample design involved setting separate sample targets for each cell on a Government Office region 
by industry sector by establishment size matrix. Results from Learning and Training at Work 1999 and 
2000 were originally weighted to population estimates derived from the Annual Employment Survey 
(AES).  

As  the  AES  is  no  longer  produced,  the  Inter  Departmental  Business  Register  (IDBR)  was  used  to 
weight results from Learning and Training at Work 2001 and 2002. In order to provide a consistent 
time  series,  results  from  the  1999  and  2000  surveys  have  been  reweighted  to  IDBR  population 
estimates. 
4.  Definitions 

Off-the-job training includes all training away from the immediate work position.  It can be given at 
the  employers’  premises  or  elsewhere.    It  includes  all  sorts  of  courses  -  full  or  part  time; 
correspondence or distance learning, Health and Safety and so on - as long as it is funded or arranged 
by the employer. 

On-the-job training is undertaken at the desk or place where the person usually works. 

5.  Main issues addressed in the Learning and Training at Work 2002 Survey 

•  Age groups employed among 16 - 17 year olds, 18 - 19 year olds, and 20 - 24 year olds 
•  Which of these age groups have been recruited over the last twelve months 
•  Young people recruited over the past twelve months currently on any training initiatives 
•  Factors taken into account when recruiting young people aged 16 – 24 
•  Methods used when recruiting young people aged 16 – 24 
•  Young  employees  attaining  a  Level  2  or  3  qualification  while  working  for  their  current 

employer 

•  Support of the employer to help its young employees attain their Level 2 or 3 qualifications 
•  Young employees currently working towards a Level 2 or 3 qualification 
•  Human resources plans and budgets for training  
•  Outside support in drawing up any of these plans or budgets 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

274 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
•  Type or organization providing the support 
•  Achievement of Investors in People Standard 
•  Learning opportunities to employees at the organisation’s location 
•  Funding  or  arrangement  any  off-the-job  training  over  the  past  12  months  for  any  of  the 

employees at the organisation’s location? 

•  Location of off-the-job training 
•  Degree of satisfaction with the quality of the training provided 
•  Number of employees for which the organisation has funded or arranged off-the-job training 

over the past 12 months 

•  Number of days off-the-job training funded or arranged, on average, for each person receiving 

training 

•  Different professional categories of employees 
•  Professional occupations whose training was funded 
•  Methods of providing off-the-job training used 
•  Types of off-the-job training funded or arranged for employees 
•  Proportion of all the time spent on off-the-job training undertaken at the organisation spent on 

Health and Safety training 

•  Existence  of  off-the-job  training  funded  or  arranged  by  the  employer  leading  to  formal 

qualifications 

•  Structure of the organisation in what concerns training 
•  Perception  of  the  impact  of  training  on  aspects  such  as  turnover,  productivity,  employment 

and profit 

•  Reasons for the non-provision of training 
•  Proportion of your existing staff you regard as being fully proficient at their current job 
•  Changes  in  the  last  year  concerning  production  or  service  technology,  working  time 
arrangements,  organisation  of  work,  work  techniques  or  procedures  or  Initiatives  to  involve 
employees 
Introduction of any new products or services in the last year 

• 
•  Number of initiatives connected with learning and training 

SSeeccttiioonn  EE::  OOmmnniibbuuss  SSuurrvveeyy  ((UUKK))  

1.  Background 

The Omnibus is a multi-purpose survey developed by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) for use 
by  non-profit  making  organisations.  The Omnibus allows customers to receive results quickly while 
retaining the hallmark of high quality - a random probability sample, high response rates and advice 
on  questionnaire  design.  The  Omnibus  covers  a  variety  of  topics  and  produces  results  much  more 
quickly than ad hoc or continuous surveys. Customers receive clean, tabulated data within three weeks 
of  the  end  of  fieldwork.  The  survey  is  carried  out  in  two  of  the  three  months  each  quarter. 
Approximately 1,800 adults are interviewed each survey month, and the average response rate is 66%. 

It is unique in providing customers with:  

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

275 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
•  Detailed advice on questionnaire and sample design;  
•  True random sampling at all stages of the survey;  
•  High response rates;  
•  An objective measure of the reliability of results; and  
•  Results that will stand up to professional scrutiny.  

The range of topics covered by the Omnibus is diverse, in the past 12 months almost 40 modules of 
questions were asked, on different topics, on behalf of 24 different organisations, one of which is adult 
learning. 

The Omnibus survey enables customers to:  

•  Obtain quick answers to questions of immediate interest;  
•  Provide information on topics that don't require a full survey;  
•  Measure the effectiveness of publicity campaigns;  
•  Assess public awareness of new policies;  
•  Develop and pilot questions for other surveys;  
•  Build up information on sub-groups and minority populations; and  
•  Provide information on trends if the same module is repeated at different times. 

2.  Methodology 

The survey available that uses a stratified random probability sample. Interviewers who work on the 
Omnibus survey have no control over who is interviewed. Unlike quota samples this method avoids 
the bias introduced when interviewers select only people who are easy to persuade to take part in the 
survey.  

3.  Sample design  

At the first stage 100 postal sectors throughout Great Britain are selected from the Postal Address File. 
At  the  second  stage,  30  addresses  are  randomly  selected  within  each  postal  sector.  And  at  the  final 
stage, one adult aged 16 years or over is selected randomly for interview at each eligible address.  

4.  Module 246 Adult learning 

This module was part of an international study into Lifelong Learning funded by money from the EU. 
The work is also being carried out in Norway and Spain. 

The module concerns education or training, which requires some sort of instruction or supervision – 
including distance-learning courses - and concentrates on courses taken in the last three years. 

M246_22  
This question asks who organised the course – this is different from who paid for it. 

If an employer paid for someone to go to college, then college should be coded. 

- 
-  Private providers are commercial companies, which offer training. 
-  Voluntary organisations such as environmental groups sometimes organise their own courses. 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

276 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
M246_23,24 &28-36 
These questions are asked of people who are currently in employment (working more than 10 hours 
per  week).  The  questions  are  also  directed  at  the  self-employed.  Some  of  the  questions  may  appear 
more awkward for this group to answer, e.g. getting time off work for educational training (M246_28) 
– in effect they will have to judge whether they can give themselves time off to follow some sort of 
course. 

M246_25a-m  
These  questions  are  asked  of  people  who  have  finished  a  course  in  the  last  three  years  (and  are  not 
currently doing any further courses) and asks them to assess the usefulness of the course in relation to 
a number of criteria. 

M246_37-40 
These questions ask about future plans for learning. 

M246_54&55 
Having a personal crises or stressful life event may act as an obstacle to some people taking a course, 
for others it may be a spur to take further education or training. What constitutes a personal crises is a 
matter  of  subjective  judgement  that  will  vary  from  one  respondent  to  another  but  may  include: 
divorce, loss of family members/friends, accidents affecting family/friends, series illnesses etc. 

SSeeccttiioonn  FF::  GGeenneerraall  SSoocciioo--EEccoonnoommiicc  SSuurrvveeyy  iinn  BBeellggiiuumm  

GGeenneerraall  SSoocciioo--eeccoonnoommiicc  SSuurrvveeyy  

In  1846  the  first  Belgian  census  of  a  scientific  nature  was  organized  on  the  initiative  of  Adolphe 
Quetelet.  It  was  not  a  ordinary  count  of  inhabitants;  it  also  comprised  a  complete  section  on 
agriculture and industry. Since then there have been 14 population censuses in Belgium. The different 
censuses occurred at intervals of approximately 10 years (1856, 1866, 1876, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 
1920, 1930, 1947, 1961, 1970, 1981, 1991). Although, according to the basic legal texts censuses were 
meant  for  purely  administrative  purposes,  all  censuses  since  1856  have  also  inquired  about 
demographic, social and economic data. 

The  days  of  classic  censuses  in  Belgium  are  long  gone.  It  no  longer  concerns  a  census  of  the 
population but an actual general socio-economic survey.  

QQuueessttiioonnnnaaiirree 

The  2001  questionnaire  requested  the  following  information  concerning  education,  training  and 
employment: 

To which category of persons do you belong? 

- 

I am a schoolchild or student  

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

277 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
- 

- 
- 
- 
- 

I have a job (under any statute, including apprentices, even if away from work ill, on holiday, on 
a career break or temporarily laid off)  
I lost or resigned my previous job and am now looking for a new job.  
I am looking for a job for the first time  
I have never worked and I am not looking or a job  
I do not longer work and am no(t) (longer) looking for a new job because of:  

retirement  
early retirement or equal (e.g. detention)  
family, social, personal, health or other reasons  
I do not think there is a job available for me (too old, do not have the required qualifications, 
etc.)  

When did you stop working? 

To be completed by everyone aged 15 and over 

Are you receiving education or have you received education (in school or elsewhere)? 
How many years have you received education (yet)? 

Tick the HIGHEST level of education that you have successfully completed 

- 
- 

- 

- 
- 

primary school  
lower secondary school (first three years)  

o  general education - arts education  
o  technical education - vocational training  

higher secondary education (last three years)  
o  general education - arts education  
o  technical education - vocational training (craft trade apprenticeships included)  

post-secondary not-higher education (1)  
higher education (short course, long course or university)  

At which age did you complete this level? 
Where did you complete this level? 

If  you  took  a  certificate  of  vocational  training  or  technical  secondary  education,  in which branch of 
studies was that? 

- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 

applied sciences (physics, chemistry, etc.)  
industry (electronics, electricity, mechanics, etc.)  
trade, accounting, office work  
social sciences, education  
sports, health, paramedical  
services, beauty care, etc.  
clothing, sewing, dressmaking  
construction, woodwork  
agricultural science, agronomics  
food (bakery, butchery, etc.)  
hotel business, tourism  
living languages  

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278 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
- 
- 

informatics  
other  

Tick ALL certificates that you took in higher education 

- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 

nursery school teacher, teacher of primary school, teacher of lower level of secondary school  
short course non-university higher education (one cycle)  
university or higher education, long course: first cycle (candidature)  
university or higher education, long course: second cycle (2)  
university or higher education advanced/additional education (3)  
doctorate with thesis  

What is the full name of the certificates of higher education 

To be completed by everyone who took a certificate after a recognised vocational training of at least 
600 hours (equals a fulltime training of 6 months) 

It concerned a: (tick all the boxes that apply) 

- 

- 
- 

vocational  training  by  FOREM,  IBFFP,  Arbeitsamt,  VDAB,  Classes  moyennes,  promotion 
sociale,  
training in the framework of your profession  
vocational training followed on your own initiative  

To be completed by everyone who takes classes or follows a vocational training, irrespective of he/she 
is working 

The education or vocational training that you are currently following is 

- 
- 
- 
- 

fulltime  
part time during the daytime (separate course included)  
evening and/or weekend education  
correspondence course  

What kind of education or vocational training are you receiving? 

- 
- 
- 
- 

nursery education (special education included)  
primary education (special education included)  
special secondary education  
first stage of secondary education (1st and 2nd year)  

o  general (1st or 2nd year A)  
o  vocational (1st year B, 2nd preparing for vocational year)  

- 

second or third stage of secondary education (other years)  

o  general  
o  technical/art  
o  vocational (part-time and craft trade apprenticeship included)  
o  post-secondary non-higher education (1)  
o  short course non-university higher education / one cycle  
o  long course non-university higher education / two cycles  
o  university (4)  

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

279 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
o  university or higher education advanced/additional education (3)  
o  doctorate with thesis  
o  other vocational training  

7th  year  of  secondary  education,  additional  secondary  vocational  education  (4th 
stage), business starters’ training  
licentiate, engineer, doctor without thesis, etc.  
academic  degree  of  advanced  studies  (GGS),  academic  degree  of  complementary 
studies GAS, postgraduate, special licentiate degree, qualified teacher’s degree, etc.  
candidature, licentiate, engineer, doctor of medicine, etc.  

Questions are asked about the current employment situation, professional status, sector of activity of 
which  employed,  details  about  the  employer,  whether  employed  full-time,  part-time,  framework  of 
contract (including whether it is as an apprentice contract). 

Questions are also asked concerning travel to the educational institution where receiving instruction, 
specifically the distance covered, and time taken. 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

280 

              
 
 
 
 
SSeeccttiioonn  FG::  EExxppeennddiittuurree  ddaattaa  ccoonnttaaiinneedd  iinn  tthhee  NNaattiioonnaall  AAccttiioonn  
PPllaannss  ffoorr  EEmmppllooyymmeenntt  

The following information is contained in the NAPs provided by the Member States in 2003 regarding 
education and training: 

BBeellggiiuumm  

Contribution of the ESF to the European Employment strategy 

The table below shows the contribution of the ESF to the objective of promoting the development of 
human capital as well as education and lifelong learning: 

Contribution of the ESF to the objective of promoting the development of human capital as well as education and 
lifelong learning 

Federal 

LD 

% 

Bruxelle 
Capitale 

% 

French 
communit
y 

% 

Flemish 
Community 

% 

German 
Community 

% 

Country  % 

706,9 

6,7 

21,2 

0,6 

34.248 

42,9 

12.944 

17,6 

812,3 

35 

48.732,4 

28,
7 

LD4: training in enterprises 

The following information is contained in the NAP for the years 2000 and 2001: 

•  Share of enterprises that provide training  
•  Training cost 
•  % of staff costs 
•  Average per recipient of training (total, men, women, ratio women/men) 
•  Number of hours of training 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

281 

              
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DDeennmmaarrkk  

Target: At least 25 per cent of the long-term unemployed are to participate in active measures by 2010 
at the latest. 

Average number of persons in active measures who started from unemployment: 
Average number of participants in active measures (E) who started from unemployment. 

Total 

13548 
13787 
14670 
14171 

35957 
29943 
26297 
24609 

Men 

5056 
5203 
5626 
5807 

10931 
9085 
8584 
8300 

Women 

8491 
8585 
9044 
8365 

25026 
20858 
17712 
16309 

Job training 
1999 
2000 
2001 
2002 
Education 
1999 
2000 
2001 
2002 

GGeerrmmaannyy  

Expenditure on active labour market policy measures of the Länder (annual data 2002) 

Type of measure 

Expenditure in € (rounded off) 

Training measures, promotion of vocation school 
students 
Advanced vocational training (training, retraining) and 
upgrading of skills 
Job rotation and job sharing 

Employment incentives (wage cost subsidies, assistance to 
increase mobility) 
Integration measures for disabled persons 

Direct creation of additional jobs 

Incentives for business start-ups 

Total 

408,082,725 

674,551,498 

4,826,000 

63,664,914 

153,200,000 

523,293,000 

75,407,386 

1,903,025,523 

Funding for the budget for education, research and science 2000 

The German NAP contains detailed expenditure information on guideline 4. This expenditure data is 
broken  down  by  territorial  entity  (Federal,  Lander  and  municipalities),  private  and  foreign.  The 
relevant variables are: 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

282 

              
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A. Expenditure for education process (funding) 

Public pre-schools, schools, universities  

•  Pre-school education 
•  Schools of general education 
•  Vocational schools 
•  Universities 

Private pre-schools, schools, universities 

•  Pre-school education 
•  Schools of general education 
•  Vocational schools 
•  Universities 

Company training as part of dual education  

•  of the public sector  
•  of the private sector  

In-company training, non-profit private organisations, authorities 
Other educational institutions 

•  Services by the public administration 
•  Other public educational institutions  
•  Other private educational institutions  

Expenditure by pupils and students for remedial schooling, books, etc 
Total expenditure for education process  

B. Promotion of users 

Promotion of education by authorities  

•  Promotion of pupils 
•  Promotion of students  
•  Subsidies for participants in measures of further training 

Promotion of users by Federal Employment Service 

Child allowance for users over 19 and entitled to child allowance 
Promotion of users  

A- B educational budget  

The German NAP also includes information on the expenditure (basic funds) of government budgets 
for  education,  science  and  research  (including  youth  work  and  day  care  facilities  for  children) 
according to Länder 1995-2002 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

283 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GGrreeeeccee  

The  preparation  and  passing  into  legislation  of  the  Operational  Programme  for  Migrants  by  the 
Ministry  of  the  Interior  and  others.  It  covers  the  period  2003-2006  and  includes  resources  of  260m 
Euro.  The  interventions  planned  involve  the  vocational  integration  of  immigrants,  approaches  in 
cultural  areas,  improvement  of  education  and  health  services  and  the  creation  of  structures  for 
admission and temporary accommodation. 

Objective 
In Greece, the public education spending as % of GDP is 3.8, whereas the objective for 2008 is 5%. 

SSppaaiinn  

Financial breakdown for guideline 4: 

Measure or action 

Continuing VT (employed) MAP-
INAP 
Continuing VT (employed) 
TRIPARTITE FOUNDATION 
Continuing VT (employed) 
FORINTEL 
Continuing VT (employed) 
HOBETUZ 
Continuing VT (employed) 
autonomous regions. 
Occupational Vocational Training 
(unemployed) 
Regulated VT Increasing the 
numbers in Initial VT (Education 
Ministry) 
Regulated VT. Increasing the 
numbers of adults (25-64) 
(Education Ministry) 
Regulated  VT.  Young  people 
studying 
Secondary 
Higher 
Education (Education Ministry) 
collaboration 
Encouraging 
agreements  between  the  education 
sector 
partners 
(Education Ministry) 
Other  measures  financed  by  the 
autonomous regions 
CONTRIBUTION 
EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND 

social 

and 

OF 

Implementation of budget 2002 
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 
63,140,000 

Budget 2003 
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 
66,780,000 

763,190,000 

17,110,000 

24,950,000 

59,180,000 

857,540,000 

853,990,000 

10,310,000 

25,000,000 

46,880,000 

858,170,000 

1,489,048,000 

1,484,737,000 

894,222,000 

954,486,000 

2,792,933,000 

2,724,413,000 

74,452,000 

74,237,000 

28,360,000 

517,867,576 

805,176 

497,790,623 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

284 

              
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Actions undertaken by the autonomous regions 

The Spanish NAP specifies the budget for each measure adopted for each guideline. This information 
is available for each Autonomous Community. Examples of measures that appear in the NAP are: 

•  Aragón youth training and jobsearch plan (4,981,477 euro). 
• 

Information  and  Communication  Technologies  Training  Plan  for  people  in  the  labour  force, 
including teachers (300000 euro). 
Implement programmes aimed specifically at the practical and theoretical training of technical 
auxiliaries in innovation (805,176 euro). 

• 

•  Organize courses for job specialization and promotion in Madrid (5,000,000 euro). 
•  Adult  education  centres,  secondary  education  institutes  and  official  language  schools;  basic 

education, Aula Mentor, “That’s English”, distance learning (1,730,000 euro). 

•  Training  and  jobsearch  workshops  to  find  jobs  for  unemployed  people  from  groups  with 
specific difficulties in entering the labour market. These workshops combine basic training in 
specific  areas  with  occupational  vocational  training  for  concrete  jobs  bearing  in  mind  the 
psychological,  social  and  professional  characteristics  of  the  participants  and  the  needs  of 
companies in the Valencia region (8,110,500.00 euro). 

•  Training and jobsearch actions for immigrants (765,497 euro). 
•  Etc. 

Cost of actions 2002 

The table below shows the total cost (INEM and Autonomous Communities together) of the 
mentioned actions in 2002. 

ACTIONS 

Occupational training 

Training-employment programmes 

FFrraannccee  

TOTAL (EURO) 

857,538,043.29 

490,083,041.05 

The  budget  packages  in  the  areas  of  employment  and  vocational  training,  voted  for  in  2003  and 
proposed  for  the  2004  budget  bill  by  the  Ministry  for  Labour,  Social  Affairs  and  Solidarity,  are  as 
follows: 

Actions 

2003 Initial budget act (in M€) 

2004 Budget bill (in M€) 

Vocational training 

3,932 

3,881 

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285 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The budget packages planned for the actions of the Ministry for Youth, Education and Research for 
the period 2003-2004 are as follows: 

Actions 

Amount (in M€) 

Guideline 

Language training 
Support for international co-
operation between establishments 

European summer universities 
Development of NICTs 
(equipment, maintenance) 
Development of VAE networks 
(validation of 
achievements from experience) 
Follow-up units 

“Open school” programme 

Reception of handicapped 
students 

5.8 
1.45 

1.2 
4 

0.5 

3.8 

10.1 

8.6 

3 
3 

3 
4 

4 

7 

7 

7 

Training expenditures amongst businesses with more than 10 employees (as a % of the total wage bill) 

Spending/wage 
bill (as a %) 

1997 

3.24 

1998 

3.23 

1999 

3.22 

2000 

3.16 

2001 

3.16 

Spending on vocational training as a percentage of GDP 
1998 
1.65 

Total spending/GDP 

1997 
1.71 

Spending by the State 

Other spending 

0.68 

1.03 

0.66 

0.99 

1999 
1.63 

0.65 

0.98 

2000 
1.52 

0.58 

0.94 

2001 
1.49 

0.55 

0.94 

Total spending on vocational training and apprenticeships posted a gradual decline over the five-year 
period from 1997 to 2001. This reduction is partly attributable to cutbacks by public administrations, 
the  State,  and  UNEDIC  in  spending  on  training  programmes  for  job-seekers,  reflecting  improved 
conditions in the labour market during the period. Between 1999 and 2001, the State also limited its 
spending on training programmes for its own employees. 

IIrreellaanndd  

Youthreach 

This programme offers second chance education and training to 15-18 year olds who have left school 
without formal qualifications. The programme aims to integrate the unskilled into the labour force and 
promote  a  pattern  of  lifelong  learning.  Participants  sample  general  vocational  skills,  develop  their 
literacy and numerical skills, and identify and pursue further training and career options. Guidance and 
counseling  and  childcare  services  are  available  for  participants.  There  is  also  a  work  experience 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

286 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
element to the programme which overall, lasts 2 years. Certification is provided through the Further 
Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) the Leaving Cert Applied, and through subjects in 
the  Junior  and  Leaving  Certificate.  There  are  approximately  3,000  VEC  Youthreach  places  with 
spending  for  2002  totalling  €34.153  million.  Youthreach,  the  Senior  Traveller  Training  Centres  and 
the  FÁS  funded  Community  Training  Centres  form  part  of  a  joint  early  school  leavers  programme 
catering  for  some  7,162  participants  in  over  130  centres  (30  Traveller  centres,  some  77  Youthreach 
centres,  both  provided  by  the  VECs,  and  a  network  of  35-40  Community  Training  Workshops 
provided by FÁS). 

Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) 

VTOS  programmes  are  provided  by  VECs,  either  in  an  in  school  or  out  of  school  setting.  The 
programmes may be delivered either as a VTOS stand-alone core group, or participants may also be 
dispersed on other programmes (e.g. Post leaving Certificate Courses). Local referral networks are in 
place  linking  VTOS  with  welfare,  FÁS  and  employment  services.  Expenditure  totalled  €46.814 
million in 2002, with 5,708 pupils accommodated in approximately 100 centres. 

IIttaallyy  

The  NAP  for  Italy  in  2003  contains  information  regarding  the  contribution  of  the  ESF  during  the 
period 2000-2006 to the European strategy for occupation.  The NAP includes financial data on the 
amount devoted to promote the development of human capital and lifelong learning.  

The following financial data on education and training is available: 

•  Training for long-term unemployed and to prevent long-term unemployment. 
•  Training per young person employed. 
•  Training per person employed.    
•  Training of Italian who are residents of non-EU countries. 
•  Lifelong learning. 
• 
•  Higher education. 
•  Training for disabled people. 
•  Training for women with difficulties to enter the labour market. 

Improvement of human resources. 

Financial data on education and training are also available at the regional level. 

LLuuxxeemmbboouurrgg  

The  NAP  for  Luxembourg  in  2003  contains  the  following  information  regarding  education  and 
training: 

-  Public expenditure on lifelong learning (direct subsidies). 
--   Public expenditure on lifelong learning (tax reductions).    

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287 

              
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
TThhee  NNeetthheerrllaannddss  

Promote development of human capital and lifelong learning 

The government published its Lifelong Learning policy agenda in April 2002. It also asked the Social 
and  Economic  Council  to  produce  an  advisory  report  on  the  subject  in  November  2001.  The  report 
was published in June 2002. The government is currently preparing its response. On the basis of these 
two  documents  a  Lifelong  Learning  Platform  is  to  be  set  up  to  work  out  policy  recommendations. 
Measures that have already been initiated include: 

•  Boost for vocational education 

• 

Since 2002 EUR 136 million has been made available annually to boost vocational education. 
The  principal  aims  are  to  improve  career  planning,  careers  guidance  and  programme 
compatibility,  develop  a  new  educational  theory  and  teaching  methods,  and  strengthen  the 
exchange of knowledge between the vocational education sector and the business community. 
Innovation scheme 
The  aim  of  the  innovation  scheme  is  to  enhance  innovation  in  vocational  education  by 
stimulating  joint  regional  or  sectoral  projects  in  the  education  and  business  sectors.  These 
projects  aim  to  reduce  the  drop-out  rate,  improve  mobility  and  educational  reform,  and 
strengthen the relationship between education and business. The government is setting aside 
EUR 10 million for project grants in 2003. 

•  Recognition of Prior Learning 

To promote lifelong learning, the focus is on the introduction of a system for the Recognition 
of  Prior  Learning  (RPL).  The  aim  of  RPL  is  to  give  credit  for  knowledge  and  experience 
gained  in  the  workplace.  With  the  help  of  a  government  grant,  a  special  RPL  centre, 
Kenniscentrum  EVC,  was  launched  in  2001  for  a  four-year  period.  Other  parties  involved, 
besides the government, are the social partners, umbrella organisations in the education sector 
and  the  CWIs.  Kenniscentrum  EVC  collects  and  disseminates  information  about  the  RPL 
system  at  home  and  abroad.  The  associated  Empowerment  Centre  EVC  has  the  task  of 
developing  RPL  for  nontraditional  groups  (jobseekers,  people  wishing  to  return  to  work, 
refugees, immigrants and partially work-disabled people). 

•  Dual system combining training and employment 

Courses combining training and employment are of particular importance to people who need 
training  to  ensure  they  find  work,  and  stay  in  work,  such  as  ethnic  minorities  (including 
people  on  integration  programmes),  early  school  leavers  and  women  wishing  to  return  to 
work. They allow people to obtain basic or more advanced qualifications, or learn the Dutch 
language, while they are working. ESF-3 funds will be used to promote the dual system. 
Individual learning account 
To  increase  both  the range of training available and the responsibility of individual workers 
for their own employability, eight individual learning account experiments were launched in 
2001. The experiments will be evaluated at the end of 2003. 

• 

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288 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
AAuussttrriiaa  

Guideline 1: Active and preventative measures for the unemployed and inactive 

Destination of exits 6 months after completion of an employment support, skills training or 
general support measure in 2002 

employment 
support 
measure 

in abs. 
terms 
1,732 

12,366 
14,011 
1,054 

in % 

7.1% 

50.8% 
57.6% 
4.3% 

skills 
training  
measure 

general 
support 
measure 

in abs. 
terms 
8,104 

89,783 
97,343 
13,067 

in % 

4.9% 

54.8% 
59.4% 
8.0% 

in abs. 
terms 
1,665 

15,730 
17,316 
2,613 

in % 

4.5% 

42.6% 
46.9% 
7.1% 

subsidised employment 

non-subsidised employment 
Employment 
skills training 

unemployment with benefits 

5,948 

24.4% 

34,132 

20.8% 

9,468 

25.6% 

unemployment without benefits 

593 

2.4% 

6,928 

4.2% 

1,930 

5.2% 

Unemployment / skills training 

7,515 

30.8% 

49,533 

30.2% 

13,431 

36.3% 

marginal part-time job 

OLF 

others 

OLF positions (including marginal jobs 
and others) 
TOTAL PARTICIPANTS 

160 

2,123 

0.7% 

8.7% 

1,697 

1.0% 

493 

1.3% 

17,065 

10.4% 

5,275 

14.3% 

917 

3.8% 

10,232 

6.2% 

3,196 

13.1% 

28,405 

17.3% 

2,538 

8,244 

6.9% 

22.3% 

24,336 

100% 

163,952 

100% 

36,954 

100% 

The table below shows the government spending on labour market policies concerning education and 
training.  

Government spending on active labour market policies (EUR in millions) 

Training ALG/NH, training 
following KUG 

Solidarity bonus, further training 
benefit 

Apprenticeship courses 

2001 

104.20 

21.40 

15.80 

2002 

113.39 

6.01 

17.03 

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289 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
FFiinnllaanndd  

Expenditure on active and passive labour market policy measures 1999 – 2002, EUR million, (guideline 1) 
ESF 
contribution 
% 

ESF 
contribution 
% 

ESF 
contribution 
% 

ESF 
contribution 
% 

LMP 
measure 

1999 

2002 

2000 

2001 

Training and 
traineeships 

599.1 

24.7 

512.3 

19.8 

439.1 

13.8 

477.1 

11.9 

Vocational 
rehabilitation 

113.7 

121.8 

140.4 

148.7 

Calculated funding for measures under the ESR objective 1 programme for Eastern Finland for 2003 – 
2006 (public funding only) (EUR million) 

Measure 

Public 
funding total 

ESF 
funding 

National 
funding 

MEASURE 2.1 
Developing training systems and Improving the quality and 
effectiveness of education 
Measure 2.2 
Developing expertise and increasing the competence of 
workforce 
MEASURE 2.3 
Promoting the functioning of the labour market and 
employability 

Measure 2.4 
Promoting equality in working life 

TOTAL 

51.244 

25.622 

25.622 

71.742 

35.871 

35.871 

51.244 

25.622 

25.622 

30.746 

15.373 

15.373 

204.975 

102.488 

102.488 

The  calculated  funding  does  not  take  into  account  any  additional  allocations  made  when  the 
programme is adjusted halfway through the programme period, or any programme changes). 

Calculated funding for measures under the ESR objective 1 programme for Northern Finland for 2003 – 
2006 (public funding only) (EUR million) 

Measure 

Measure 1.3 
Developing personnel in business and promotion of 
entrepreneurship 
Measure 2.6 
Developing expertise in rural areas 
Measure 3.2 
Promoting expertise, competence and key fields 

Public 
funding total 

ESF 
funding 

National 
funding 

21.163 

10.581 

10.581 

11.266 

5.633 

5.633 

25.269 

12.635 

12.635 

The  calculated  funding  does  not  take  into  account  any  additional  allocations  made  when  the 
programme is adjusted halfway through the programme period, or any programme changes. 

Calculated funding for measures under the ESR objective 2 programme for Western Finland for 2003-
2006 (public funding only) (EUR million) 

Measure 

Public 

ESF 

National 

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290 

              
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Measure 1.3 
Promoting entrepreneurship and developing 
Personnel 
Measure 2.2 
Strengthening employment and the links between 
training and working life 

funding total 

funding 

funding 

31.221 

12.145 

19.076 

48.683 

19.327 

29.356 

The  calculated  funding  does  not  take  into  account  any  additional  allocations  made  when  the 
programme is adjusted halfway through the programme period, or any programme changes. 

Calculated funding for measures under the ESR objective 2 programme for Southern Finland FOR 2003 
– 2006 (public funding only) (EUR million) 

Measure 

Measure 1.4 
Personnel development in support of business 
operations and technology expertise 
Measure 2.2 
Improving workforce skills and access to training 

Public 
funding total 

ESF 
funding 

National 
funding 

19.713 

7.885 

11.828 

25.800 

10.320 

15.480 

Objective 3, funding plan for 2003 - 2006 by measure, including an annual 2% index adjustment (EUR 
million) 

Measure 

Total 

ESF 
funding 

State 
funding 

Municipal 
funding 

Private 
funding 

Measure 1.2 
New  approaches  to  the  transition  from 
education and training to work 

Measure 2.1 
Promoting  gender  equality  in  training 
and  working  life  and  strengthening  the 
labour market position of women 

Measure 2.2 
Activating  people  to  take  vocational 
training and reducing the drop-out rate 
Measure 3.1 
Improving  quality  and  effectiveness  of 
education and training 

Measure 3.2 
Promoting  occupational  mobility  and 
strengthening  the  integration  between 
education and working life 
Measure 4.1 
and 

developing 

Increasing 
entrepreneurship 

70.0325 

23.8112 

29.7637 

5.9527 

10.5049 

37.7956 

13.6063 

18.7089 

1.7008 

3.7796 

37.7956 

13.6063 

18.7089 

1.7008 

3.7796 

72.891 

20.4094 

25.5119 

5.1024 

21.8673 

89.0895 

24.9451 

31.1813 

6.2363 

26.7268 

85.04 

17.0079 

21.2599 

4.2522 

42.52 

Measure 4.2 
Promoting  personnel’s  competence  and 
working ability at work 

204.0954 

40.8191 

51.0239 

10.2047 

102.0477 

The funding plan does not take into account the 4% allocation made when the programme is adjusted 
halfway through the programme period, or any programme changes. 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

291 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SSwweeddeenn  

European Social Fund 

The  purpose  of  the  European  Social  Fund’s  Objective  3  and  Equal,  the  Community  Initiative,  is  to 
support  implementation  of  the  EES,  thereby  supplementing  national  policy.  The  main  thrust  of  the 
Objective 3 programme is under Guideline 4, but it also supports several other Guidelines. The ESF 
grant amounts to some SEK 6,600 million (€780m76) including the performance reserve, during the 
2000–2006  programme  period.  Including  official  national  cofinancing  ––  which  is  largely  effected 
within the limits imposed by regular labour-market policy appropriations –– and private cofinancing, 
Objective  3  is  expected  to  comprise  some  SEK  24,000  million  (€2,820m).  The  corresponding 
measures  in  Objective  1  amount  to  roughly  SEK  2,100m,  including  about  SEK  900m  from  the 
European Social Fund. 

Equal also supports several Guidelines, especially Guideline 7. The European Social Fund contributes 
some SEK 733m (€86.2m). There is also national co-financing on a corresponding scale. 

Altogether during the current programme period, the Structural Funds –– Objectives 1, 2 and 3 and the 
Community  Initiatives  ––  comprise  roughly  SEK  60,000m,  including  the  Structural  Fund  grant  of 
some SEK 20,000m. 

The contribution made by the ESF in Sweden corresponds, during 2003, to approximately 3% of the 
budget for labour-market policy. 

In Sweden, total public expenditure on consumption of and investments in education as a percentage 
of GDP (current prices) amounted to 8.1% in 2001.  

UUnniitteedd  KKiinnggddoomm  

Promote development of human capital and lifelong learning 

It is important for companies to develop and invest in their human capital, both for the success of the 
business  and  for  the  employees  themselves.  The  Government  has  therefore  assisted  trade  unions  in 
promoting learning in the workplace by the Government's ‘Union Learning Fund’, which has invested 
over £24 million in over 400 union-led projects since it began 6 years ago. 

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292 

              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
AAnnnneexx  
44 

SSaatteelllliittee  aaccccoouunnttss  ooff  eedduuccaattiioonn  iinn  
FFrraannccee  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex 4 

 Satellite accounts of education in France 

Introduction  

The aim of the satellite account of education is to gather in an accounting framework flows in order to 
analyse  the  economy  in  the  education  domain,  study  the  sources  of  financing  and  the  costs  of 
production activities that constitute this domain.  

The  coherence  with  the  central  framework  translates  itself  notably  by  utilising  the  same  definitions 
and nomenclatures: 

-  Geographically, 

the  economic 

the  national  accounts  consists  of  France 
Métropolitaine.  The  departments,  the  overseas  territories,  and  foreign  countries  constitute  the 
rest of the world. 

territory  of 

-  The  satellite  accounts  of  education  provide  detailed  information  on  education  activities  in 

France Métropolitaine.  

-  The  units  of  financing  are  re-grouped  into  institutional  sectors,  public  administration, 
enterprises, households, which are identical to the sectors provided in the national accounts. 
-  Personnel  costs  consist  of  wages,  employers  social  security  contributions,  and  social  security 

contributions 

The use of the same concepts, definitions and nomenclatures allows for a direct comparison between 
the aggregates of the education account and the national accounts.  The satellite account of education 
covers all education activities in France Métropolitaine. 

The  satellite  accounts  of  education  collects  data  of  variable  quality,  for  example  data  from  the 
Ministry of Education is perfectly established in contrast to other domains where the data are collected 
through simple assessments. 

The  education  domain  consists  of  educational  activities.  However,  educational  expenditure  is  not 
solely limited to teaching expenditure. For example, data is collected on the activities of the national 
education  administrative  services,  rectorats,  academic  inspections  or  the  administration  of  the 
Ministry.  

Educational expenditure is re-grouped into four types of expenditures: 
i.  Expenditures for teaching activities; 
ii.  Expenditures  for  the  purpose  of  organising  the  system  of  education:  general  educational 

administration, and  

iii. Expenditure for the purpose of participation in education institutions: canteens, boarding-facilities, 

school transport; 

iv.  Expenditures incurred by attending educational institutions: purchase of books, school provisions 

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Annex 4 

Education is classified according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED).  

TThhee  ssttrruuccttuurree  ooff  tthhee  aaccccoouunntt 

The education account has two categories of economic agents:  

i.  Units  of  financing  –  are  economic  agents,  which  support  the  expenditure  for  the  activities 

undertaken in this domain. They do not exercise these activities; 

ii.  Units of production – are economic agents, which realise activities in this domain as a result of 

the resources made at their disposal by the financial units. 

The education account is structured into: teaching activities; annexed activities; and connected goods 
and services.  

Teaching  activities  and  related  activities  constitute  the  characteristic  activities.  They  are  realised  by 
the  units  of  production  in  the  domain.    The  units  of  production  in  the  domain  do  not  produce 
connected goods and services. Their production is not examined, but the sale of goods and services by 
the financial units forms part of expenditure on education. For example, the activities of canteens and 
boarding schools, and school transport. These two activities are intended to enable the participation in 
education  establishments.  Canteens  and  boarding  schools  are  more  often  realised  by  educational 
establishments.  Canteens  and  boarding  schools  constitute  an  annexed  activity,  thus  the  education 
account examines the financing and its production.   

School transport is more often realised by enterprises, whose analysis of the costs of production are 
not  covered  by  this  data  collection.  School  transport  is  considered  as  a  connected  good  and  service 
whose purchase is made by financial units. The satellite account of education examines the financing 
of these products, but does not consider the production of school transport services. 

The satellite account of education organises the financial flows in the domain according to 3 types of 
analysis: 

i.  Financing of teaching activities, related activities, and goods and services- This analysis covers 
the entire domain, and allows the measurement of the effort devoted to education nationally and 
by each financial unit; 

ii.  The financing of the sector of production – The available resources of the production units; 
iii. Expenditures of the production units- the costs of production of each realised activity by each 

production unit. 

These three analyses are completed by the study of the transfer between financial units, and education 
expenditures outside the economic territory of the national accounts. 

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Annex 4 

                                         2.                                                                   4.                                                     
 Production units                                              Units of financing             Transfers between financiers 

3. 

1.                                           5.                                           

                                                                                                  Expenditures outside the economic  
Educational activities    Connected goods                                                                 territory                           
& related activities              services                  

CCllaassssiiffiiccaattiioonn  ooff  eedduuccaattiioonnaall  aaccttiivviittiieess 

Educational activities 

School type 

First level education 
-  Pre-elementary 
-  Elementary 
-  Special 1st degree 
Second level education 

-  1st cycle 
-  2nd general cycle 
-  2nd professional cycle 
-  Special 2nd degree 

Apprenticeship 
Higher education 
Artistic education 

Extra-curricula education 
-  Distance learning 
-  Continuing professional education 
-  Other types of extra-curricula education 

Related activities 
General administration 
Advice 
Canteens and boarding facilities 
School health care 

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Annex 4 

Education research 
Pedagogical documentation 

Goods and services 
School transport 
Books and other school provisions 
Clothes, hobbies, others 

Personnel costs of teaching staff in training 

This is not regarded as an educational expense but is analysed in the context of an investment in the 
system. It is not attributed to a production unit and only the finances are examined. 

CCllaassssiiffiiccaattiioonn  ooff  ffiinnaanncciiaall  uunniittss 

Public administration 

State 

-  Ministry of Education 
-  All the other ministries 

Local and regional authorities 

-  Communes 
-  Departments 
-  Regions 

Other public bodies 
This consists of consular organisations, chambers of commerce and industry, chambers of professions, 
chambers of agriculture, hospitals, and social security organisations. 

Enterprises 
This  consists  of  public  and  private  enterprises,  post  office  and  telecommunication,  and  professional 
associations  

Households 

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Annex 4 

IInniittiiaall  ffiinnaanncciinngg  aanndd  ffiinnaall  ffiinnaanncciinngg 

The financing of education can be examined in two different ways: 

•  Initial source of funds - Before the transfers, the amount of expenditures correspond to charges 

supported by each unit of financing. 

•  Final source of funds - After transfers, the amounts correspond to the relationship between the 
final  source  of  funds  and  the  producer  of  the  education  activity.  This  approach  allows  one  to 
elucidate the final destination of the transfers.  

CCllaassssiiffiiccaattiioonn  ooff  pprroovviiddeerrss 

Units  of  productions  are  economic  agents,  which  exercise  one,  or  more  characteristic  activities  as  a 
result of the resources made at their disposal by a financial unit. 

The classification retains two categories of providers, providers whose principal activity is teaching, 
and  other  providers,  which  perform  other  activities  and  are  not  considered  as  educational 
establishments.  

Public  educational  establishments  are  in  principal  institutions,  which  have  financial  autonomy  and 
produce  their  own  financial  accounts.  If  an  institution  does  not  have  financial  autonomy,  and  is 
dependent upon a public institution, it is considered as an internal training centre, and not as a public 
establishment. This rule does not apply to primary schools, colleges, municipal lycées, and municipal 
schools  of  art,  which  do  not  have  financial  autonomy,  as  their  accounts  are  integrated  into  the 
accounting  system  of  local  authorities.  These  institutions  are  treated  in  the  accounts  as  autonomous 
production units.  

Private establishments, which are publicly financed are classified as private if they 50% or less of their 
resources come from public bodies.   

Public establishments 

-  First level 
-  2nd level non agricultural 
-  2nd level agricultural 
-  Apprenticeship 
-  Universities 
-  Other higher education establishments 
-  Artistic education 
-  Special education, extra-curricula education 

Government dependent private establishments 

-  First level 
-  2nd level non agricultural 
-  2nd level agricultural 

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Annex 4 

-  Higher education establishments 
-  Special education,  
-  Extra-curricula education 

Establishments managed by consular organisations 

Centre of internal training 
-  Public administration 
-  Private administration 
-  Enterprises 

Other private providers of education 

Other providers 

-  State 
-  Public local administrations 
-  Large public establishments 

EEccoonnoommiicc  ooppeerraattiioonnss  

The satellite accounts of education has a simplified nomenclature of economic operations: 

•  Current expenditure 

-  Expenditure on personnel; 
-  Other operational expenses. 

•  Capital expenditure 

The definitions of current and capital expenditures correspond with the national accounts. Expenditure 
on  personnel  consists  of  salaries  and  employers  social  security  contributions.  Capital  expenditure 
relates to fixed expenditures: constructions, renovations, and materials. The account does not consider 
depreciation. Total expenditure is evaluated annually or when it has taken place. Loans are not taken 
into  account,  however  interest  on  loans  is  considered  as  an  operational  expense.    The  nature  of  the 
expenditure is examined from the point of view of the economic agent, which makes the expenditure.  

SSoouurrcceess  ooff  iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn  

Different  sources  of  information  are  utilised  in  collecting  information  for  the  satellite  account.  The 
different sources are examined and accordingly classified into the education account: financial units, 
units of production, activity, and economic operation. 

The  different  information,  which  is  available  for  each  unit  of  production,  is  compared  with 
information  from  the  units  of  financing.    A  reconciliation  between  the  expenditures  incurred  by  the 
units of financing and the units of production is performed. The phase of comparing and reconciliation 
of expenditure allows the allocation to each unit of production, the corresponding income in order to 
achieve coherence.  

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Annex 4 

Sources used in the French Satellite Account of Education 

SSoouurrcceess  uusseedd                                                                                                          UUnniittss  ooff  ffiinnaanncciinngg                                                                                                                                    PPrroodduuccttiioonn  uunniittss                                                          SSoouurrcceess  uusseedd  

Ministries 

Regional & local
Authorities 

First cycle public 
establishments

Budget                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Regional & local                             
Training survey of State officials                                                                                                                                                                                               authority accounts                             
Ministry of Defence                  
Assessment of social security contributions                                                                                                                                                                                    Accounts of                               
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             establishments                             
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Accounts of CFA 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Accounts of ODAC                             
Regional & local authority accounts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
nn
oo
Special investment accounts                                                                                                                                                                                                         Financial sources                             
ii
tt
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          assessements 
aa
ii
ll
ii
cc
Accounts of CCI                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Accounts of ODAC(*)                             
nn
oo
Chambers of commerce for trades   
cc
ee
Social security 
rr
dd
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Accounts of CFA 
nn
aa
Survey of apprenticeship tax                                                                                                                                                                                                       Accounts of CCI                              
nn
Use of 1.2% for continuing training                                                                                                                                                                                           Financial sources     
oo
ss
Post and telecom 
ii
rr
aa
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Tax statistics 
pp
mm
oo
CC

Household Budget Survey                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
School Transport Survey 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Financial sources 

Private establishments
under contract

Internal training 
centres

Other 
administrations 

Other private 
establishments

Other public 
establishments

Consular 
establishments

Households 

Enterprises 

Other private 
producers 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Financial sources  
(*) ODAC –Organes divers d’administration centrale 

Local administration 
establishments 

“Grand” public 
establishments

Financial accounts                                   

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Annex 4 

VVaarriiaabblleess  

The satellite account of education consists of 5 series or sets of table set out as follows: 

1.  Financing of educational activities and goods and services 

It  contains  the  final  expenditures  on  education  of  the  units  of  financing.  The  nature  of  the 
expenditure is examined from the point of view of the financing unit. The total of these tables 
gives  the  aggregate  interior  expenditure  on  education,  current,  capital,  and  total.  This  series 
consists of 3 tables:  

-  Current expenditures (personnel and operational) 
-  Capital expenditure 
-  Total expenditure (Current and capital) 

2.  Financing of the sector of production 

This table describes the final expenditure on education, and related activities by destination of 
funds. The tables are coherent with table 1.  The nature of the expenditure is examined from the 
point of view of the financial unit.  This series consists of 3 tables:  
-  Current expenditures (personnel and operational) 
-  Capital expenditure 
-  Total expenditure (Current and capital) 

3.  Expenditure of sectors of production by activity 

This  table  describes  the  costs  of  production  of  different  activities  incurred  by  unit  of 
production.  The  nature  of  the  expenditure  is  examined  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  unit  of 
production. The expenditures may differ from the income received. Differences correspond to 
the outstanding balance between the expenditures and the incomes of the units of production. 
This series comprises of 5 tables: 
-  Expenditure on personnel 
-  Other operational expenses 
-  Current expenditure (personnel and operational) 
-  Capital expenditure 
-  Total expenditure (current and capital) 

4.  Final and initial financing, transfers between sources of funds 

These tables details the amounts of transfers received or transferred by the financial units. The 
nature  of  the  expenditure  is  examined  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  unit  of  financing.  This 
series consists of 3 tables:  

-  Current expenditures (personnel and operational) 
-  Capital expenditure 
-  Total expenditure (Current and capital) 

5.  Educational expenditure in Métropole and in the rest of the world 

These tables details the expenditure of the units of financing in France for educational activities 
undertaken  in  the  departments,  the  overseas  territories  and  abroad.  This  series  consists  of  3 
tables:  

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Annex 4 

-  Current expenditures (personnel and operational) 
-  Capital expenditure 
-  Total expenditure (Current and capital) 

DDiiffffeerreenncceess  bbeettwweeeenn  tthhee  SSaatteelllliittee  aaccccoouunnttss  ooff  eedduuccaattiioonn  iinn  FFrraannccee  wwiitthh  
tthhee  UUNNEESSCCOO//OOEECCDD//EEuurroossttaatt  ddaattaa  ccoolllleeccttiioonn  

There  are  a  number  of  notable  differences  between  the  satellite  accounts  of  education  in  France 
with the UOE data collection. This section tries to shed light on some of the differences between 
the satellite accounts of education in France and the UOE data collection. 

Correspondence  of  the  Satellite  accounts  with  FINANCE-1  and  FINANCE-2  in  the 
UOE data collection 

One  of  the  most  important  differences  concerns  the  correspondence  between  FINANCE-1  and 
FINANCE-2  in  the  UOE  data  collection  with  the  5  sets  of  tables,  which  make  up  the  satellite 
accounts  of  education.  FINANCE-1  can  to  a  certain  extent  be  compared  with  the  first  series  of 
tables in the satellite accounts “Financing of educational activities and goods and services”. Both 
in the French satellite accounts and the UOE data collection these two tables concern educational 
expenditure  by  source.  Nevertheless  there  are  fundamental  differences  with  regard  to  content, 
which is dealt with in more detail later on. In contrast to the UOE data collection, the second series 
of tables “Financing of sector of production” in the French satellite accounts concerns the income 
of  institutions  from  various  sources  of  funds.    Thus  the  collection  of  data  on  the  income  of 
institutions from both the source of funds and the institutions themselves is advantageous in that it 
allows the data to be reconciled. This is not possible in the UOE data collection. 

Transfers  or  other  payments  from  governments  to  households  and  other  private  entities  is  not 
treated  in  this  table  but  is  considered  in  table  4,  “Final  and  initial  financing,  transfers  between 
sources of funds”. FINANCE-2 can to a certain extent be compared with the table “Expenditure of 
sectors of production by activity”. 

It is also important to note that all the 5 series of tables in the French Satellite account, with the 
exception of the “Expenditure of sectors of production by activity” series of tables are made up of 
3 separate tables: 
-  Current expenditures (personnel and operational) 
-  Capital expenditure 
-  Total expenditure (Current and capital) 

The  series  of  tables  “Expenditure  of  sectors  of  production  by  activity”  also  include  two  more 
tables: “expenditure on personnel”; and “other operational expenses”. In contrast the FINANCE-1, 
and FINANCE-2 tables in the UOE data collection, only relate to one specific table. In FINANCE-
1, the data refer to the total expenditure of the source of funds. However, a set of rows is reserved 
to  report  on  the  proportion  of  total  direct  expenditure  by  each  level  of  government,  which  is 

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Annex 4 

designated  for  capital.  In  FINANCE-2,  separate  items  are  included  in  the  questionnaire,  which 
collect data on the current and capital expenditure of institutions. 

The following table tries to correspond each of the 5 series of expenditure tables data in the French 
Satellite accounts with the FINANCE-1, and FINANCE-2 tables in the UOE data collection: 

Satellite accounts of education in France 

UOE data collection 

Financing  of  educational  activities  and  goods  and 
services 
Financing of the sector of production 
Expenditure of sectors of production by activity 
Final and initial financing, transfers between sources 
of funds 
Educational expenditure in Métropole and in the rest 
of the world 

FINANCE-1 

Not included 
FINANCE-2 
Contained within FINANCE -1 

Not included 

Classification by source of funds 

In  comparison  to  the  UOE  data  collection,  the  Satellite  accounts  of  education  in  France  collect 
more  detailed  expenditure  for  the  State,  local  and  regional  authorities.  In  addition,  the  Satellite 
accounts  of  education  in  France  collect  separate  information  on  ‘other  public  bodies’.  However, 
one drawback is that in contrast to the UOE data collection, funds from international sources are 
not  as  such  examined  in  this  account,  since  the  satellite  accounts  of  education  concentrate  on 
education  activities  in  France  Métropolitaine.  The  following  table  shows  the  classification  of 
sources of funds used in the two data collections: 

Satellite accounts of education in France 

UOE data collection 

Government 
Central government 
Regional government  
Local government 

International agencies and other foreign sources, 

Households  

Other private entities 

State 
 Ministry of Education 
All the other ministries 

Local and regional authorities 
Communes 
Departments 
Regions 

Other public bodies 
This consists of consular organisations, chambers of 
commerce and industry, chambers of professions, 
chambers of agriculture, hospitals, and social 
security organisations. 

Enterprises 
This consists of public and private enterprises, post 
office and telecommunication, and professional 
associations  

Households 

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Classification by service provider 

In  the  UOE  data  collection,  educational  institutions  are  classified  as  either  public  or  private. 
Private institutions are further classified between government dependent private and independent 
private institutions. The classification between public and private is made according to whether a 
public agency or a private entity has the ultimate control over the institution.  
An institution is classified as public if it is controlled and managed:  
−  Directly by a public education authority or agency or, 
−  Either by a government agency directly or by a governing body (Council, Committee etc.), 
most  of  whose  members  are  either  appointed  by  a  public  authority  or  elected  by  public 
franchise. 

However, in the Satellite accounts of Education in France, public educational establishments are in 
principal institutions, which have financial autonomy and produce their own financial accounts. If 
an  institution  does  not  have financial autonomy,  and is dependent upon a public institution, it is 
considered  as  an  internal  training  centre,  and  not  as  a  public  establishment.  This  rule  does  not 
apply to primary schools, colleges, municipal lycées, and municipal schools of art, which do not 
have  financial  autonomy,  as  their  accounts  are  integrated  into  the  accounting  system  of  local 
authorities. These institutions are treated in the accounts as autonomous production units.  

According to the UOE methodology a government-dependent private institution is one that either 
receives 50 per cent or more of its core funding from government agencies or one whose teaching 
personnel  are  paid  by  a  government  agency  –  either  directly  or  through  government.  An 
independent private institution is one that receives less than 50 per cent of its core funding from 
government  agencies  and  whose  teaching  personnel  are  not  paid  by  a  government  agency.  The 
same rule is essentially applied in the French Satellite accounts. The following table outlines the 
classification of institutions that are used in the two data collections: 

Satellite accounts of education in France 

UOE data collection 

Public institutions, 

Government-dependent private institutions 

 Independent private institutions. 

Public establishments 
First level 
2nd level non agricultural 
2nd level agricultural 
Apprenticeship 
Universities 
Other higher education establishments 
Artistic education 
Special education, extra-curricula education 

Government dependent private establishments 
First level 
2nd level non agricultural 
2nd level agricultural 
Higher education establishments 
Special education,  
Extra-curricula education 

Establishments managed by consular organisations 

Centre of internal training 
Public administration 
Private administration 

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Enterprises 

Other private providers of education 

Other providers 
State 
Public local administrations 
Large public establishments 

Since  the  UOE  data  collection,  collects  information  for  both  FINANCE-1,  and  FINANCE-2  by 
ISCED  level,  data  for  service  providers  such  as  special  education,  extra-curricular  education, 
centres  of  internal  training  are  not  collected  separately  unless  it  can  be  ascribed  to  a  particular 
ISCED level. 

Types of expenditure recorded 

In  the  UOE  data  collection,  FINANCE-1  collects  information  on  the  expenditure  on  educational 
institutions for each source of funds by ISCED level. However, in the French satellite accounts, the 
classification  of  educational  activities  allows  more  detailed  information  to  be  collected  on 
expenditures by source of funds.  

The satellite accounts of education collect separate information on the expenditures by source of 
funds  for  each  activity  in  the  classification  of  educational  activities.  The  clear  demarcation  of 
expenditure between teaching activities, related activities, goods and services and personnel costs 
of teaching staff in training is not available in the UOE data collection. 

The UOE collects information on ancillary services (i.e. housing, meals, and transportation) as a 
total for each source of funds. However the data that is collected is not broken down by type of 
service. The classification of educational activities in the French satellite accounts enables for data 
on ancillary services to be collected by type, e.g, Canteens, school transport etc… 

The  French  satellite  collects  information on the personnel costs of teaching staff in training as a 
separate item in the classification of educational activities. This is not regarded as an educational 
expense  but  is  analysed  in  the  context  of  an  investment  in  the  system.  It  is  not  attributed  to  a 
production unit and only the finances are examined. However, in the UOE this information is not 
collected. 

Satellite accounts of education in France 

UOE data collection 

Four types of expenditures can be distinguished: 
i.   Expenditures for teaching activities; 
ii.  Expenditures  for  the  purpose  of  organising  the 
educational 

education:  general 

system  of 
administration,  

iii.  Expenditure  for  the  purpose  of  participation  in 
canteens,  boarding-

institutions: 

education 
facilities, school transport; 

Table  FINANCE-1  in  the  UOE  data  collections 
recognises  three  main  types  of  government 
expenditure on education:  

 i.  Direct  expenditure/payments  on  educational 

institutions; 

ii.  Intergovernmental transfers for education  
iii. Transfers to students or households and to other 

private entities. 

iv.  Expenditures  incurred  by  attending  educational 
institutions: purchase of books, school provisions 

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The series of tables “Expenditure of sectors of production by activity” relating to the expenditures 
of educational institutions collects expenditures data by the classification of educational activities. 
In the UOE, the FINANCE-2 table collects information on the current and capital expenditure of 
educational institutions by ISCED level. The UOE collects expenditure data on personnel by type: 

-  Teachers (with active teaching responsibility) 
-  Other pedagogical, administrative, and professional personnel + support personnel 

The satellite accounts of education do not differentiate between the two types of personnel. 

In  contrast  to  the  UOE  data  collection,  where  information  on  intergovernmental  transfers  and 
transfers to the public sector are considered together with the source of funds in FINANCE-1, the 
Satellite  accounts  of  education  in  France  does  not  consider  this  within  the  two  sets  of  tables 
concerning  the  funding  of  educational  institutions.  Instead  it  devotes  this  analysis  to  a  separate 
series  of  tables  “Final  and  initial  financing,  transfers  between  sources  of  funds”.  This  analysis 
considers the amount that was transferred for study grants, and other transfers made by each source 
of funds. In addition, it records the amount of transfers received by each source of funds. Thus one 
can from these sets of tables elucidate the initial and final expenditures for each source of funds. 
On the contrary to the UOE data collection which collects information on financial aid to student 
broken down by level of government it is not possible to elucidate this information from this in the 
satellite  accounts.  The  data  that  is  recorded  in  the  series  of  tables  “Final  and  initial  financing, 
transfers between sources of funds” aims to determine the initial and final expenditures for each 
source of funds. It is not concerned with the flows 

In  the  UOE  data  collection,  expenditure  of  educational  institutions  is  classified  into  current  and 
capital  expenditure.  The  distinction  between  these  two  categories  is  the  standard  one  used  in 
national income accounting. The same is definitions are applied in the French Satellite accounts.  

The series of tables entitled “Educational expenditure in Métropole and in the rest of the world “ 
records  the  expenditure  of  educational  activities  undertaken  in  the  departments,  the  overseas 
territories and abroad by source of funds in France. The departments, the overseas territories, and 
foreign  countries  constitute  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  UOE  does  not  collect  this  type  of 
information. 

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55 

OOvveerrvviieeww  ooff  mmeetthhooddoollooggiieess  aanndd  
iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn  ccoonnttaaiinneedd  iinn  
iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall  ssoouurrcceess  

  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex 5 

 Overview of methodologies and 
information contained in international 
sources 

This  annex  essentially  provides  an  overview  of  the  methodologies  of  existing  ESS  source  and 
information that they contain related to the funding of education and training  

Continuing Vocational Training Survey 
EU Labour Cost Survey 
The European System of integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS) 
The EU-Labour Market Policy Database 
European System of Accounts (ESA 95) 
The UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat data collection 
The OECD Social Expenditure (SOCX) database 
OECD- Labour market database 

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Annex 5 

CCoonnttiinnuuiinngg  VVooccaattiioonnaall  TTrraaiinniinngg  SSuurrvveeyy  ((CCVVTTSS22))  

Background 

The first enterprise survey on the continuing vocational training (CVTS1) was carried out in 1994 in 
the 12 Member States of the EU. The survey was part of the action programme for the development of 
continuing vocational training in the European Community (FORCE).1 

The Statistical Programme Committee at its meeting in November 1997 gave approval for the second 
survey (CVTS2) in 2000.  A working group CVTS2 was set up in autumn 1998 to prepare the survey 
on  which  all  Member  States,  Norway,  nine  PHARE  countries  and  the  Commission  (DG  EAC,  DG 
EMPL, Eurostat) were represented. 

1.  Objectives of the survey 

The purpose of the survey is to obtain some key information about the training provided by enterprises 
for  their  employees.  The  information  is  needed  to  ensure  that  an  informed  debate  can  take  place  on 
actions that may be needed within enterprises, at all levels of Government and by the social partners.  

The focus of the survey is continuing vocational training. Continuing vocational training is defined as 
“training  measures  or  activities  which  have  as  their  primary  objectives  the  acquisition  of  new 
competencies  or  the  development  and  improvement  of  existing  ones  and  which  enterprises  finance, 
wholly or partly, for their employees who either have a working contract or who benefit directly from 
their work for the enterprise such as unpaid family workers and causal workers”. 

Initial  vocational  training  (provided  to  apprentices  and  others  who  have  a  training  contract)  is  not 
covered by the survey.  

2.  Coverage of employees 

The focus of the survey is on Continuing, rather than Initial Vocational Training. In consequence the 
survey  concentrates  on  training  that  is  provided  for  those  employees  who  are  not  apprentices  or 
trainees.  Thus,  “employees”  refers  to  the  total  number  of  employed  persons  minus  apprentices  and 
trainees.  

Employees include: 

⇒  Working proprietors 
⇒  Partners working regularly in the enterprise 
⇒  Unpaid family workers 
⇒  Persons  from  the  enterprise  and  paid  by  it  who  work  away  from  the  enterprise  (e.g.  sales 

representatives, delivery personnel, repair and maintenance teams) 

1 Council decision 90/267/EEC of 29 May 1990 

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⇒  Part-time workers and seasonal workers 
⇒  People absent for a short period (e.g. sick leave, paid leave or special leave) 
⇒  Those on strike but not absent for an indefinite period 

Not included are: 

⇒  Persons  carrying  out  repair  and  maintenance  work  in  the  enterprise  on  behalf  of  other 

enterprises 

⇒  Manpower supplied by and paid by other enterprises 
⇒  Persons on compulsory military service 
⇒  Apprentices and others who have a training contract undertaking vocational training, which 

are not supported by a working contract. 

3.  Coverage of training courses 

The CVTS2 differentiates between the following types of continuing vocational training courses: 
•  Those that were designed and managed by the enterprise itself (managed internally) 
•  Those that were designed and managed by organisations not part of the enterprise (managed 

externally). 

Other forms of continuing vocational training 

•  Planned  periods  of  training,  instruction  or  practical  experience,  using  the  normal  tools  of 

work, either at the immediate place of work or in the work situation 

•  Planned learning through job rotation, exchanges or secondments 
•  Attendance at learning/quality circles 
•  Self learning through open and distance learning, (methods used in this type of learning can 
include using video/audio tapes, correspondence courses, computer based methods (including 
internet) or the use of a Learning Resources Centre). 
Instructions  at  conferences,  workshops,  lectures  and  seminars  at  which  the  purpose  of  the 
employees attending the events is to learn/receive training. 

• 

Activities not included in the survey include: 

•  Measures for persons initiated by and entirely financed by labour market authorities 
•  Any continuing vocational training financed wholly by the public authorities 
•  Any  continuing  vocational  training  financed  wholly  by  an  individual  employee  and 

• 

undertaken entirely in their own time 
Initial  vocational  training  provided  for  apprentices  and  others  who  have  a  training  contract 
that are not supported by a working contract. 

4.  Questionnaire 

The CVTS2 questionnaire is structured as follows: 
Data to be collected from all enterprises 
A. Structural data for enterprises 
B. Training policy of all enterprises 

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Data to be collected from enterprises that did provide continuing vocational training in 1999 

C. Continuing vocational training courses 
D. Other forms of continuing vocational training 

Data to be collected from enterprises that did provide continuing vocational training in 1999 

E. Reasons not to provide continuing vocational training in 1999 

National  questionnaires  should  be  drawn  up  using  the  outline  questionnaire  as  a  guide.  The  outline 
questionnaire has to be adopted for use in three situations: 

(cid:131) Data collection based entirely on a postal questionnaire 
(cid:131) Data collection based entirely on interviews 
(cid:131) Data collection using a mixed approach of interviews and postal/drop-off questionnaires 

5.  Definitions 

Amongst the definitions used are the following: 

The definition of enterprises is taken from “Council Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 of 15 March 1993 
on the statistical units for the observation and analysis of the production system in the Community”. 

 “The  enterprise  is  the  smallest  combination  of  legal  units  that  is  an  organisational  unit  producing 
goods  or  services,  which  benefits  from  a  certain  degree  of  autonomy  in  decision-making,  especially 
for  the  allocation  of  its  current  resources.  An  enterprise  carries  out  one  or  more  activities  at  one  or 
more locations. An enterprise maybe a sole legal unit” 

Initial  vocational  training  are  training  measures  or  activities,  which  the  enterprises  finance  partly  or 
wholly for their apprentices or others who have a special training contract. 

Working contract is a work-agreement between the enterprise and its employees. A working contract 
can be formal (written) or informal (oral agreement). In some countries a working contract does not 
exist. In those countries an appointment letter should have the same legal relevance. 

Labour costs of persons employed – The estimate of total labour costs represents all expenditure borne 
by employers in order to employ workers.  

It should include direct labour costs, 

⇒  Direct pay 
⇒  Other bonuses and gratuities 
⇒  Payments for days not worked 
⇒  Benefits in kind 

And indirect labour costs 

⇒  Statutory social security contributions and family allowances 
⇒  Non-statutory payments 
⇒  Other social expenditure 
⇒  Vocational training costs (gross)  

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⇒  Taxes, less subsidies 

Unemployed  people    are  those  persons  who  were  previously  unemployed  whether  or  not  they  were 
unskilled or skilled. 

Unskilled people are those persons who do not have skills and were previously employed in another 
enterprise. 

Learning circles are groups of employees who come together on a regular-basis with the primary aim 
to learn about the requirements of the work organisation, work procedures and work place. It is a form 
of individual learning within groups. 

Quality circles are working groups with the aim to discuss about the problems and search for problem-
solving in the production and on the work place. Participants have to be integrated in the planning and 
controlling procedures of the enterprise. A moderator co-ordinates quality circles. 

6.  Target groups 

Question C8 of the questionnaire identifies the following groups of persons: 

⇒  Women 
⇒  Young persons employed (25 years or younger) 
⇒  Older person employed (50 years or older) 
⇒  Handicapped persons employed 
⇒  Ethnic minorities 
⇒  Persons employed at risk of losing their job 
⇒  Persons employed without formal qualifications 
⇒  Persons employed part-time 

The questions tries to identify whether the enterprise: 

•  Had persons employed in either of these categories 
•  Persons employed in any of these categories participated in training courses 
•  Special training courses were implemented for them 

7.  Classifications used 

Occupational groups are derived from ISCO 88: 

•  Managers and professionals (ISCO 1 and 2) 
•  Technicians and associate professionals (ISCO 3) 
•  Clerks, service workers and shop and market sales workers (ISCO 4 and 5) 
•  Craft  and  related  trade  workers,  plant  and  machine  operators  and  assemblers,  elementary 

occupations (ISCO 7, 8, 9) 

Fields (subjects) of training 

•  Languages 
•  Sales and marketing 

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•  Accounting, finance 
•  Management and administration 
•  Office work 
•  Personal skills, working life 
•  Computer science/computer use 
•  Engineering and manufacturing (production) 
•  Environmental protection, occupational health and safety 
•  Services: personal, transport, security 
•  Other fields (subjects) 

If countries wish to use more detailed fields of training, the data must be collected in such a way that 
the results can be aggregated to the field categories required for data to be transmitted to Eurostat. 

Size classification of enterprises 

The size classification of enterprises for sample size classification: 

10 –49 
50 – 249 
250 and more employees 

The size classification for sample stratification and analysis is: 

10 –19 
20 – 49 
50 – 249 
500 – 999 
1000 and more employees 

NACE 

The NACE categories, C, D (15 –16, 17-19, 21-22, 23 –26, 27 –28, 29 – 33, 34 –35, 20+36+37), E, F, 
G (50, 51, 52), H, I (60 – 63, 64), J (65-66,67), K + O. Optionally separate strata with enterprises of 
size 5 – 9 belonging to the NACE categories may be included. 

8.  Data collection 

The common European questionnaire has to be used as the basis for the survey. All deviations from 
the questionnaire are noted in the national sampling plan, including deviations from the recommended 
sequence of questions. 

The outline questionnaire had to adopted for use in three situations: 

1.  Data collection based entirely on a postal questionnaire 
2.  Data collection based entirely on interviews 
3.  Data collection using a mixed approach of interviews and postal/drop-off questionnaires 

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It is accepted as an exception that where a country will provide the data from other sources, then these 
questions will not be asked. A certain proportion of the questionnaires must be filled by face-to-face 
interviews, and the results are required for a large number of strata, which means rather large sample 
sizes.  By  mixing  data  collection  techniques  the  quality  of  the  results  will  be  different  for  different 
parts of the population. There are three possible data collection methods: 

⇒ Postal 
⇒ Telephone 
⇒ Face-to-face 

The following model for allocating the face-to-face interviews is advocated: 

⇒  All  enterprises  in  the  sample  with  500  or  more  employees  have  to  be  seen  face-to-face  and 
interviewed, unless it is clear that the enterprises can complete the questionnaire satisfactorily 
and return it by post. 

⇒ On the whole at least 15% of the total sample have to be interviewed face-to-face. 
⇒ So if the percentage of enterprises with 500 or more employees interviewed face-to-face is less 
than 15% of the total sample, countries should take additional ‘face-to-face sample’ from other 
size classes. 

⇒ Additional coverage of face-to-face interviews will be a national option. 

9.  National Sampling Plan 

All  countries  participating  in  CVTS2  had  to  write  a  national  sampling  plan  and  transmit  it  to  the 
Commission. The national sampling plan had to contain the following: 

⇒ Description of the sampling frame 
⇒ Sample selection (sample size, sample structure, estimated response rate) 
⇒ Data  collection  issues  (including  deviations  from  the  outline  questionnaire,  data  collection 

methods, fieldwork 

⇒ Treatment of non-response 
⇒ Data processing and data transmission 

Further practical aspects and more details on the implementation and carrying out of the survey as well 
as  the  treatment  of  non-responses  and  data  processing  had  to  be  given  in  progress  reports  to  be 
submitted to the Commission. 

Variables collected in the CVTS2 

Variables collected in CVTS2 related to funding of continuing vocational training in enterprises 

Data to be collected from all enterprises 
F. Training policy of all enterprises 

B5.  Did  the  enterprise  have  a  specific  training  budget  in  XXXX,  which  included  provision  for 

continuing vocational training? 

B11. Since the beginning of 1997 has  

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•  The number of hours spent on CVT courses compared to the hours spent on other 

forms of CVT       
Increased 
Decreased 
Stayed the same 
Not applicable 

•  The number of hours spent on CVT courses during paid working time compared to 

those spent in the employees’ own time 

Increased 
Decreased 
Stayed the same 
Not applicable 

•  The  share  of  fees  and  payments  to  training  providers  covered  by  the  individual 

person employed compared to that covered by the enterprise 

Increased 
Decreased 
Stayed the same 
Not applicable 

Data to be collected from enterprises that did provide continuing vocational training in 1999 

G.  Continuing vocational training courses 
      C4 Total paid working time (hours) spent on CVT courses by field (subject) of training? 

C5  For  externally  managed  CVT  courses  only,  the  total  paid  working  time  spent  (hours)  

broken down by type of CVT provider? 

C6 Costs of CVT courses 

•  Fees and payments 
•  Travel and subsistence payments 
•  Labour  cost  of  internal  trainers,  staff  of  own  training  centre  and  other  staff  and 

other staff exclusively involved in managing and delivering CVT courses 

•  Labour cost of internal trainers, staff of own training centre and other staff partly 

involved in managing and delivering CVT courses 

•  Contributions to collective funding arrangements 

Tick to indicate to what sort of funds the contributions were made: 

-  Regional/sector funds 
-  National funds 
-  Participating countries to add specific national measures to this list 
•  Receipts  from  collective  funds,  i.e.  grants  for  CVT  courses,  from  sources  of 

revenue for CVT courses 
Tick to indicate to the source of receipts: 

-  Receipts from regional / sector funds 
-  Receipts from National funds 
-  Subsidies from EU sources 
-  Government subsidies 
-  Government rebates on expenditures 
-  Tax concessions on the expenditures 
-  External  financial  assistance  from  non-government  sources,  such  as 

private foundations 

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-  Royalty payments from external bodies and persons for the use of training 

resources developed by the enterprise 

-  Payments  the  enterprise  received  for  CVT  courses  provided  to  external 

bodies and persons 

C8. CVT courses in 1999 and particular groups of persons employed 

•  Women 
•  Young persons employed (25 years or younger) 
•  Older person employed (50 years or older) 
•  Handicapped persons employed 
•  Ethnic minorities 
•  Persons employed at risk of losing their job 
•  Persons employed without formal qualifications 
•  Persons employed part-time 

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TThhee  EEUU  LLaabboouurr  CCoosstt  SSuurrvveeyy 

1.  Organisation of the survey 

The  statistical  offices  of  the  Member  states  and  Eurostat  produce  Community  statistics  on  the  level 
and composition of labour costs in the economic activities defined. In particular, the statistical offices 
are  responsible  for  the  sampling  methods,  for  drawing  up  appropriate  questionnaires,  for  collecting 
data  from  local  units  and  enterprises  and  for  processing  replies.  The  statistics  of  labour  costs  are 
produced every four years starting from 2000. 

Labour  costs  include  the  direct  costs  linked  to  remuneration  for  work  carried  out  such  as  direct 
remuneration,  bonuses  and  ex-gratia  payments  not  paid  at  each  pay  period,  payments  for  days  not 
worked,  severance  pay,  benefits  in  kind.  They  also  include  indirect  costs  linked  to  employees, 
independently of the remuneration paid by the employer, such as collectively agreed, contractual and 
voluntary  social  security  contributions,  direct  social  benefits,  vocational  training  costs,  other  social 
expenditure  (cultural  and  medical  services,  transport  costs,  etc.),  and  taxes  relating  to  employment 
regarded as labour costs, less any subsidies received. 

2.  Scope 

The  statistics  cover  all  economic  activities  defined  in  the  sections  of  the  general  industrial 
classification of economic activities in the European community (NACE Rev. 1) as follows: 

Section C:   mining and quarrying; 
Section D:   manufacturing; 
Section E:  
Section F:  
Section G:   wholesale  and  retail  trade,  repair of  motor  vehicles,  motorcycles  and  personal and 

electricity, gas and water supply; 
construction; 

household goods; 

transport, storage and communication; 
financial intermediation; 
real estate, renting and business activities; 

Section H:   hotels and restaurants; 
Section I:  
Section J:  
Section K:  
Section M:   education; 
Section N:   health and social work; 
Section O:   other community, social and personal service activities. 

Sections M, N and O are opttional. 

3.  Statistical unit 

The statistical unit are local units and enterprises as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 
of 15 March 1993: 

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Enterprise:  “the  enterprise  is  the  smallest  combination  of  legal  units  that  is  an  organisational  unit 
producing  goods  or  services,  which  benefits  from  a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, 
especially for the allocation of its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or more activities at 
one or more locations. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit”. 

Local unit: “the local unit is an enterprise or part thereof (e.g. a workshop, factory, warehouse, office, 
mine or depot) situated in a geographically identified place. At or from this place economic activity is 
carried out for which - save for certain exceptions - one or more persons work (even if only part-time) 
for one and the same enterprise”.  

4.  Classifications used 

Classification by size of enterprise: 

⇒  10-49 employees 
⇒  50-249 employees 
⇒  250-499 employees 
⇒  500-999 employees 
⇒  1000 employees or more 

Classification by the region: 
NUTS classification is used. 
Region are defined at the NUTS 1 level.  
Only the larger Member States are required to provide regional data. 

5.  Data collection 

⇒  Surveys  are  carried  out  through  the  appropriate  national  authorities,  which  draw  up  the 

appropriate methods for collecting the information.  

⇒  Employers  and  other  persons  required  to  supply  information  shall  reply  to  the  questions 

completely and within the time limits set.  

⇒  In  order  to  reduce  the  burden  on  enterprises,  surveys  need  not  be  carried  out  if  the  national 
authorities have information from other appropriate sources or are able to produce estimates of 
necessary  data,  where  some  or  all  of  the  characteristics  have  not  been  observed  for  all  the 
units for which the statistics have to be compiled.   

6.  Required information 

Characteristics: the following characteristics, related to the local unit, have to be provided: 

1. 
2. 

3. 

the region (at NUTS 1 level); 
the size of the enterprise to which the local unit belongs (classified as one of the following: 
10-49, 50-249, 250-499, 500-999, 1000 or more employees); 
the economic activity.  

Variables: the variables collected, which are relate to training are:  

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A.13   Apprentices 
A.131 Apprentices converted into full-time units 
B.13   Hours worked by apprentices 
C.13    Paid hours for apprentices,  
D.112 Wages and salaries for apprentices 
D.123 Employers’ social contributions for apprentices 
D.2     Vocational training costs (excluding costs for apprentices). 

Member States may make provisions to distinguish between manual workers and non-manual workers 
and to record more detailed data for a number of variables including: 
D.2     Vocational training costs (excluding costs for apprentices). 

7.  Definitions 

Apprentices 
This covers all employees who do not yet fully participate in the production process and work either 
under  an  apprenticeship  contract  or  in  a  situation  in  which  vocational  training  predominates  over 
productivity. 

Part-time apprentices converted into full-time units 
This conversion is to be carried out either directly by the enterprises or local units making returns or 
by  the  national  statistical  institutes  (the  hours  spent  in  training  either  in  the  firm  or  in  school  are 
therefore excluded), using the method they consider most appropriate. 

The annual number of paid hours is defined as: 

(a)  The normal and overtime hours remunerated during the year,  
(b)  Any  hours  for  which  the  apprentice  was  paid  at  a  reduced  rate,  even  if  the  difference  was 

made up by payments from social security funds, 

(c)  Hours not worked but nevertheless paid (annual leave, sick leave, etc.). 

Wages  and  salaries  are  recorded  in  the  period  during  which  the  work  is  done.  However,  ad  hoc 
bonuses or other exceptional payments, 13th month, etc. are recorded when they are due to be paid.  

Employer’s social contributions for apprentices 
They consist of the payments made by employers for the benefit of their employees to insurers (social 
security funds and private funded schemes). These payments cover statutory, conventional, contractual 
and  voluntary  contributions  in  respect  of  insurance  against  social  risks  or  needs.  Employers'  actual 
social contributions are recorded in the period during which the work is done. 

Vocational training costs paid by the employer. These include:  

-  Expenditure on vocational training services and facilities, 
-  Depreciation,  small  repairs  and  maintenance  of  buildings  and  installations,  excluding  staff 

costs;  

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-  Expenditure on participation in courses;  
-  The fees of instructors from outside the enterprise;  
-  Expenditure on teaching aids and tools used for training;  
-  Sums paid by the enterprise to vocational training organisations, etc. 

Subsidies linked to vocational training should be deducted.  

8.  Quality 

The statistical offices have to ensure that the results reflect the true situation of the total population of 
units  with  a  sufficient  degree  of  representativity.  For  this  scope,  they  forward  to  Eurostat  a  report 
enabling to evaluate the quality of the statistics. 

The quality report has to be transmitted together with the data delivery at the least 24 months after the 
end of the reference period for which the data was collected. 
The components of the quality report should be:  

•  Relevance  

Summary of users’ descriptions, origin and satisfaction of users’ needs, relevance of statistics 
for the users. 

•  Accuracy  

Information  about  probability  or  non-probability  sampling,  frame  errors,  measurement  and 
processing errors, non-response errors and model assumption errors. 

•  Timeliness and punctuality 

Data-collection dates, date for the post-collection phase and publication dates 

•  Accessibility and clarity  

Copy  of  the  publication(s) and any methodological documents relating to the publication(s), 
information on the dissemination scheme and if any results are sent to reporting units included 
in the sample 
•  Comparability  

Details on spatial comparability and comparability over time 

•  Coherence  

Coherence with statistics from labour force survey, with structural business statistics and with 
national accounts  

•  Completeness  

List of variables and/or breakdown required that are not available and the reason why. 

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1.  Introduction 

TThhee  EEUU  LLaabboouurr  FFoorrccee  SSuurrvveeyy 

The  EU  Labour  Force  Survey  (LFS)  is  recognised  as  an  indispensable  tool  for  observing  labour 
market  developments  and  for  taking  appropriate  policy  measures.  The  LFS  is  the  only  source  of 
information in these areas to provide data, which is comparable in the sense of being independent of 
the national administrative and legislative framework. LFS is also unique for the sample size it covers, 
for  the  length  of  the  time-series,  which  it  offers  and  for  the  unrivalled  picture  it  can  provide  of 
economic and social developments. 

A labour force survey is an inquiry directed to households, which is designed to obtain information on 
the  labour  market  and  related  issues  by  means  of  personal  interviews.  Labour  force  surveys  are 
normally confined to a sample of households, the actual size of which depends primarily on the level 
of detail required in the survey estimates.  

2.  Organisation of questionnaire 

The national statistical institutes are responsible for selecting the sample, preparing the questionnaires, 
conducting  the  direct  interviews  among  households  and  forwarding  the  results  to  Eurostat.  Eurostat 
devises the programme for analysing the results and is responsible for processing and disseminating 
the information sent by national statistical institutes. 

The questionnaires are drawn up by each Member State in the national language or languages, taking 
into  account  the  stipulation  made  in  the  Regulation  (Council  Regulation  (EEC)  N.  577/98).  The 
questionnaires  may  also  contain  other  questions,  which  do  not  relate  to  the  list  of  characteristics 
specified,  but  rather  reflect  an  interest  in  the  topic  concerned  at  national  level.  The  design  of  the 
sample  is  subject  to  certain  constraints  imposed  in  the  Regulation  concerning  the  required  level  of 
statistical  reliability  and  representativity  both  at  NUTS  II  regional  level  and  regarding  changes 
between  two  consecutive  quarters.    Within  these  constraints  each  Member  State  draws  up  its  own 
sample design and carries out the interviews. 

3.  Field of the survey 

The  EU  labour  force  survey  is  intended  to  cover  the  whole  of  the  resident  population,  which  is  all 
persons whose usual place of residence is in the territory of the Member States of the European Union.  
For the purpose of harmonising the field of survey, results are compiled for the population of private 
households  only.  This  comprises  all  persons  living  in  the  households  surveyed  during  the  reference 
week, and those persons absent from the household for short periods due to studies, holidays, illness, 
business trips, etc… 

The  survey  does  not  cover  persons  who  although  have  links  with  the  household  under  survey.  This 
includes the following persons who: 

•  Usually live in another household 

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•  Live  in  collective  households  (in  particular,  persons  doing  compulsory  military  service  are 
excluded  from  the  population  of  private  households  and  regarded  as  members  of  collective 
households,  even  if  during  the  reference  week  they  are  present  in  the  private  household  to 
which they belong 

•  Have emigrated 

The  main  units  for  measurement  for  which  results  are  obtained  from  the  survey  are  individuals  and 
households. The definition of a household varies from country to country, however these differences 
are unlikely to have a significant effect on the comparability of the results. 

4.  Reference period 

The labour force characteristics of each person interviewed refer to their situation in a particular week. 
The reference weeks used in the various Member States are shown in the publications containing the 
survey results. 

5.  Units of measurement 

The main units of measurement are individuals and households. The definition of a household varies 
somewhat from country to country but these differences are unlikely, in the majority of cases, to have 
a significant effect on the comparability of the results.  

6.  Definitions 

The main statistical objective of the Labour Force Survey is to divide the population of working age 
(15 years and above) into three mutually exclusive and exhaustive groups: 

i)  Persons in employment 
ii)  Unemployed persons 
iii)  Inactive persons 

In  addition,  the  survey  is  intended  to  provide  descriptive  and  explanatory  data  on  each  of  these 
categories.  

The definitions of employment and unemployment used follow those adopted by the 13th International 
Conference of Labour Statisticians. 

Employment: 
A person is considered as having an employment if he or she did any work for pay or profit during the 
reference week. “Work” means any work for pay or profit during the reference week, even for as little 
as one hour. Pay includes cash payment or payments in kind, whether the payment was received in the 
week the work was done or not. Also counted as working is anyone who receives wages for on-the-job 
training which involves the production of goods or services.  

Unemployment: 
Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who were: 

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(a)  Without  working  during  the  reference  week,  i.e.  neither  had  a  job  nor  were  at  work  in  paid 

employment or self-employment; 

(b)  Currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment before 

the end of the two weeks following the reference week; 

(c)  Actively  seeking  work,  i.e.  had  taken  specific  steps  in  the  four-week  period  ending  with  the 
reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment or who found a job to start later, i.e. 
within a period of at most three months. 

Education  and  training  are  considered  as  ways  of  improving  employability  but  not  as  methods  of 
seeking work. Persons without work and in education or training will only be classified as unemployed 
if they are ‘currently available for work’ and ‘seeking work’. Lay-offs are classified as unemployed if 
they  do  not  receive  any  significant  wage  or  salary  from  their  employer  and  if  they  are  ‘currently 
available for work’ and ‘seeking work’. Seasonal workers cannot be considered, during the off-season, 
as having a formal attachment to their high-season job because they do not continue to receive a wage 
or salary from their employer (although they may have an assurance of return to work). If they are not 
working during the off-season they are classified as unemployed only if they are ‘currently available 
for work’ and ‘seeking for work’.  

7.  Variables collected 
The variables collected through the Labour Force Survey are: 

1)  Demographic background 
2)  Labour status 
3)  Employment characteristics of the main job 
4)  Hours worked 
5)  Second job 
6)  Previous work experience of person not in employment 
7)  Search for employment 
8)  Methods used during previous four weeks to find a work 
9)  Main labour status 
10) Education and training: 
11) Situation one year before the survey 
12) Income 
13) Technical items relating to the interview 
14) Atypical work 

8.  Advantages and disadvantages 
There  are  a  number  of  advantages  in  using  an  approach  of  this  kind  in  collecting  labour  market 
information: 

1.  The opportunity of obtaining comprehensive information across the entire economy, which can 

be assessed in a global setting embracing society as a whole; 

2.  The inherent flexibility of such surveys, which makes it possible to define or conceptualise not 
only  employment  and  unemployment,  but  also  the  circumstances  surrounding  other  groups 
outside or on the margins of the labour force 

3.  Additionally,  because  the  definitions  used  to  measure  these  entities  are  the  same  for  each 

country, comparability between Member States is guaranteed for certain estimates.  

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There are, however, some limitations: cost considerations place a constraint on the overall sample size 
and the resultant sampling variability limits the level of detail that can reasonably be shown. 

9.  The Lifelong-learning module 

In  2002,  the  European  Commission  drew  up  a  programme  of  ad  hoc  modules  to  the  labour  force 
survey  covering  years  2001  to  2004,  including  an  ad  hoc  module  on  lifelong  learning.  The  main 
purpose of the ad hoc module is to describe the structure in participation rates and the total time spent 
in courses, seminars, etc during a reference period of 12 months. The ad hoc module was proposed to 
contain questions/variables both globally for the individual and for specific learning activities in which 
the respondent participated. The total time spent in learning is interesting to policy makers because of 
the possibilities it gives in measuring investments in human resources. The detailed list of variables to 
be collected by this module is outlined in table 1.  

Table 1: Overview of questions asked in the LFS ad hoc module on lifelong learning 

Name of part 
Participation 
education 

in 

regular 

in 

Participation 
courses, 
seminars,  conferences  etc. 
outside the regular education 
system 

Participation 
learning 

in 

informal 

Questions  
During  the  past  12  months  has  been  a  student  or  an  apprentice  in 
regular education 
Level of this education or training (ISCED 97) 
Field of this education or training (ISCED 97) 
Did  you  attend  any  courses,  seminars,  conferences  or  receive  private 
lessons or instructions outside the regular education system within the 
last 12 months? 
Duration in number of hours for taught activity 
What were the main reasons for participating in this taught activity?  
What was the subject /content of this taught activity? (ISCED 97)? 
Did any part of this taught activity take place during working hours? 
If  you  participated  in  more  than  three  taught  activities,  state  the 
duration in number of taught hours for all taught activities? 
Did  you  use  any  of  the  following  methods  for  non-taught  learning 
including self-learning with the purpose to improve your skills during 
the  previous  12  months,  which  wasn’t  part  of  a  taught  activity  or 
program of studies?  

- 
- 

- 

- 

Self-studying by making use of printed materials 
Computer-based  learning/training;  online  internet  based 

web education (beyond institutionalised) 

Studying  by  making  use  of  educational  broadcasting  or 

offline computer based (Audio or videotapes) 

Visiting  facilities  aimed  at  transmitting  educational 

content (library, learning centres etc…) 

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TThhee  EEuurrooppeeaann  SSyysstteemm  ooff  iinntteeggrraatteedd  SSoocciiaall  PPrrootteeccttiioonn  SSttaattiissttiiccss  
((EESSSSPPRROOSS))  

1.  Introduction 

The European System of integrated Social PROtection Statistics (ESSPROS) was developed in the late 
1970s in response to the need for a specific instrument of statistical observation of social protection in 
the EC Member States. The ESSPROS methodology was published in 1981; various adaptations to the 
original text were made during the 1980s, but these remained limited in scope. 

2.  Objectives 

The objectives of the ESSPROS is to provide a comprehensive, realistic and coherent description of 
socials protection in the Member States,  

−  Covering social benefits and their financing; 
−  Geared to international comparability; 
−  Harmonising with other statistics, particularly the national accounts, in its main concepts. 

3.  Scope 

There is no universally accepted definition of the scope of social protection, nor does there exist one 
that suits all purposes (including the compilation of statistics). However the general definition of social 
protection is: 

Social  protection  encompasses  all  interventions  from  public  or  private  bodies  intended  to  relieve 
households  and  individuals  of  the  burden  of  a  defined  set  of  risks  or  needs,  provided  that  there  is 
neither a simultaneous reciprocal nor an individual arrangement involved. 

4.  List of risks or needs 

The list of risks or needs that may give rise to social protection is fixed by convention as follows:  

1.  Sickness/health care 
2.  Disability 
3.  Old age 
4.  Survivors 
5.  Family/children 
6.  Unemployment 
7.  Housing 
8.  Social exclusion not elsewhere classified. 

The ESSPROS methodology comprises a Core system and modules. The Core system corresponds to 
the  standard  information  on  social  protection  receipts  and  expenditures  published  annually  by 
Eurostat. The scope of the Core system is based on the data for which all Member States can provide 
up-to-date and regular information, rather than on the basis of importance per se. The modules contain 

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supplementary statistical information on particular aspects of social protection and need to apply the 
definitions  and  conventions  adopted  for  the  Core  so  strictly.  Each  module  will  have  its  own 
methodology,  and  possibly  its  own  specific  sources  and/or  methods  of  estimation.  The  subjects 
covered by the modules will be determined on the basis of the needs expressed by the Commission and 
the Member States. 

5.  Statistical unit 

The statistical unit is called social protection scheme. It is defined as follows: 

 A social protection scheme is a distinct body of rules, supported by one or more institutional units, 
governing the provision of social protection benefits and their financing. 

The  ESSPROS  Manual  defines  a  number  of  characteristics  for  the  scheme,  which  can  be  freely 
combined  to  produce  different  grouping  of  schemes.  The  schemes  will  be  allocated,  for  each  of  the 
criteria defined, to the group, which agrees with their predominant character. 
The criteria are: 

•  Decision-making (the scheme will be classified as public or private) 
•  Legal enforcement (the scheme will be classified as compulsory or non-compulsory) 
•  Establishment  of  entitlements  (the  scheme  will  be  classified  as  contributory  or  non-

contributory) 

•  Scope (the scheme will be classified as universal, general or special) 
•  Level of protection (the scheme will be classified as basic or supplementary) 

6. 

Social benefits 

Social benefits are classified by function and type: 

⇒  The  function  of  a  social  benefit  refers  to  the  primary  purpose  for  which  social  protection  is 

provided, irrespective of legislative or institutional provisions. 

⇒  The type of benefit refers to the form in which the protection is provided.  

The functions correspond to the eight risks listed in section 4: 

1.  Sickness/Health care: income maintenance and support in cash in connection with physical or 
mental  illness,  excluding  disability.  Health  care  ended  to  maintain,  restore  or  improve  the 
health of the people protected irrespective of the origin of the disorder. 

2.  Disability: income maintenance and support in cash or kind in connection with the inability of 

physically or mentally disabled people to engage in economic and social activities. 
3.  Old age: income maintenance and support in cash or kind in connection with old age 
4.  Survivors: income maintenance and support in cash or kind in connection with the death of a 

family member. 

5.  Family/children: support in cash or kind in connection with the costs of pregnancy, childbirth 

and adoption, bringing up children and caring for other family members. 

6.  Unemployment:  income  maintenance  and  support  in  cash  or  kind  in  connection  with 

unemployment. 

7.  Housing: help towards the cost of housing. 

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8.  Social  exclusion  not  elsewhere  classified:  benefits  in  cash  or  king  specifically  intended  to 

combat social exclusion where they are not covered by one of the other functions. 

The classification by type is as follows: 

1 Social benefit 

11 Cash benefit 

111 Periodic 

112 Lump sum 

12 Benefits in kind 

13 Re-routed social contributions 

7.  Social benefits linked to lifelong learning 

The  unemployment  function  includes  benefits,  which  could  be  of  interest  for  lifelong  learning.  The 
unemployment function includes, among other benefits, benefits that “contribute to the cost of training 
or re-training people looking for employment”. They are as follows: 

-  Vocational  training  allowance:  payments  by  social  security  funds  or  public  agencies  to 
targeted groups of persons in the labour force who take part in training schemes intended to 
develop their potential for employment. 

-  Vocational training: payments made by social security funds or public agencies to institutions 
which provide professional training to people without a job or at risk of losing their job shortly 
to develop their potential for further employment. 

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1.  Objectives 

TThhee  EEUU--LLaabboouurr  MMaarrkkeett  PPoolliiccyy  DDaattaabbaassee  

The  Labour  Market  Policy  database  (LMP  database)  aims  to  collect  detailed  information  on  labour 
market  policy  actions  undertaken  by  the  Member  States  of  the  European  Union  in  a  way  that  is 
consistent and comparable between different types of measure and between countries.  

It  is  intended  that  the  database  be  used  as  one  of  a  number  of  data  sources  in  monitoring  of  the 
guidelines and objectives established as part of the Employment Strategy and endorsed by all Member 
States. The database focuses on the collection, from administrative sources, of information on public 
expenditure and on participants, both as stocks and flows 

2.  Scope 

The  scope  of  the  LMP  database  is  defined  as  including  all  labour  market  measures,  which  can  be 
described as: 

Public  interventions  in  the  labour  market  aimed  at  reaching  its  efficient  functioning  and  to 
correct disequilibria and which can be distinguished from other general employment policy 
measures in that they act selectively to favour particular groups in the labour market. 

Public  interventions  refer  to  measures  taken  by  general  government  in  this  respect,  which  involve 
expenditure,  either  in  the  form  of  actual  disbursements  or  of  foregone  revenue  (reductions  in  taxes, 
social contributions or other charges normally payable). 

The scope of the database is also limited to labour  market measures which are explicitly targeted in 
some way at groups of people with difficulties in the labour market - referred to here as target groups 
(i.e. it therefore excludes more general employment policies). In broad terms this covers people who 
are unemployed, people in employment but in risk of involuntary job-loss, and inactive persons who 
are  currently  not  part  of  the  labour  force  (in  the  sense  that  they  are  not  employed  or  unemployed 
according to the ILO definitions) but who would like to enter the labour market and are disadvantaged 
in some way. 

Statistical unit 

The statistical unit in this module is the labour market measure. The database then aims to collect data 
for a number of variables, both quantitative and qualitative, which apply to and describe the statistical 
unit so defined. 

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3.  Classification of measures 

Measures are classified in two ways by type of: 

-  Action (The type of action refers to the way in which a measure acts to achieve its objectives. 
The  classification  scheme  identifies  one  base  category  of  general  services  and  nine  broad 
categories of LMP measures, most with two or more sub-categories. 
-  Expenditure (e.g. transfers to individuals or transfers to employers). 

Type of Action 

General services 

0  General PES 

Services of the public employment service which facilitate the job-search process and which are 
generally available to all jobseekers. 

LMP measures 

1  Intensive counselling and job-search assistance 

Programmes,  which  assist  the  job  search  process  through  intensive,  individualised 
counselling  and  which  are  targeted  to  persons  registered  as  unemployed  job  seekers 
experiencing special difficulties in getting a job, or other groups with difficult access to 
the labour market 

2 Training 

Programmes which aim to improve the employability of the unemployed and other target 
groups through training, and which are financed by public bodies. 
2.1 
Institutional training 
2.2  Workplace training 
2.3 
Integrated training 
2.4  Special support for apprenticeship 

3 Job rotation and job sharing 

Programmes  that  facilitate  the  insertion  of  an  unemployed  person  or  a  person  from 
another target group into a work placement by substituting hours worked by an existing 
employee. 
3.1 
3.2 

Job rotation 
Job sharing 

       4 Employment incentives 

Programmes  which  facilitate  the  recruitment  of  unemployed  persons  and  other  target 
groups, or help to ensure the continued employment of persons at risk of involuntary job 
loss. The majority of the labour cost is normally covered by the employer. 
4.1  Recruitment incentives 

4.1.1 
4.1.2 

Permanent 
Temporary 
4.2  Employment maintenance incentives 

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   5    Integration of the disabled 

            Programmes that aim to promote integration of disabled persons into the labour market. 

5.1  Regular employment 
5.2  Sheltered employment 
5.3  Other rehabilitation and training 

  6    Direct job creation 

Programmes that create additional jobs, usually of community benefit or socially useful, 
in order to find employment for the long-term unemployed or persons otherwise difficult 
to place. The majority of the labour cost is normally covered by the public finance. 
6.1  Permanent 
6.2  Temporary 

  7     Start-up incentives 

Programmes  that  promote  entrepreneurship  by  encouraging  the  unemployed  and  target 
groups to start their own business or to become self-employed. 

8  Out-of-work income maintenance and support 

Programmes which aim to compensate individuals for loss of wage or salary through the 
provision of cash benefits 
8.1  Full unemployment benefits 

8.1.1 
8.1.2 

Unemployment insurance 
Unemployment assistance 

8.2  Partial unemployment benefits 
8.3  Part-time unemployment benefits 
8.4  Redundancy compensation 
8.5  Bankruptcy compensation 

9  Early retirement  

Programmes which facilitate the full or partial early retirement of older workers who are 
assumed  to  have  little  chance  of  finding  a  job  or  whose  retirement  facilitates  the 
placement of an unemployed person or a person from another target group. 
9.1  Conditional 
9.1.1 
9.1.2 

Full 
Partial 

9.2  Unconditional 
Full 
Partial 

9.2.1 
9.2.2 

 A  measure that encompasses more than one of the types of action defined above is termed a mixed 
measure. Two types of mixed measure are possible: 

•  Type 1 - where all participants benefit from each component of the measure.  
•  Type 2 - where the measure either offers different actions for different target groups or where 
it  is  effectively  a  budget  reserve  for  a  number  of  different  types  of  action  and  individual 

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participants benefit from just one component at a time (though they may move on to another 
later). 

Type of expenditure 

The type of expenditure refers to the ways in which public funds are issued in order to benefit target 
groups. The classification scheme is based firstly upon who is the direct recipient of the public money 
and  then  the  type  of  expenditure  involved  (cash  payment  or  foregone  revenue)  and  the  way  it  is 
disbursed  (periodic  or  lump-sum  payment).    The  direct  recipient  of  public  expenditure  may  be  the 
individual  beneficiaries,  their  employers,  or  service  providers  that  produce  goods  and  services 
provided as benefits in kind (e.g. training). 

Classification by type of expenditure 

1  Transfers to individuals 

Transfers to individuals relate to public expenditure transferred directly to individuals and 
which are paid in cash or through a reduction in obligatory levies. 

1.1 
1.2 
1.3 
1.4 
1.5 

Periodic cash payments 
Lump sum payments 
Reimbursements 
Reduced social contributions 
Reduced taxes 

2  Transfers to employers 

Transfers to employers relate to public expenditure transferred directly to employers and 
which are paid in cash or through a reduction in obligatory levies. 

2.1 
2.2 
2.3 
2.4 
2.5 

Periodic cash payments 
Lump sum payments 
Reimbursements 
Reduced social contributions 
Reduced taxes 

3  Transfers to service providers 

Transfers  to  service  providers  relate  to  public  expenditure  transferred  directly  to 
producers  of  goods  and  services  that  are  provided  to  individuals  or  to  employers  as 
benefits in kind. 

Periodic cash payments are cash payments issued at regular intervals, such as each week, month 
or quarter. 

Lump  sum  payments  are  cash  payments  issued  on  a  single  occasion  or  in  the  form  of  a  lump 
sum. 

Reimbursements  are  payments  that  reimburse  the  recipient  in  whole  or  in  part  for  certified 
expenditure on specified goods and services. 

Reduced social contributions are full or partial exemptions to obligatory social contributions. 

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Reduced taxes are full or partial exemptions to taxes or other obligatory levies other than social 
contributions. 

4. 

Data collection 

Data are normally collected with reference to a calendar year. Where a financial year does not coincide 
with the calendar year, and it is not practical to make the necessary adjustments, then data should be 
provided  for  the  financial  year,  which  most  overlaps  the  calendar  year  in  question.  All  data  for  a 
country should apply to the same time period. Where data for a measure pertains to a different period 
then this should be clearly specified with metadata. The data are collected by means of an electronic 
questionnaire. 

Questionnaire 

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 

Measure number 
Measure name  
Description 
Type of action 
Type of expenditure 
Target groups 
Detailed target groups 
Unemployment registration 
Receipt of other cash benefits 
Planned duration 
Area of application 
Source of finance 
Objectives 
Eligibility 
Responsible institution 
Legal basis 
Implementation of measure 

Expenditure 

18 
Participants 
19 
20 
21 

Expenditure 

Stock 
Entrants 
Exits 

Breakdown of participants 

22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 

Sex 
Age 
Duration of unemployment 
Previous employment status of entrants 
Completions and drop-outs 
Destination of exits 

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Duration 

28 
29 

Average duration of participation 
Volume 

5. 

Target groups 

The broad groups of persons targeted by the measure are: 

-  Unemployed - persons without work, available for work and actively seeking work.  
-  LTU - long-term unemployed. The definition varies with the age of the persons concerned: 

⇒  Youth (<25 years) – more than 6 months continuous spell of unemployment (>6 months). 
⇒  Adult (25 years or more) – more than 12 months continuous spell of unemployment (>12 

months). 

- 

- 
- 

  Employed  at  risk  -  persons  currently  in  work  but  at  risk  of  involuntary  job  loss  due  to  the 
economic circumstances of the employer, or similar. 
  Inactive - persons neither in work nor unemployed  
 Registered jobseekers – persons registered with the PES as jobseekers. 

In addition, item 7 of the LMP questionnaire asks whether the following groups of persons are targeted 
by the measure: 

-  Youth - persons under 25 years of age and who are in some way disadvantaged in the labour 

market 

-  Older - persons aged 50 and over 
-  Disabled - registered disabled according to national definitions 
- 

Immigrants/ethnic  minorities  -  non-national  permanent  residents  in  a  country,  or  nationals 
from an ethnic minority, who need special help in the labour market because of language or 
other cultural difficulties 

-  Re-entrants/lone  parents  -  persons  with  difficulties  in  returning  to  work  after  a  period  of 
inactivity,  and  single  men  or  women  with  children  who  need  assistance  -  financial  or 
otherwise - to be encouraged to work. 

-  Public priorities and Other - any disadvantaged groups not covered above. 

6. 

Source of finance 

Item 12 of the LMP questionnaire asks directly for the source(s) of funding for the measure. They are 
as follows: 

-  Central government budget - revenue from all taxes or other charges levied (but not necessarily 

collected) by central government and not specifically earmarked as above. 

⇒ 

Ear-marked  taxes  -  taxes  or  other  charges  which  are  levied  by  central  government 
specifically to generate funds for public labour market interventions and which cannot by 
law be used for any other purpose. 

-  State/regional government budget - revenue from all taxes or other charges levied and collected 

by state/regional government  

-  Local government budget - revenue from all taxes or other charges levied and collected by local 

government  

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-  Social security funds – funds derived from compulsory social contributions paid by employers 
on behalf of their employees or by protected persons to secure entitlement to social benefits  
-  European  Social  Fund  (ESF)  -  funds  provided  by  the  ESF  towards  the  cost  of  implementing 

specific labour market measures.  

⇒ 

ESF contribution % of total funds 
 Other – any source of finance not covered above. 

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Annex 5 

EEuurrooppeeaann  SSyysstteemm  ooff  AAccccoouunnttss  ((EESSAA  9955))  

The European System of National and Regional Accounts (1995 ESA) is an internationally compatible 
accounting  framework  for  a  systematic  and  detailed  description  of  a  total  economy,  its  components 
and its relations with other total economies.  

The ESA framework consists of two main sets of tables: 

•  Sector accounts - The sector accounts provide by institutional sector a systematic description of 
the different stages of the economic process: production, generation of income, distribution of 
income, redistribution of income, use of income and financial and non-financial accumulation. 
The sector accounts also include balance sheets to describe the stock of assets, liabilities and net 
worth at the beginning of the accounting period.  

•  Input-output framework and the accounts by industry  - describe in more detail the production 
process (cost structure, income generated and employment) and the flows of goods and services 
(output, imports, exports, final consumption, intermediate consumption and capital formation by 
product group) 

Characteristics of ESA concepts 

The concepts in ESA have eight important characteristics. They are as follows: 
1.  Internationally  compatible  –  For  EU  Member  States,  the  ESA  is  the  standard  for  submission  of 
national  accounts  data  to  all  international  organisations.  In  addition,  the  concepts  in  ESA  are 
consistent with those in world-wide guidelines on national accounting i.e. SNA 

2.  Harmonised with those in other social and economic statistics – The ESA employs many concepts 
and  classifications  that  are  also  used  for  other  social  and  economic  statistics  of  the  EU.  These 
concepts and classifications are also harmonised with those of the United Nations. 

3.  Consistent – The identities in the accounting framework enforce the consistency of the concepts 
used to describe different parts of the economic process. Thus statistics from the different parts of 
the accounting framework can usually be related to each other. 

4.  Operational – ESA concepts are designed with their measurement in mind. 
5.  Different  from  most  administrative  concepts  –  The  concepts  are  not  always  easy  to  put  into 
operation as they diverge from those in the administrative sources. The administrative data often 
serve as input for compiling the national accounts. 

6.  Well established and fixed for a long time – The concepts have been approved as the international 
standard  for  the  next  decades,  and  in  successive  international  guidelines  on  national  accounting 
most of the basic concepts have hardly been changed. 

7.  Focussed on describing the economic process in monetary and readily observable terms – Stocks 
and flows that are not readily observable in monetary terms, or that do not have a clear monetary 
counterpart are not taken into account. 

8.  Flexible  and  multi-purpose  –  The  detail  in  the  conceptual  framework  offers  the  opportunity  for 
flexible  use:  some  concepts  are  not  explicitly  present  in  the  ESA  but  can  nevertheless  easily  be 
derived  from  it.  Flexible  use  is  also  possible  by  introducing  additional  criteria,  which  do  not 
conflict with the logic of the system.  

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The main features of the System are: 

-  Statistical units and their groupings; 
-  Flows and stocks; 
-  The system of accounts and the aggregates; 
-  The input-output framework. 

Statistical units 

The ESA system uses two types of statistical unit and two ways of subdividing the economy, which 
are  quite  different  and  serve  separate  analytical  purposes.    In  order  to  describe  income,  expenditure 
and financial flows, and balance sheets, the system groups institutional units into sectors on the basis 
of their principal functions, behaviour and objectives. Institutional units are economic entities that are 
capable  of  owning  goods  and  assets,  of  engaging  in  economic  activities  and  transactions  with  other 
units  in  their  own  right.  Institutional  units  are  grouped  together  into  five  mutually  exclusive 
institutional sectors composed of the following types of units: 

•  Non-financial corporations; 
Financial corporations; 
• 
•  General government; 
•  Households; 
•  Non-profit institutions serving households. 

The five sectors constitute the total economy. Each sector is also divided into subsectors. 

The total economy is defined in terms of resident units. A unit is said to be a resident unit of a country 
when  it  has  a  centre  of  economic  interest  on  the  economic  territory  of  that  country-  that  is  when  it 
engages  for  an  extended  period  (one  year  or  more)  in  economic  activities  on  this  territory.  Non-
resident  units  are  included  only  so  far  as  they  are  engaged  in transactions with resident institutional 
units. A specific item for the rest of the world is included at the end of the classification of sectors.  

Flows and stocks 

The  system  records  two  basic  kinds  of  information:  flows  and  stocks.  Flows  refer  to  actions  and 
effects of events that take place within a given period of time, while stocks refer to positions at a point 
of time.  

Flows 
Flows involve changes in the value of an institutional unit’s assets or liabilities. Economic flows take 
either the form of transactions or other changes in assets. A transaction is an economic flow that is an 
interaction  between  institutional  units  by  mutual  agreement  or  an  action  within  an  institutional  unit 
that it is useful to treat as a transaction, often because the unit is operating in two different capacities. 

Most  transactions  are  interactions  between  two  or  more  institutional  units.  However,  the  system 
records  some  actions  within  institutional  units  as  transactions  in  order  to  give  a  better  picture  of 
output, final uses and costs.  Consumption of fixed capital is an important intra-unit transaction. Most 
of  the  other  intra-unit transactions are transactions in products, typically recorded when institutional 

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units  operating  as  both  producers  and  final  consumers  choose  to  consume  some  of  the  output  they 
have  produced  themselves.  This  is  often  the  case  for  households  and  general  government.  All  own-
produced output for final uses within the same institutional unit is recorded. 

Most transactions recorded by the system are monetary transactions, where the units involved make or 
receive payments, or incur liabilities or receive assets denominated in units of currency. The system 
records  all  transactions  in  monetary  terms.  The  values  to  be  recorded  for  non-monetary  transactions 
have to be measured indirectly or otherwise estimated.  

Transactions  appear  in  the  same  way  as  they  appear  to  the  institutional  units  involved.  Some 
transactions  are  rearranged  to  bring  out  the  underlying  economic  relationships  more  clearly. 
Transactions  can  be  rearranged  in  three  ways:  rerouting,  partitioning  and  recognising  the  principal 
party to a transaction. 

Stocks 

Stocks are holdings of assets and liabilities at a point in time. Stocks are recorded at the beginning and 
end  of  each  accounting  period.  The  accounts  that  show  stocks  are  called  balance  sheets.  Stocks  are 
also  recorded  for  population  and  employment.  These  stocks  are  recorded  as  mean  values  over  the 
accounting period. Stocks are recorded for all assets within the system’s boundaries; financial assets 
and  liabilities  and  for  non-financial  assets,  both  produced  and  non-produced.  Coverage  is  limited  to 
those  assets  that  are  used  in  economic  activity  and  are  subject  to  ownership  rights.  Stocks  are  not 
recorded for assets such as human capital and natural resources. 

The system of accounts and aggregates 

An account is a means of recording, for a given aspect of economic life, the uses and resources or the 
changes in assets and the changes in liabilities during the accounting period, or the stock of assets and 
liabilities existing at the beginning or at the end of this period.  

For  a  unit  or  sector,  national  accounting  is  based  on  the  principle  of  double  entry.  Each  transaction 
must be recorded twice, once as a resource (or change in liabilities) and once as a use (or change in 
assets).  The  total  of  transactions  recorded  as  resources  or  changes  in  liabilities  and  the  total  of 
transactions  recorded  as  uses  or  changes  in  assets  must  be  equal,  thereby  allowing  verifying  the 
consistency of the accounts.  In practice, national accounts with all units and sectors are based on the 
principle of quadruple entry, since most transactions involve two institutional units.  

Stocks should be valued at current prices at the time to which the balance sheet relates, not at the time 
of  production  or  acquisition  of  the  goods or assets that form the stocks. Sometimes the valuation of 
stocks is made at their estimated written-down current acquisition values or production costs. 

The system records flows on an accrual basis; that is when economic value is created, transformed or 
extinguished, or when claims and obligations arise, are transformed or are cancelled. Recording on an 
accrual basis applies to all flows, monetary as well as non-monetary and intra-unit as well as between 
units. In some cases there is a need to be flexible regarding time of recording. This applies to taxes and 

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other flows concerning general government, which are often recorded on a cash basis in government 
accounts. Thus it maybe necessary to use approximations.  

Sequence of accounts 
The system is built around a sequence of inter-connected accounts. The sequence of accounts for the 
institutional units and sectors is composed of: 

-  Current  accounts-  deals  with  the  production,  generation,  distribution  and  redistribution  of 

income and the use of this income in the form of final consumption. 

-  Accumulation accounts  - cover changes in assets and liabilities and changes in net worth (the 

difference for any institutional unit or group of units between its assets and liabilities). 

-  Balance sheets - present stocks of assets and liabilities and net worth. 

Goods and services account 
The goods and services account shows, for the economy as a whole or for groups of products, the total 
resources  (output  and  imports)  and  uses  of  goods  and  services  (intermediate  consumption,  final 
consumption,  changes  in  inventories,  gross  fixed  capital  formation,  acquisitions  less  disposals  of 
valuables, and exports). 

Rest of the World account 
It  covers  transactions  between  resident  and  non-resident  institutional  units  and  the  related  stocks  of 
assets and liabilities when relevant. 

Aggregates 
Aggregates  are  composite  values  which  measure  the  result  of  the  activity  of  the  total  economy 
considered from a particular point of view; for example output, value added, disposable income, final 
consumption, saving capital formation, etc. Two types of aggregates can be distinguished: 

-  Aggregates  referring  directly  to  transactions  in  the  system,  such  as  the  output  of  goods  and 
services,  actual  final  consumption,  gross  fixed  capital  formation,  compensation  of  employees, 
etc… 

-  Aggregates  representing  balancing  items  in  the  accounts,  such  as  Gross  Domestic  Product 
(GDP),  operating  surplus  of  the  total  economy,  national  income,  national  disposable  income, 
saving, current external balance, net worth of the total economy. 

Input-output framework 

Consists  of  supply  and  use  tables  by  industry,  tables  linking  the  supply  and  use  tables  to  the  sector 
accounts and symmetric input-output tables by homogeneous branch (product). Supply and use tables 
are matrices (rows of products, columns of industries), showing how the output of industries is broken 
down  by  type  of  products  and  how  the  domestic  and  imported  supply  of  goods  and  services  is 
allocated between various intermediate or final uses, including exports. The use table also shows by 
industry the structure of production costs and the income generated. The supply and use tables are the 
coordinating framework for all tables by industry and (or) by product, which include data on labour 
inputs, gross fixed capital formation, stocks of fixed assets, detailed price indices and thus describe in 
detail cost structure, income generated, employment, labour productivity, capital intensity. 

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Institutional sectors 

It is impossible to consider individual institutional units separately; they must be combined into groups 
called institutional sectors or sectors. Some of these sectors are divided into sub-sectors.  

Sector and sub sector 
Non-financial corporations 
Financial corporations 
Central Bank 
Other monetary financial institutions 
Other  financial  intermediaries,  except  insurance 
corporations and pension funds 
Financial auxiliaries 
Insurance corporations and pension funds 
General government 
Central government 
State government 
Local government 
Social security funds 
Households 
Employers (including own-account workers) 
Employees 
Recipients of property incomes 
Recipients of pensions 
Recipients of other transfer incomes 
Others 
Non-profit institutions serving households 
Rest of the world 
The European Union 
The member countries of the EU 
The institutions of the EU 
Third countries and international organisations 

S.11 
S.12 
S.121 
S.122 
S.123 

S.124 
S.125 
S.13 
S.1311 
S.1312 
S.1313 
S.1314 
S.14 
S.141+S.142 
S.143 
S.1441 
S.1442 
S.1443 
S.145 
S.15 
S.2 
S.21 
S.211 
S.212 
S.22 

Each of the sectors and subsectors group together the institutional units, which have similar economic 
behaviour. This is done on the basis of the type of producer they are and on the principal activity and 
function,  which  are  considered  to  be  indicative  of  their  economic  behaviour.  Each  institutional  unit 
only belongs to one sector or subsector. 

Sector 
Non-financial corporations (S.11)   Market producer 

Type of producer 

Financial corporations 

Market producer 

Principal activity and function 
Production  of  market  goods  and 
non-financial services 
Financial intermediation including 
insurance 
Auxiliary financial activities 

General government 

Public other non-market producer  Production  and  supply  of  other 
non-market  output  for  collective 
and  individual  consumption  and 
carrying out transactions intended 
to  redistribute  national  income 
and wealth 

Households 
- as consumers 
- as entrepreneurs 

Market  or  private  producer  for 
own final use 

Consumption 
Production  of  market  output  and 
output for own final use 

Non-profit 
households 

institutions 

serving 

Private other non-market producer  Production  and  supply  of  other 
non-market  output  for  individual 
consumption. 

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Households 
“The  household  sector  covers  individuals  or  groups  of  individuals  as  consumers  and  possibly 
entrepreneurs producing market goods and non-financial services (market producers) provided that, in 
the  latter  case,  the  corresponding  activities  are  not  those  of  separate  entities  treated  as  quasi-
corporations.  It  also  includes  individuals  or  groups  of  individuals  as  producers  of  goods  and  non-
financial services for exclusively own final use”. 

Households  as  consumers  may  be  defined  as  small  groups  of  persons  who  share  the  same  living 
accommodation, who pool some or all, of their income and wealth and who consume certain types of 
goods  and  services  collectively,  mainly  housing  and  food.  The  criteria  of  the  existence  of  family  or 
emotional ties may be added. 

The household sector includes: 

Individuals or groups of individuals whose principal function is consumption; 

- 
-  Persons living permanently in institutions who have little or no autonomy of action or decision 
in economic matters. Such persons are treated as comprising together a single institutional unit; 
Individuals or groups of individuals whose principal function is consumption and that produce 
goods and non-financial services for exclusively own final use; only two categories of services 
produced  for  own  final  consumption  are  included  within  the  system:  services  of  owner-
occupied dwellings and domestic services produced by paid employees; 

- 

-  Sole proprietorships and partnerships without independent legal status – other than those treated 

as quasi-corporations- which are market producers; 

-  Non-profit institutions serving households, which do not have independent legal status or those 

which do but are of only minor importance. 

The household sector is subdivided into 6 sectors: 

-  Employers (including own-account workers) 
-  Employees 
-  Recipients of property income 
-  Recipients of pensions 
-  Recipients of other transfer incomes 
-  Others 

Allocation  to  subsectors  is  done  according  to  the  largest  income  category    (employer’s  income, 
compensation  of  employees,  etc…)  of  the  household  as  a  whole.  If  the  main  income  source  of  the 
household as a whole is not available, the income of the reference person constitutes the second-best 
characteristic to be used for classifying purposes. The reference person of a household is normally the 
person with the largest income. If the latter information is not available, the income of the person who 
states the he/she is the reference person may be used for subsectoring households. 

Subsector 
Employers 
account workers) 

(including 

own-

Definition 
The  subsector  employers  (including  own-account  workers)  consists 
of the group of households for which the (mixed) incomes accruing 
to  the  owners  of  household  unincorporated  enterprises  from  their 
activity  as  producers  of  market  goods  and  services  with  or  without 
paid employees are the largest source of income for the household as 
a  whole, even if it does not always account for more than a half of 

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Employees 

Recipients of property income 

Recipients of pensions 

Recipients 
incomes 

of 

other 

transfer 

Others 

Transactions in products 

total household income. 
The  subsector  employees  consists  of  the  group  of  households  for 
which  the  income  accruing  from  compensation  of  employees  is  the 
largest source of income for the household as a whole. 
The subsector recipients of property incomes consist of the group of 
households for which property income is the largest source of income 
for the household as a whole. 
The  subsector  recipients  of  pensions  consists  of  the  group  of 
households  for  which  the  income  accruing  from  pensions  is  the 
largest source of income for the household as a whole. 
The  subsector  recipients  of  other  transfer  incomes  consists  of  the 
group  of  households  for  which  the  income  accruing  from  other 
current transfers is the largest source of income for the household as 
a whole. 
The  subsector  others  consists  of  persons  living  permanently  in 
institutions. 

“Products are all goods and services that are created within the production boundary”. 

The following main categories of transactions in products are distinguished: 

-  Output 
-  Intermediate consumption 
-  Final consumption expenditure 
-  Actual final consumption 
-  Gross capital formation 
-  Exports of goods and services 
-  Imports of goods and services 

Time of recording and valuation of output 

Output is to be recorded and valued when it is generated by the production process. All output is to be 
valued at basic prices, however specific conventions hold for: 

- 
- 
- 

the valuation of other non-market output; 
the valuation of total output of another market producer (local KAU); 
the valuation of the total output of an institutional unit of which a local KAU  is another market 
producer. 

In  the  case  of  education,  it  may  often  be  necessary  to  draw  precise  borderlines  between  market  and 
non-market  producers  and  between  their  market  and  other  non-market  output.  For  some  types  of 
education  nominal  fees  can  be  levied  by  government  institutions  (or  by  other  institutions  due  to 
specific  subsidies),  but  for  other  education  they  may  charge  commercial  tariffs.  The  same  type  of 
service (e.g. higher education) is provided by both government and commercial institutes. Therefore, 
large differences exist between the prices charged and the quality of the services. Education excludes 
R&D activities. 

Final consumption 

Two concepts of final consumption are used: 

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Final consumption expenditure  

- 
-  Actual final consumption  

Final consumption expenditure is a concept that refers to a sector's expenditure on consumption goods 
and services. In contrast, actual final consumption refers to its acquisition of consumption goods and 
services.  The  difference  between  these  concepts  lies  in  the  treatment  of  certain  goods  and  services 
financed by the government or NPISHs but supplied to households as social transfers in kind. 

Final  consumption  expenditure  consists  of  expenditure  incurred  by  resident  institutional  units  on 
goods or services that are used for the direct satisfaction of individual needs or wants or the collective 
needs of members of the community. Final consumption expenditure may take place on the domestic 
territory or abroad. 

Household final consumption expenditure includes the following borderline cases: 

i.  services of owner-occupied dwellings; 
ii. income in kind, like: 

- 
- 

goods and services received as income in kind by employees; 
goods or services produced as outputs of unincorporated enterprises owned by households 
that are retained for consumption by members of the household.  

iii. items not treated as intermediate consumption, like: 

-  materials for small repairs to and interior decoration of dwellings 
of a kind typically carried out by tenants as well as owners; 
- 
-  materials for repairs and maintenance to consumer durables, including vehicles; 

iv. items not treated as capital formation, in particular consumer durables, that continue to perform 
their  function  in  several  accounting  periods;  this  includes  the  transfer  of  ownership  of  some 
durables from an enterprise to a household  

v.  financial services directly charged; 
vi. insurance services by the amount of the implicit service charge  
vii.  pension funding services by the amount of the implicit service charge 
viii.  payments by households for licences, permits, etc. which are regarded as purchases of services  
ix. the purchase of output at not economically significant prices, e.g. entrance fees for a museum. 

Household  final  expenditure excludes social transfers in kind, like expenditures initially incurred by 
households but subsequently reimbursed by social security. 

Final consumption expenditure by government includes two categories of expenditures: 

-  The  value  of  the  goods  and  services  produced  by  general  government  itself  (P.1)  other  than 
own-account capital formation and sales. Market output and payments for the other non-market 
output  

-  Purchases by general government of goods and services produced by market producers that are 
supplied to households, without any transformation, as social transfers in kind. This implies that 
general government just pays for goods and services that the sellers provide to households. 

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Actual final consumption 

Actual final consumption consists of the goods or services that are acquired by resident institutional 
units for the direct satisfaction of human needs, whether individual or collective.  
Goods  and  services  for  individual  consumption  (‘individual  goods  and  services’)  are  acquired  by  a 
household and used to satisfy the needs and wants of members of that household. 
Individual goods and services have the following characteristics: 

- 

It must be possible to observe and record the acquisition of the good or services by an individual 
household or member thereof and also the time at which it took place; 

-  The  household  must  have  agreed  to  the  provision  of  the  good  or  service  and  take  whatever 

action is necessary to make it possible, for example by attending a school or clinic; 

-  The good or service must be such that its acquisition by one household or person, or possibly by 
a small, restricted group of persons, precludes its acquisition by other households or persons. 

For  the  goods  and  services  provided  by  government  units,  the  borderline  between  individual  and 
collective  goods  and  services  is  drawn  on  the  basis  of  the  Classification  of  the  Functions  of 
Government (COFOG). All government final consumption expenditure under education is treated as 
expenditures on individual consumption: 

9.1 Pre-primary and primary education 
9.2 Secondary education 
9.3 Post-secondary non-tertiary education 
9.4 Tertiary education 
9.5 Education not definable by level 
9.6 Subsidiary services to education 

Individual  consumption  expenditure  of  general  government  corresponds  to  division  14  of  the 
COICOP, which includes the following groups: 

14.1 Housing (equivalent to COFOG group 10.6) 
14.2 Health (equivalent to COFOG groups 7.1 to 7.4) 
14.3 Recreation and culture (equivalent to COFOG groups 8.1 and 8.2) 
14.4 Education (equivalent to COFOG groups 9.1 to 9.6) 
14.5 Social protection (equivalent to COFOG groups 10.1 to 10.5 and group 10.7). 

The final consumption expenditure of households is recorded at purchasers' prices. This is the price the 
purchaser actually pays for the products at the time of the purchase. 

Compensation of employees 

Compensation  of  employees  is  defined  as  the  total  remuneration,  in  cash  or  in  kind,  payable  by  an 
employer to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. 

Compensation of employees is broken down into: 
(a) wages and salaries: 

-  wages and salaries in cash; 
-  wages and salaries in kind; 
(b) employers' social contributions: 

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-  employers' actual social contributions; 
-  employers' imputed social contributions. 

Wages and salaries in cash include the values of any social contributions, income taxes, etc. payable 
by  the  employee  even  if  they  are  actually  withheld  by  the  employer  and  paid  directly  to  social 
insurance schemes, tax authorities, etc. on behalf of the employee. 

Wages and salaries do not include other unfunded employee social benefits, in the form of children's, 
spouses',  family,  education  or  other  allowances  in  respect  of  dependants,  and  in  the  form  of  the 
provision  of  free  medical  services  (other  than  those  necessitated  by  the  nature  of  the  work)  to 
employees or their families. 

Social contributions and benefits 

Social  benefits  are  transfers  to  households,  in  cash  or  in  kind,  intended  to  relieve  them  from  the 
financial  burden  of  a  number  of  risks  or  needs,  made  through  collectively  organized  schemes,  or 
outside  such  schemes  by  government  units  and  NPISHs;  they  include  payments  from  general 
government to producers which individually benefit households and which are made in the context of 
social risks or needs. 

One of the needs or risks, which is stated is education. Social benefits include: 

-  Current  and  lump-sum  transfers  from  schemes  which  receive  contributions,  cover  the  entire 
community or large sections of the community and are imposed and controlled by government 
units (social security schemes); 

-  Current  and  lump  sum  transfers  from  schemes  organized  by  enterprises  on  behalf  of  their 
employees,  ex-employees  or  dependants  (private  funded  and  unfunded  enterprises'  schemes). 
Contributions  may  be  made  by  employees  or  employers;  they  may  also  be  made  by  self-
employed persons; 

-  Current  transfers  from  government  units  and  NPISHs  which  are  not  conditional  on  previous 

payment of contributions (assistance). 

Imputed  social  contributions  represent  the  counterpart  to  social  benefits  (less  eventual  employees' 
social contributions) paid directly by employers (i.e. not linked to employers' actual contributions) to 
their employees or former employees and other eligible persons. Their value should, in principle, be 
based on actuarial considerations. 

Unfunded employee social benefits are (in cash or kind) payable to their employees, their dependents 
or  survivors  by  employers  administering  unfounded  social  insurance  schemes.  This  includes  the 
payment of education allowances. Unfunded employee social benefits payable by employers to their 
former  employees  or  other  eligible  persons  is  recorded  including  employers'  actual  social 
contributions,  i.e.  payments  made  by  the  employers  for  the  benefit  of  the  persons  concerned  to 
insurers. 

Social  transfers  in  kind  consist  of  individual  goods  and  services  provided  as  transfers  in  kind  to 
individual  households  by  government  units  and  NPISHs,  whether  purchased  on  the  market  or 
produced  as  non-market  output  by  government  units  or  NPISHs.  They  may  be  financed  out  of 

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taxation, other government income or social security contributions, or out of donations and property 
income in the case of NPISHs. 

Social benefits in kind are social transfers in kind intended to relieve the households from the financial 
burden  of  social  risks  or  needs.  They  can  be  subdivided  into  those  where  beneficiary  households 
actually  purchase  the  goods  and  services  themselves  and  are  then  reimbursed,  and  those  where  the 
relevant  services  are  provided  directly  to  the  beneficiaries.  In  this  second  case,  general  government 
units  or  NPISHs  produce  or  purchase,  entirely  or  in  part,  goods  and  services  which  are  directly 
provided by their producers to the beneficiaries. 

Social  security  benefits,  reimbursements  consist  of  reimbursement  by  social  security  funds  of 
approved  expenditures  made  by  households  on  specified  goods  or  services.  The  amount  of  the 
expenditure reimbursed is recorded as being incurred directly by the social security fund at the time 
the  household  makes  the  purchase,  while  the  only  expenditure  recorded  for  the  household  is  the 
difference, if any, between the purchaser's price paid and the amount reimbursed. Thus, the amount of 
the expenditure reimbursed is not treated as a current transfer in cash from the social security funds to 
households.  Most  other  social  security  benefits  in  kind  are  likely  to  consist  of  medical  or  dental 
treatments,  surgery,  hospital  accommodation,  spectacles  or  contact  lenses,  medical  appliances  or 
equipment, and similar goods or services in the context of social risks or needs. 

Social assistance benefits in kind consist of transfers in kind provided to households by government 
units or NPISHs that are similar in nature to social security benefits in kind but are not provided in the 
context of a social insurance scheme. Included are, if not covered by a social insurance scheme, day 
nurseries, professional training, reductions on transport prices (provided that there is a social purpose), 
and similar goods and services in the context of social risks or needs. 

Classification used  

COICOP is used to classify consumption by purpose. Education is classified as follows: 
10 Education 
10.1. Pre-primary and primary education 
10.2. Secondary education 
10.3. Post-secondary non-tertiary education 
10.4. Tertiary education 
10.5. Education not definable by level 

Individual consumption expenditure of non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs): 
13.1. Housing 
13.2. Health 
13.3. Recreation and culture 
13.4. Education 
13.5. Social protection 
13.6. Other services 

14. Individual consumption expenditure of general government 
14.1. Housing 
14.2. Health 
14.3. Recreation and culture 

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14.4. Education 
14.5. Social protection 

CLASSIFICATION OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT (COFOG) 

9. Education 
9.1. Pre-primary and primary education 
9.2. Secondary education 
9.3. Post-secondary non-tertiary education 
9.4. Tertiary education 
9.5. Education not definable by level 
9.6. Subsidiary services to education 
9.7. R & D education 
9.8. Education n.e.c. 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  THE  PURPOSES  OF  NON-PROFIT  INSTITUTIONS  SERVING 
HOUSEHOLDS (COPNI) 
4. Education 
4.1. Pre-primary and primary education 
4.2. Secondary education 
4.3. Post-secondary non-tertiary education 
4.4. Tertiary education 
4.5. Education not definable by level 
4.6. R & D education 
4.7. Other educational services 

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TThhee  UUNNEESSCCOO//OOEECCDD//EEuurroossttaatt  ddaattaa  ccoolllleeccttiioonn 

1.  Introduction 

The data collection on education statistics is administered jointly by the United Nations Educational, 
Scientific,  and  Cultural  Organisation  Institute  for  Statistics  (UNESCO  /  UIS),  the  Organisation  for 
Economic  Cooperation  and  Development  (OECD),  and  the  Statistical  Office  of  the European Union 
(EUROSTAT). 

The  objective  of  the  UOE  data  collection  on  education  statistics  is  to  provide  internationally 
comparable data on key aspects of education systems, specifically on the participation and completion 
of education programmes, as well as the cost and type of resources dedicated to education. The UOE 
data  collection  has  been  extended  over  the  last  few  years  to  several  countries  that  are  not  Member 
States  of  the  OECD.  This  data  collection  applies  to  EU  candidate  and  acceding  countries,  EEA 
countries  and  PHARE  countries  co-operating  with  Eurostat  and  to  participants  of  the  OECD  / 
UNESCO-UIS World Education Indicators pilot project. Altogether, over 60 countries worldwide now 
complete the UOE electronic questionnaire.  

2.  The scope of education 

In defining the scope of education, reference is made to the International Classification of Education 
(ISCED)  where  education  is  defined  as  “organised  and  sustained  communication  designed  to  bring 
about learning”. The key words in the formulation are to be understood as follow: 

⇒  “Communication” in this context requires a relation between two or more persons involving the 

transfer of information (messages, ideas, knowledge, etc.) 

⇒  “Organised”  means  planned  in  a  pattern  or  sequence  with  established  aims  or  curricula  and 
which involves an educational agency that organises the learning situation and/or teachers who 
are employed (included unpaid volunteers) to consciously organise the communication 
⇒  “Sustained” means that the learning experience has the elements of duration and continuity 
⇒  “Learning”  is  taken  as  any  change  in  behaviour,  information,  knowledge,  understanding, 
attitudes, skills, or capabilities, which can be retained and cannot be ascribed to physical growth 
or to the development of inherited behaviour patterns. 

The levels of education have been classified according to the ISCED 97 classification. 

3.  Coverage  

The  data  collection  covers  national  education  system  regardless  of  ownership  or  sponsorship  of  the 
institutions  concerned  and  regardless  of  the  education  delivery  mechanism.  However,  the  following 
types of education and training are excluded: 

1.  Vocational  and  technical  training  in  enterprises,  with  the  exception  of  combined  school-and-

work based programmes that are explicitly deemed to be parts of the education system.  

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2.  Entirely  work-based  education  and  training  for  which  no  formal  education  authority  has 
oversight. Correspondingly, all continuing training of employees by their employers should be 
excluded from the statistics that are reported. 

The UOE financial tables should ideally cover the expenditure, on programmes for which enrolments, 
graduates,  entrants  should  be  reported  in  the  corresponding  UOE  tables.  For  technical  reasons, 
however,  the  coverage  of  the  UOE  financial  tables  may  differ  from  the  coverage  of  the  tables  on 
enrolments.  

Expenditure  reported  should  represent  the  value  of  educational  expenditure  and  of  capital  assets 
acquired or created during the year in question, regardless of whether they were financed from current 
revenues or by borrowing.  

The coverage of the data collection can be summarised as follows: 

⇒  Direct public, private and international expenditure on educational institutions; 
⇒  Private  expenditure  on  educational  goods  and  services  purchased  outside  educational 

institutions; 

⇒  Public subsidies to students for student living costs. 

All  public  educational  expenditure  is  covered,  regardless  of  whether  it  is  spent  on  institutions  or  on 
transfers  to  private  entities,  either  for  living  costs  or  for  educational  services.  In  the  case  of  private 
expenditure, only that directly related to educational goods and services is taken into account.  

4.  Reference period 

For the finance tables, the reference period is the financial year. 

5.  Definitions and concepts  

5.1  Education institutions 
Educational  institutions  are  defined  as  “entities  that  provide  instructional  services  to  individuals  or 
education-related services to individuals and other educational institutions”. Whether or not an entity 
qualifies  as  an  educational  institution  is  not  contingent  upon  which  public  authority  (if  any)  has 
responsibility for it. 

Educational institutions are sub-divided into: 
⇒  Instructional Educational Institutions  
⇒  Non-Instructional Educational Institutions.  

Then term “instructional” is used to imply the direct provision of teaching and learning. Instructional 
Educational  Institutions  are  those  that  provide  individuals  with  educational  programmes  that  fall 
within  the  scope  of  the  data  collection.  Non-Instructional  Educational  Institutions  are  educational 
institutions  that  provide  administrative,  advisory  or  professional  services,  frequently  for  other 
educational institutions.  

5.2 

Public and private 

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Educational Institutions are classified as either public or private according to whether a public agency 
or a private entity has the ultimate power to make decisions concerning the institution’s affairs.  
An institution is classified as public if it is: 

i.  Controlled and managed directly by a public education authority or agency or 
ii. 

 Controlled  and  managed  either  by  a  government  agency  directly  or  by  a  governing  body 
(Council, Committee, etc.), most of whose members are either appointed by a public authority or 
elected by public franchise. 

An  institution  is  classified  as  private  if  it  is  controlled  and  managed  by  a  non-governmental 
organisation    (e.g.  a  Church,  a  Trade  Union  or  a  business  enterprise),  or  if  its  Governing  Board 
consists  mostly  of  members  not  selected  by  a  public  agency.  Private  institutions  can  be  either 
Government Dependent or Independent. These terms refer only to the degree of a private institution’s 
dependence on funding from government sources: a government-dependent private institution is one 
that  receives  more  than  50%  of  its  core  funding  from  government  agencies.  An  independent  private 
institution is one that receives less than 50% of its core funding from government agencies. 

5.3  Theoretical ages 
The theoretical ages refer to the ages as established by law and regulation for the entry and ending of a 
cycle of education.  
The theoretical starting age should be the age at the beginning of the first school/ academic year of the 
corresponding level and programme. 
The theoretical ending age should be the age at the beginning of the last school/academic year of the 
corresponding level and programme. 
The  theoretical  graduation  age  should  be  the  age  at  the  end  of  the  last  school/academic  year  of  the 
corresponding level and programme when the degree is obtained. 

Students 

5.4 
A student is defined as any individual participating in educational services covered by the UOE data 
collection. Students are non-national students (or foreign students) if they do not have the citizenship 
of the country for which the data are collected. 

5.5  Number of students enrolled 
The number of students enrolled refers to the count of students studying in the reference period.  

Stock/flow data 

5.6 
Stock data refer to the characteristics/attributes of a specific pool of students for the reference period 
under consideration. 
Flow data refer to individuals who join the pool during or at the end of the reference period. 

5.7  New entrants 
New  entrants  to  a  level  of  education  are  students  who  are  entering  any  programme  leading  to  a 
recognised qualification at this level of education for the first time, irrespective of whether the students 
enter the programme at the beginning or at an advanced stage of the programme. 

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New entrants to the tertiary level of education are students who have never entered any tertiary level 
before. 

5.8  Re-entrants 
Re-entrants  to  a  level  of  education  are  students  who  were  not  included  in  the  enrolment statistics at 
that level in the previous reference year, but had been included during some year prior to the preceding 
reference year. 

5.9  Continuing students 
Continuing  students  are  students  who  were  included  in  the  enrolment  statistics  at  that  level  the 
preceding reference year. 

5.10  Graduates 
Graduates are those who successfully complete an educational programme during the reference year of 
the data collection. 

5.11  Repeaters 
Students enrolling in the same grade or year of study a second or further time should be classified as 
repeaters except if the new programme is classified as “higher” than the previous one. 

5.12  School-based and combined school- and work- based programmes 
Programmes should be classified as school-based if at least 75% of the curriculum is presented in the 
school  environment  (covering  the  whole  educational  programme)  where  distance  education  is 
included.  Programmes  are  classified  as  combined  school-  and  work-  based  is  less  than  75%  of  the 
curriculum is presented in the school environment or through distance education. 

5.13  Full-time and part-time students 
All  students  enrolled  in  primary  and  secondary  level  educational  programmes  should  be  considered 
full-time when head-count data are reported, if they attend school for at least 75 per cent of the school 
day or week (as locally defined) and if they would normally be expected to be in the programme for 
the  entire  academic  year.  Otherwise,  they  should  be  considered  part-time.  At  the  tertiary  level,  an 
individual is considered full-time (when head-count data are reported) if he / she is taking a course-
load / educational programme considered to require at least 75 per cent of a full-time commitment of 
time  and  resources.  Additionally,  it  is  expected  that  the  student  remains  in  the  programme  for  the 
entire year. 

5.14  Full-time equivalent (FTE) 
Where data and norms on individual participation are available (e.g. “credentials”): 
FTE=(actual study load/normal study load) * (actual duration of study during reference period/normal 
duration of study during reference period). 
When  actual  study  load  information  is  not  available,  then  a  full-time  student  should  be  considered 
equal  to  one  FTE.  Most  countries  will  use  this  assumption  for  the  primary  and  secondary  level  of 
education. All countries should use this assumption at the pre-primary level. 

5.15  Full-time and part-time educational personnel 

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A teacher employed for at least 90 per cent of the normal or statutory number of hours of work for a 
full-time  teacher  over  a  complete  school  year  is  classified  as  a  full-time  teacher  for  the  reporting  of 
head-count data. A teacher employed for less than 90 per cent of the normal or statutory number of 
hours of work for a full-time teacher over a complete school year is classified as a part-time teacher. 
5.16  Resident and non-resident non-nationals students 
At  the  university  tertiary  level  of  education  a  distinction  is  made  between  resident  and  non-resident 
foreign students. The aim is to distinguish between foreign students who are resident in the country as 
a result of a prior migration by themselves or their parents and who subsequently enrol in a tertiary 
level  programme  (“resident  foreign students”), and those who come to the country expressly for the 
purpose of pursuing their education (“non-resident foreign students”). 

5.17  Current expenditure 
Current  expenditure  is  expenditure  on  goods  and  services  consumed  within  the  current  year,  i.e., 
expenditure  that  needs  to  be  made  recurrently  in  order  to  sustain  the  production  of  educational 
services. 

5.18  Expenditure on compensation of personnel 
Expenditure on compensation of personnel includes gross salaries plus expenditure on retirement and 
on other non-salary compensation (fringe benefits). 
Salaries means the gross salaries of educational personnel, before deduction of taxes, contributions for 
retirement  or  health  care  plans,  and  other  contributions  or  premiums  for  social  insurance  or  other 
purposes. 
Expenditure  on  retirement  (pension  schemes)  means  actual  or  imputed  expenditure  by  employers  or 
third parties to finance retirement benefits for current educational personnel. 
Expenditure  on  other  non-salary  compensation  includes  spending  by  employers  or  third  parties  on 
employee benefits other than pensions. 

5.19  Capital expenditure 
Capital  expenditure  is  expenditure  on  assets  that  last  longer  than  one  year.  It  includes  spending  on 
construction,  renovation  and  major  repair  of  buildings  and  expenditure  on  new  or  replacement 
equipment. 

5.20  Intramural expenditures 
Intramural expenditures are all expenditures for R&D performed within a statistical unit or sector of 
the economy, whatever the source of funds. 

5.21  Higher education sector (from the Frascati Manual) 
This sector is composed of: 
“All universities, colleges of technology and other institute of postsecondary education, whatever their 
source  of  finance  or  legal  status.  It  also  includes  all  research  institutes,  experimental  stations  and 
clinics operating under the direct control of or administered by or associated with higher education 
establishments”. 

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6.  Classifications 

The fields of education follow the revised ISCED classification by field of education. 
The levels of education have been classified according to the ISCED 97 classification. 

7.  Variables collected 

The  UOE  data  collection  tables  are  organised  by  topic  and  by  statistical  units  for  which  data  are 
collected (students enrolled, entrants, new entrants, graduates, educational personnel and expenditure).  

The basic finance tables are: 

•  Table  FINANCE-1:  education  expenditure  by  the  level  of  education,  source  and  type  of 

transaction. 

•  Table  FINANCE-2:  education  expenditure  by  level  of  education,  service  providers  and 

expenditure category. 

•  Table FINANCESUP-2: expenditure for debt service. 
•  Table FINANCESUP-3: expenditure for research. 

Table FINANCE-1 
Its function is to obtain the data needed to construct indicators of education expenditure by initial and 
final  source  of  funds,  and  indicators  of  the  financing  of  educational  institutions  and  students,  all 
disaggregated by level of education and service provider.  All entities that provide funds for education, 
either  initially  or  as  final  payers,  are  classified  as  either  governmental  (public)  sources  or  non-
governmental  (private)  source,  the  sole  exception  being  “international  agencies  and  other  foreign 
sources”,  which  are  treated  as  a  separate  category.  The  table  is  organised  by  source  of  funds.  It has 
separate  sections  to  report  the  educational  expenditure  of  central,  regional  and  local  governments, 
international  sources  of  funds,  households  and  other  private  entities.  It  distinguishes  three  types  of 
financial transactions: 

i.  Direct expenditure on educational institutions; 
ii.  Transfers to students or households and to other private entities 
iii.  Households’ expenditure on education outside educational institutions. 

Variables collected include: 

1.  Government expenditure 

Central government expenditure 

-  Direct  expenditure  for  institutions  by  type  of  institution  (public,  government-dependent, 

and independent private) 

-  Direct expenditure designed for capital 
-  Transfers to regional and local governments 
-  Scholarships and other grants to students/households 
-  Student loans 
-  Transfers and payments to other private entities 

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Regional government expenditure 

-  Direct  expenditure  for  institutions  by  type  of  institution  (public,  government-dependent, 

and independent private) 

-  Direct expenditure designed for capital 
-  Transfers to local governments 
-  Scholarships and other grants to students/households 
-  Student loans 
-  Transfers and payments to other private entities 

Local government expenditure 

-  Direct  expenditure  for  institutions  by  type  of  institution  (public,  government-dependent, 

and independent private) 

-  Direct expenditure designed for capital 
-  Scholarships and other grants to students/households 
-  Student loans 
-  Transfers and payments to other private entities 

Expenditure of all levels of government combined 

-  Direct  expenditure  for  institutions  by  type  of  institution  (public,  government-dependent, 

and independent private) 

-  Direct expenditure designed for capital 
-  Direct expenditure designated for ancillary services 
-  Scholarships and other grants to students/households 
-  Of which: public grants attributable for tuition fees to educational institutions 
-  Of which: public grants not attributable for tuition fees to educational institutions 
-  Student loans 
-  Transfers and payments to other private entities 

2.  Funds from international agencies and other foreign sources 

-  Direct  expenditure  for  institutions  by  type  of  institution  (public,  government-dependent, 

and independent private) 

-  Subtotal: international payments direct to private institutions 
-  Total: international payments direct to all type of institutions 
-  Transfers  from  international  sources  to  government  by  level  of  government  (central, 

regional, and local) 

3.  Private expenditure 

Expenditure of households 

-  Payments to educational institutions 
-  Payments to public institutions 
-  Payments to government-dependent private institutions 
-  Payments to independent private institutions 
-  Of which: fees paid to institutions for ancillary services 
-  Payments on goods requested directly or indirectly by educational institutions 

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-  Payments  on  goods  not  directly  needed  for  participation,  purchasing  not  imposed  by 

educational institutions 
-  Payments for private tutoring 

Expenditure of other private entities 

-  Payments to public institutions 
-  Payments to government-dependent private institutions 
-  Payments to independent private institutions 
-  Subtotal: payments to private institutions 
-  Subtotal: payments to all type of institutions 
-  Of which: payments of private enterprises for specified educational activities 
-  Of which: fees paid to institutions for ancillary services 
-  Scholarship and other grants to students/households 
-  Student loans 

Table FINANCE-2 
Its  function  is  to  obtain  data  needed  to  construct  indicators  of  the  cost  of  education  (total  and  per 
student) and the composition of educational expenditure by nature and type of resource, disaggregated 
by  both  level  of  education  and  service  provider.  Furthermore,  the  collection  of  data  is  intended  to 
represent  the  total  cost  of  services  provided  by  each  type  of  institution,  without  reference  to  the 
sources of funds (whether they are public or private).  

Variables collected include: 

1.  Expenditure in public and private institutions (public and private sources) 

-  Total current expenditure for personnel compensation 
-  Total current expenditure other than for the compensation of personnel 
-  Total capital expenditure (excludes payments for debt service) 
-  Total current and capital expenditure 
-  Adjustments for changes in fund balances 
-  Total funds: current and capital expenditure plus adjustments for changes in fund balances 
Expenditure  in  institutions  (public  and  private  sources)  collected  by  type  of  institution  (public, 
government dependent private, independent private) 

-  Expenditure  for  compensation  of  personnel  broken  down  by  type  of  personnel  (teachers 

and other staff) 

-  Current expenditure other than for compensation of personnel 
-  Capital expenditure 
-  Expenditure for ancillary services in public institutions (public and private sources) 

8.  Expenditure 

Educational expenditure include: 

•  Direct public, private and international expenditure on educational institutions; 
•  Private  expenditure  on  educational  goods  and  services  purchased  outside  educational 

institutions;  

•  Public subsides to students for student living costs. 

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This  definition  includes  public  subsides  to  students  for  tuition,  which  are  included  in  direct  private 
expenditure on educational institutions. 

The following list provides an indication of what expenditure by educational institutions needs to be 
included: 
• 
•  Educational goods (books, materials, etc) provided by institutions; 
•  Training  of  apprentices  and  other  participants  in  mixed  school  and  work-based  educational 

Instruction; (i.e., teaching); 

programmes at the workplace; 

•  Administration; 
•  Capital expenditure and rent; 
•  Student transportation, school meals, student housing, boarding; 
•  Guidance, student health services, special educational needs; 
•  Services for the general public provided by educational institutions; 
•  Educational research and curriculum development; 
•  Research and development performed at higher education institutions. 

Ancillary  services  are  services  provided  by  educational  institutions  that  are  peripheral  to  the  main 
educational mission. 

Funds from international agencies and other foreign sources 
International  funds  consist  of  funds  from  public  multilateral  organisations  for  development  aid  to 
education. These organisations include multilateral development banks (the World Bank and regional 
development banks), the United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organisations, bilateral 
development  co-operation  government  agencies  and  international  NGO  agencies  established  in  the 
receiving country. International funds also include other foreign grants for R&D at tertiary institutions. 

Two  private  sources  of  education  funds  are  identified:  households  and  other  private  entities. 
Households  mean  students  and  their  families.  Other  private  entities  include  private  businesses  and 
non-profit organisations, including religious organisations, charitable organisations, and business and 
labour associations. It also includes expenditure by private companies on the work-based element of 
school and work-based training of apprentices and students. 

The following expenditure should be included: 
Expenditure  on  contracted  and  purchased  services  is  expenditure  on  services  obtained  from  outside 
providers,  as  opposed  to  services  produced  by  the  education  authorities  or  educational  institutions 
themselves using their own personnel. 

Expenditure  on  other  resources  covers  the  purchases  of  other  resources  used  in  education,  such  as 
teaching  and  learning  materials,  other  materials  and  supplies,  items  of  equipment  not  classified  as 
capital, fuel, electricity, telecommunications, travel expenses, and insurance. 
Required payments other than expenditure on educational resources: for example, the property taxes 
that educational institutions are required to pay in some countries should be reported here. 

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TThhee  OOEECCDD  SSoocciiaall  EExxppeennddiittuurree  ((SSOOCCXX))  ddaattaabbaassee  

1.  Introduction 

The OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) has been developed to monitor trends in aggregate 
social expenditure as well as changes in its composition. The SOCX database was set up to provide a 
means of monitoring overall trends in social expenditure and analysing changes in their composition.    

Social expenditure is defined as follows: 

Social expenditure is the provision by public (and private) institutions of benefits to households 
and individuals in order to provide support during circumstances, which adversely affect their 
welfare. 

Such  benefits  can  be  cash  transfer  or  can  be  direct  (“in  kind”)  provision  of  goods  and  services, 
provided that the provision of the benefits constitutes neither a direct payment for a particular good or 
service nor and individual contract or transfer. 

Social protection in “unrequited”: it does not include “market transactions”, i.e. payments in return for 
the simultaneous provision of services of equivalent value. Contributions to a social protection scheme 
for  a  specific  risk  are  not  payments  or  direct  compensation  for  that  benefit.  Conversely,  individual 
contracts  such  as  life-insurance  policies  are  outside  the  sphere  of  what  is  regarded  as  “social 
spending”.  

Beneficiaries  are  individual  or  households  since  some  benefits  are  granted  to  the  whole  household 
according  to  its  circumstances.  A  household  or  individual  may  receive  several  social  benefit  or 
benefits on several grounds during a single financial year, which makes it hard to define coverage.  

The  data  do  not  cover  all  the  forms  of  expenditure  that  could  be  qualified  as  social.  The  budget  of 
central or other tiers of government have social objectives in the sense that they cover administrative, 
investment  or  operating  expenditure,  even  protection  in  the  case  of  safety  expenditure,  for  the 
community  as  a  whole.  But  that  expenditure  does  not  result  in  individual  benefit  for  people  or 
households.  

The  SOCX  database  does  not  cover  either  expenditure  made  via  the  tax  system  to  meet  social 
objectives, such as tax rebates and tax relief. Neither does the database includes social expenditure by 
private  institutions  where  no  regularly  or  legal  obligation  is  involved  (non-mandatory  private 
expenditure).  
Finally  educational  expenditure  is  monitored  within  a  special  framework  and  covered  by  its  own 
database. 

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2.  Social expenditure programmes 

For each country, SOCX includes data at the level of individual social expenditure programmes. The 
social expenditure programmes are the building blocks of the database: 

A  social  expenditure  programme  is  defined  as  a  body  of  rules,  supported  by  one  or  more 
institutions, governing the provision of social expenditure benefits for a particular contingency.  

The programmes are grouped according to their leading objective into 13 policy areas: 

1.  Old age cash benefits 
2.  Disability cash benefits 
3.  Occupational injury and disease 
4.  Sickness benefits 
5.  Services for the elderly and disabled people  
6.  Survivors 
7.  Family cash benefits 
8.  Family services 
9.  Active labour market programmes 
10.  Unemployment 
11.  Public expenditure on health 
12.  Housing 
13.  Other contingencies. 

3.  Characteristics of the SOCX database 

All  OECD  Member  countries  including  the  latest,  Slovak  Republic,  are  covered  by  the  SOCX 
database, with the exception of Hungary. Data are supplied directly by national authorities. The data 
are taken from responses to the OECD electronic questionnaire, supplemented where necessary with 
data from national publications and yearbooks.  

To  lighten  the  burden  on  national  governments  that  report  to  international  institutions  (European 
Member states, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), the OECD has joined forces with Eurostat to use 
data already collected within the framework of the ESSPROS system. 

Data  for  active  labour  market  policies  (ALMP)  and  unemployment  are  taken  from  the  OECD/LMP 
database, supplemented in some cases with additional national sources. Data on public expenditure on 
health have been taken from the OECD Health Data. 

For  most  countries,  data  are  available  for  every  year  since  1980.  The  database  provides  annual 
expenditure  figures  for  each  country  at  programme  level.  Programme  developments  (creation, 
alteration,  replacement,  merger  or  termination)  are  indicated  in  national  authority  responses  to 
questionnaires. This information than appears in the form of notes in the database. 

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4.  The recording period 

The SOCX database gathers information on total benefit payments made in the course of a financial 
year for a specific social programme. 

The recording period is not the same for each country. Most country report data by calendar year (1 
January  to  31  December),  except  for  Australia,  Canada,  Japan,  New  Zealand,  United  Kingdom  and 
United States where the data reported pertain to a financial year. As a result, in some cases expenditure 
comparisons in respect of a one and same year do not cover strictly comparable periods. For instance, 
expenditure for a fiscal year beginning 1 October is classed under the same year as expenditure for one 
beginning on 1 January, although it covers more of the following year.  

5.  Categorisation of social expenditure 

1.  Old age cash benefits 
1.1  Old age pension 
1.2  Old age civil servant pension 
1.3  Veteran’s old age pension 
1.4  Other old age cash benefits 
1.5  Early retirement pension 

2.  Disability cash benefits 
2.1  Disability pension 
2.2  Disabled civil servant pension 
2.3  Disabled child pension 
2.4  Disabled veteran’s pension  
2.5  Disability other cash benefits 

3.  Occupational injury and disease 

4.  Sickness benefits 

5.  Services for the elderly and disabled people 

5.1.  Residential care 
5.2     home-help services 
5.3  Day care and rehabilitation services 
5.4  Other benefits in kind 

6.  Survivors 

6.1.  Survivors pension  
6.2.  Survivors civil servant pension 
6.3.  Survivors benefits in kind 
6.4.  Survivors other cash benefits 

7.  Family cash benefits 

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7.1  Family allowances for children 
7.2  Family support benefit 
7.3  Benefits for other dependants 
7.4  Lone parent cash benefits 
7.5  Family other cash benefits 
7.6  Maternity and parental leave 

8.  Family services 

8.1  Formal day care 
8.2  Personal services 
8.3  Households services 
8.4  Other benefits in kind 

9.  Active labour market programmes 
9.1  Labour market training 
9.2  Youth measures 
9.3  Subsidised employment 
9.4  Employment measures for disabled 
9.5  Employment service and administration 

10.  Unemployment 

10.1   unemployment compensation 
10.2   early retirement for labour market reasons 
10.3   severance pay 

11.  Public expenditure on health 

12.  Housing 

13.  Other contingencies 
13.1  Low income 
13.2  Indigenous persons 
13.3  Miscellaneous 
13.4  Immigrants/refugees 

6.  Social expenditure linked to lifelong learning 

The category “Active labour market programmes” contains all social expenditure, which is aimed at 
the  improvement  of  the  beneficiaries’  prospects  of  finding  gainful  employment  or  to  otherwise 
increase  their  earning  capacity.  This  category  includes  spending on public employment services and 
administration, labour market training, special programmes for youth when in transition from school to 
work,  labour  market  programmes  to  provide  or  promote  employment  for  unemployed  and  other 
persons (excluding young and disabled persons) and special programmes for the disabled.  

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Labour market training: training measures undertaken for reason of labour market policy, other than 
special programmes for youth and the disabled. Expenditure include both course costs and subsistence 
allowance  to  trainees,  when  such  are  paid.  Subsidies  to  employers  for  enterprise  training  are  also 
included, but not employers’ own expenses.  

(cid:131)  Training  for  unemployed  adults  and  those  at  risk:  programmes  aimed  mainly  at  the 
unemployed and those at risk of losing their jobs, or other disadvantaged groups such as the 
poor. Mostly in training centres, but often also in enterprises. 

(cid:131)  Training  for  employed  adults:  training  supported  for  reasons  of  labour  market  policy  other 
than the need to help the unemployed and those at risk. Most frequently, grants to enterprises 
for staff training in general. 

Youth  measures:  they  only  include  special  programmes  for  youth in transition from school to work. 
Thus they do not cover young people’s participation in programmes that are open to adults as well. 

(cid:131)  Measures  for  unemployed  and  disadvantaged  youth:  remedial  education,  training  or  work 
practice  for  disadvantaged  youth  to  facilitate  transition  from  school  to  work.  The  principal 
target  group  usually  consists  of  those  who  do  not  follow  regular  upper-secondary  and 
vocational education and are unsuccessful in finding jobs. 

(cid:131)  Support of apprenticeship and related forms of general youth training: it covers many forms of 
training and work practice in enterprises for young people. Access is not restricted to persons 
with employment problems. 

Measures for the disabled: only special programmes for the disabled are included. The category does 
not cover the total policy effort in support of the disabled.  

(cid:131)  Vocational  rehabilitation:  ability  testing,  work  adjustment  measures  and  training  other  than 

ordinary labour market training.  

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1.  Classifications 

OOEECCDD--  LLaabboouurr  mmaarrkkeett  ddaattaabbaassee  

Labour market programmes are classified according to the following classification: 

1.  Public employment services and administration 
2.  Labour market training 
3.  Youth measures 
4.  Subsidised employment 
5.  Measures for the disabled 
6.  Unemployment compensation 
7.  Early retirement for labour market reasons 

2.  Definitions 

Active programmes 

1.  Public employment services and administration 

The  following  services  are  included:  placement,  counselling  and  vocational  guidance;  job-search 
courses  and  related  forms  of  intensified  counselling  for  persons  with  difficulties  in  finding 
employment;  support  of  geographic  mobility  and  similar  costs  in  connection  with  job  search  and 
placement. It includes all costs of labour market agencies. 

2.  Labour market training 

Training measures undertaken for reasons of labour market policy, other than special programmes 
for the youth and disabled. Expenditure includes both course costs and subsistence allowances to 
trainees, when such are paid.  Subsidies to employers for enterprise training are also included, but 
not employers’ own expenses.  

a.) Training for unemployed adults and those at risk 

Programmes aimed mainly, though not always exclusively, at unemployed and those at risk of 
losing  their  jobs,  or  other  disadvantaged  groups  such  as  the  poor  (especially  in  the  United 
States). Mostly in training centres, but also in enterprises. 

b.) Training for employed adults 

Training  supported  for  reasons  of  labour  market  policy  other  than  the  need  to  help  the 
unemployed  and  those  at  risk.  Most  frequently,  grants  to  enterprises  for  staff  training  in 
general. 

3.  Youth measures 

Including only special programmes for youth in transition from school to work. Thus it does not 
cover young people’s participation in programmes that are open to adults as well. 

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a.)  Measures for unemployed and disadvantaged youth 

Remedial  education,  training  or  work  practice  for  disadvantaged  youth  to  facilitate  transition 
from  school  to  work.  The  principal  target  group  usually  consists  of  those  who  do  not  follow 
regular upper-secondary or vocational education and are unsuccessful in finding jobs. 

b.)  Support for apprenticeship and related forms of training 

Covers many forms of training and work practice in enterprises for young people. Access is not 
restricted to persons with employment problems. 

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AAnnnneexx  
66 

IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall  ppuubblliiccaattiioonnss  
ccoonnttaaiinniinngg  iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn  oonn  
eedduuccaattiioonn  aanndd  ttrraaiinniinngg  

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Annex 6 

 International publications containing 
information on education and training 

The  following  international  publications  contain  data  on  the  resources  devoted  to  education  and 
training: 

EEuurryyddiiccee  

Key data on Education in Europe 2002 

The  fifth  edition  of  Key  Data  on  Education  in  Europe  provides  a  wide-ranging  overview  of  the 
functioning of education systems and the participation of young people at all levels of education in 
30  European  countries  (the  15  Member  States  of  the  European  Union,  the  three  EFTA/EEA 
countries  and  12  candidate  countries).  It  contains  145  indicators.  The  information  needed  to 
construct most of these indicators comes from the UOE data collection and Eurydice. 
Chapter I, Financing of education contains the following information: 

-  Total education budget as a share  of total public expenditure, 1999 Eurostat UOE; Public 

expenditure: Eurostat. 

-  The evolution of public expenditure on education as a proportion of total public expenditure 

over time since 1996. Eurostat Rapid Data Collection Questionnaire and UOE. 

-  Total education budget as a percentage of GDP, 1999, Eurostat UOE; GDP: Eurostat. 
-  The  evolution  of  public  expenditure  on  education  s  a  proportion  of  GDP  over  time  since 

1995, Eurostat Rapid Data Collection Questionnaire and UOE. 
-  Public financing as a share of GDP, Eurostat, UOE; GDP: Eurostat. 
-  Sharing  of  decisions  to  determine  the  overall  amount  of  public  expenditure  earmarked  for 
schools  providing  compulsory  education  (ISCED  1  and  2).  Public  sector  or  equivalent, 
2000/01, Eurydice. 

-  Position of the decision-making level responsible for distributing resources among schools, 
in  relation  to  the  level  that  determines  the  overall  amount  of  public  expenditure  on 
compulsory education (ISCED 1 and 2). Public sector or equivalent, 2000/01, Eurydice. 
-  Distribution  of  expenditure  in  public  sector  and  government-dependent  private  institutions 

across major expenditure categories, 1999, Eurostat UOE. 

-  The extent to which schools providing compulsory education (ISCED 1 and 2) are free to 
acquire staff, goods and services, by resource category, public sector or equivalent, 2000/01 
Eurydice. 

-  Distribution  of  public  funding  to  educational  institutions  by  level  of  education,  1999, 

Eurostat UOE. 

-  Relationship between the share of public funding (as a percentage of GDP) and the number 
of  pupils/students  enrolled  as  a  proportion  of  the  total  population,  by  level  of  education, 
1999. Eurostat, UOE; Population: Eurostat. 

Exploring sources on funding for Lifelong Learning 

364

  
 
  
  
  
 
  
 
Annex 6 

-  The  extent  to  which  public-sector  or  equivalent  schools  providing  compulsory  education 

(ISCED 1 and 2) are free to raise funds from private sources, 2000/01, Eurydice. 

-  The kinds of resources which public-sector or equivalent schools for compulsory education 

(ISCED 1 and 2) may procure from private funding, 2000/01, Eurydice. 

-  Funding  allocated  to  government-dependent  private  schools  for  compulsory  education 

(ISCED 1 and 2) in comparison with schools in the public sector, 2000/01, Eurydice. 

-  Public  expenditure  per  pupil/student  by  level  of  education,  in  PPS  (thousands),  all  public 

and private institutions, 1999, Eurostat UOE. 

-  Public support for full-time undergraduates in tertiary education (ISCED 5). Public sector or 

equivalent, 2000/01, Eurydice. 

-  Public financial support (grants and/or loans) per student in tertiary education (ISCED 5 and 

6), public and private institutions, in PPS (thousands), 1999, Eurostat, UOE. 

-  Types  of  financial  support  for  families  with  children  undergoing  compulsory  education  in 

any kind of school (at ISCED levels 1 and 2), 2000/01, Eurydice. 

-  Direct  public  support  (grants  and/or  loans)  to  students/pupils  as  percentage  of  public 

expenditure on education, by level of education, 1999, Eurostat UOE. 

Basic Indicators on the Incorporation of ICT into European Education Systems - Facts and 
figures 2000/01 

This  publication  contains  information  on  national  policies  for  education  in  information  and 
communication technology (ICT) and indicators on the way this technology has been incorporated 
into European school education systems. It has been prepared on the basis of data supplied by the 
National Units in the Eurydice Network (who are acknowledged at the end of the publication) and 
the findings of the first Eurobarometer Flash surveys on this subject. 
Data is provided on the following indicators: 

-  Distribution  of  the  specific  budget  between  the purchase of equipment and expenditure on 

human resources, primary education (ISCED 1). Source: Eurydice 

-  Distribution  of  the  specific  budget  between  the purchase of equipment and expenditure on 

human resources, general lower secondary education (ISCED 2). Source: Eurydice 

-  Distribution  of  the  specific  budget  between  the purchase of equipment and expenditure on 

human resources, general upper secondary education (ISCED 3). Source: Eurydice 

The data refer to 2000/ 2001. 

Key topics in education in Europe - volume II 

countries 

This  study  approaches  the  topic  of  school  financing  primarily  from  the  structural  angle. 
The General Introduction defines the scope of the analysis and provides macroeconomic statistical 
indicators  and  diagrams  illustrating  the  associated  financial  flows  in  each  of  the  15  European 
Union 
study. 
The  book  contains  six  further  chapters,  each  dealing  with  an  aspect  of  the  financing  or 
management  of  resources  for  schools.  An  annex  contains  a  series  of  tables  summarising  the 
reforms  carried  out  in  each  country,  their  aims  and  the  specific  circumstances  in  which  they 
occurred. This publication contains the following information: 

EFTA/EEA 

countries 

covered 

three 

and 

the 

by 

-  Breakdown of public funding by level of government (central, regional, local) 
-  Breakdown of public expenditure by type of expenditure (staff, current, capital) 

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Annex 6 

-  Breakdown of public funding by level of government (central, regional, local) 
-  Average funding of a notional year compared to primary education 
-  Breakdown of public expenditure by type of expenditure (staff, current, capital) 
-  Expenditure per pupil 
-  Public funding as a % of GDP 
-  Public financing of a share of the total budget for education 
-  Education budget as a share of total public expenditure 
-  Capital expenditure per pupil  

CCEEDDEEFFOOPP  

Funding continuing training in small and medium-sized enterprises 

This report is divided into three main parts. The first outlines some potential reasons why funding 
policies  to  support  training  might  be  targeted  at  SMEs.  It  draws  on  the  results  of  the  first 
continuing  vocational  training  survey  (CVTS)  (European  Commission,  1999),  Key  data 
information (European Commission et al., 1997) as well as on observation, discussion and research 
from national studies. The second part of the report presents a variety of case studies from across 
the  EU.  The  original  aim  of  the  case  study  section  was  to  highlight  policies  specifically  linking 
funding mechanisms to continuing training activities in SMEs. As the project progressed, however, 
it became apparent that the various policies had different perspectives on ‘training’; in some cases, 
training was linked to broader business and/or social  objectives. In other words, the objectives of 
the schemes varied as did the reasons why SMEs, in particular, are considered to require support. 
The  case  studies  purposely  try  to  cover  the  widest  possible  number  of  approaches.  Where 
available,  each  case  includes  findings  from  nationally-based  evaluations.  The  third  part 
summarises  and  discusses  the  information  contained  within  the  cases  in  Section  2  and  draws 
together  some  conclusions  on  factors  influencing  their  effectiveness.  It  concludes  with  some 
suggestions on how to further research into some of the issues raised. 
This publication contains data on : 

-  Training costs by enterprise size (% labour costs) 
-  Training costs per trainee by enterprise size 

OOEECCDD 

Education at a Glance 2003   

The focus of the 2003 edition of Education at a Glance is on the quality of learning outcomes, the 
policy levers and contextual factors that shape these outcomes, and the broader private and social 
returns  that  accrue  to  investments  in  education.  This  includes  a  comparative  picture  of  student 
performance near the beginning and end of compulsory education that extends to knowledge and 
skills  in  important  subject  areas  as  well  as  patterns  of  learning  strategies  and  engagement  in 
learning.  The  picture  is  not  limited  to  aggregate  country  performance,  but  also  incorporates 
variations within countries. This allows for an examination of issues of equity in the provision and 
outcomes  of  education,  on  dimensions  such  as  gender,  age,  socio-economic  background,  type  of 
institution,  or  field  of  education.  This  report  also  includes  new  information  on  student  learning 

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Annex 6 

conditions  which  provides  a  better  understanding  of  some  of  the  determinants  of  educational 
success.  This  information  elaborates  on  the  integration  of  information  and  communication 
technologies  in  the  instructional  process,  as  well  as  on  teacher  qualifications,  teacher  working 
conditions and other factors affecting teacher demand and supply.  
Data is provided on the following indicators: 

-  Expenditure on educational institutions per student by level of education 
-  Expenditure  on  educational  institutions  per  student  relative  to  GDP  per  capita  by  level  of 

education 

-  Expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP by source of funds 
-  Expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP by source of funds and level 

of education 

-  Relative proportions of public and private expenditure on educational institutions by level of 

education 

-  Distribution of total public expenditure on education 
-  Distribution of public funds by level of government and education (%) 
-  Public subsidies to the private sector as a percentage of total public expenditure on education 

and GDP by level of education 

-  Expenditure  on  institutions  by  service  category  and  level  of  education  as  a  percentage  of 

GDP 

-  Expenditure per student on instruction, ancillary services and R&D by level of education 
-  Distribution  of  expenditure  on  educational  institutions  by  resource  category  and  level  of 

education 

Employment outlook 2004 

This publication includes a chapter on the improvement of skills for more and better jobs, raising 
the following question does training make a difference? To what extent do workers who receive 
training  enjoy  better  job  prospects  to  the  detriment  of  their  non-trained  counterparts?  Are  the 
effects of training different across demographic groups and what do empirical findings suggest as 
regards lifelong learning strategies?  
The publication offers information on public expenditure on labour market programmes by type of 
measure, as a % of GDP. 

Special Needs Education Statistics and Indicators 

This  publication  provides  a  full  account  of  a  totally  new  approach  to  making  international 
comparisons  in  the  field  of  special  needs  education.  It  makes  comparisons  of  students  with 
disabilities,  learning  or  behaviour  difficulties  and  disadvantages  on  the  basis  of  the  additional 
resources made available to them to access the curriculum, which in some countries covers some 
35%  of  school-age  students.  To  improve  the  quality  of  the  comparisons  made,  countries  re-
classified  their  own  classification  schemes  and  data  into  a  new  tri-partite  cross-national 
classification  system.  Category  A  covers  those  students  whose  disabilities  have  clear  biological 
causes. Category B covers those students who are experiencing learning and behaviour difficulties 
for  no  particular  reason.  Category  C  covers  those  students  who  have  difficulties  arising  from 
disadvantages.  Among  the  many  analyses  provided,  the  book  highlights  the  numbers  of students 

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Annex 6 

involved,  where  they  are  educated  (special  schools,  special  classes  and  regular  schools),  and  a 
breakdown by gender. 

Data  has  been  provided  by  23  countries:  Austria,  Belgium  (Flemish  Community),  Canada  (New 
Brunswick), the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, 
Italy,  Korea,  Mexico,  the  Netherlands,  New  Zealand,  Portugal,  Spain,  Sweden,  Switzerland, 
Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Society at a Glance 

Society at a Glance is a biannual publication that provides readers with key-information on 45 
indicators covering a wide range of topics: 

-  General context indicators  
-  General context indicators  
-  Self-sufficiency indicators  
-  Self-sufficiency indicators  
-  Equity indicators  
-  Equity indicators  
-  Health indicators  
-  Health indicators  
-  Social cohesion indicators  
-  Social cohesion indicators  

This publication contains the following data related to education and training: 

-  Spending  on  labour  market  programmes,  Active  measures,  1985-2001  (as  a  percentage  of 

GDP) 

-  Spending  on  labour  market  programmes,  Passive measures, 1985-2001 (as a percentage of 

GDP) 

-  Spending  on  labour  market  programmes,  1985  to  2001  (share  of  active  measures  in  total 

spending) 

-  Expenditure on education per student in 1999 
-  Expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP in 1999 

Education Policy Analysis 

The 2003 edition contains state-of-the-art reviews of policy issues and international developments 
in: 

-  the ways that countries define students with disabilities, difficulties and disadvantages, the 
approaches  they  are  taking  to  meet  those  needs,  and  what  these  imply  for  debates  about 
equity and inclusion;   

-  new approaches to career guidance, for both young people and adults, that facilitate lifelong 

learning by developing career management skills over the lifespan;  

-  the profound changes underway in the objectives and clientele of higher education, and what 

these imply for the way higher education is financed and governed;  

-  policy options for making sure that investments in adult lifelong learning - by individuals, 

governments and enterprises - pay off and are sustainable over the long term. 

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Annex 6 

The  2003  edition  also  includes,  for  the  first time, a summary of major education policy changes 
across a wide range of fields in OECD countries. This publication contains interesting qualitative 
information, but no statistical data related to the finance of education and training. 

Equity in Education: Students with Disabilities, Learning Difficulties and Disadvantages 

This  publication  outlines  practices  in  OECD  countries  and  draws  out  policy  implications.  It 
follows  on  from  the  previous  edition  Special  Needs  Education:  Statistics  and  Indicators,  and 
extends  the  analysis  to  include  more  countries  and  a  wider  range  of  educational  provision.  It 
includes  a  more  comprehensive  set  of  statistics  on  the  different  categories  of  students  and 
indicators of equity.  

It  maintains  the  tri-partite  cross-national  classification  system  developed  for  the  first  edition 
covering  categories  A,  B  and  C  (students  with  disabilities,  difficulties  and  disadvantages 
respectively). The  book  highlights  the  number  of  students  involved  and  where  they are educated 
(special  schools,  special  classes  or  regular  schools).  New  data  are  included  covering  pre-school 
and  upper  secondary  education  and  data  on  gender  have  also  been  expanded.  The  book  also 
ratios. 
includes 
The  analysis  is  based  on  both  quantitative  and  qualitative  data  provided  by  28  countries  and  a 
number of provinces: Austria, Belgium (Flemish Community), Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, 
New  Brunswick,  Saskatchewan),  the  Czech  Republic,  Denmark,  Finland,  France,  Germany, 
Greece,  Hungary,  Iceland,  Ireland,  Italy,  Japan,  Korea,  Luxembourg,  Mexico,  the  Netherlands, 
New  Zealand,  Norway,  Poland,  Portugal,  Spain,  Sweden,  Switzerland,  Turkey,  the  United 
Kingdom, and the United States. 

student/teacher 

information 

provision 

physical 

and 

the 

on 

on 

Alternative approaches to financing lifelong learning: Country report, Denmark 

The Danish authorities invited the OECD Secretariat to Denmark to meet with officials from the 
Ministries of Education and Labour to discuss issues related to the financing of lifelong learning 
for  adults.  They  chose  to  do  this  as  an  alternative  to  preparing  a  country  report  on  “alternative 
approaches  to  financing  lifelong  learning”.  Although  it  was  not  intended  that  the  visit  would 
provide as much detail as might be obtained in a country report, the Danish authorities organised 
the  visit  in  order  that  some  information  on  developments  and  views  in  Denmark  would  be 
available for consideration in deliberations by the OECD. 
This  report  summarises  the  information  gleaned  from  discussions  that  occurred  during  the  visit, 
and from supporting material provided during and after the visit. It focuses on five questions that 
have been dealt with in other country reports on financing of lifelong learning. 
This report contains the following information: 

-  Public expenditure on education and training by level of education, by level of education 
-  Public expenditure on adult education organised by public sector institutions 
-  Income support for individuals participating in adult education and training 

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Alternative approaches to financing lifelong learning: Country report, Italy  

By  means  of  the  Labour  Agreement,  signed  by  the  Government  and  the  social  partners  on 
September 24th, 1996, the lifelong learning concept was officially and legitimately introduced in 
the policies of both Government and social partners. 
The report says that it is necessary to link the initiatives in the field of education with those which 
are  related  to  the  research,  through  a  deep  reform  of  the  education  and  training  system,  able  to 
guarantee the coordination and the decentralization of the system, planning of the initiatives and of 
the resources, the articulation and the personalization of the initiatives in relation to the request for 
culture and professionalism which emerges in our country. In this context the autonomy will allow 
school  institutions  to  interact  with  the  social  and  institutional  partners,  and  also  to  make  the 
education and training process more personal and flexible. 
This  involves  redefining  the  learning  system  as  a  whole,  as  well  as  the  roles  of  the  public  and 
private  institutions,  the  individuals,  local  authorities,  state  and  regional  bodies,  as  regards 
direction, management, control and certification of the learning activities. 
This report contains the following relevant data: 

-  Expenditure per student in public and private institutions by level of education 
-  Educational  expenditure  on  primary  and  secondary  education  by  resource  category  for 

public and private institutions 

-  Educational  expenditure  on  tertiary  education  by  resource  category  for  public  and  private 

institutions 

-  Expenditures per student in “mobility programs" 
-  Distribution of financial resources for young unemployed programs  

Alternative approaches to financing lifelong learning: Country report, the Netherlands 

In  January  1998,  only  two  years  after  the  OECD  meeting,  the  Dutch  Cabinet  launched  The 
National Program of Action 'Lifelong Learning' based on the same body of ideas that steered the 
OECD initiative. In that sense the results of this study can be useful both for the national policy 
discussion and for the discussions at OECD level. 
In the different sections of the report, the economic-, social- and political context of the discussion 
about lifelong learning in the Netherlands is sketched and a number of comments are given to the 
data and analysis presented in the subsequent chapters. 
This report contains the following relevant data: 

-  Estimated public costs of closing the participation gap in secondary education  
-  Estimated costs of closing the completion gap in upper secondary and higher education 
-  Estimated  public  costs  of  closing  the  enrolments  gaps  in  the  relevant  types  of  adult 

education 

-  Summary of public costs of closing the participation gap for all relevant sectors 
-  Direct and indirect private costs per year for foundation learning and higher education 
-  Adult education and training private unit costs 
-  Calculation of the costs of closing the completion gap in higher education 
-  Real gross public expenditure on educational services per student in foundation learning 
-  Gross public expenditure by resource category in foundation learning 
-  Real  average  gross  public  current  expenditure  per  student  in  public  and  private  institutes, 

higher education 

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Annex 6 

-  Real expenditure on contribution towards study costs, basic study grant and supplementary 

grant, and number of receiving students  

-  Total  gross  expenditure  by  resource  category  in  public  and  private  institutes,  higher 

education 

-  Current  expenditure  divided  into  expenditure  on  personnel  and  other  current  expenditure, 

higher education 

-  Real  capital  expenditure  in  WO  divided  into  purchase  of  buildings  and  furnishing  and 

equipment 

-  Adult education and training programme costs 
-  Cost-indicators of four training schemes for the unemployed 
-  Public costs of job-related training 
-  Estimated implicit subsidies in part-time education for job-related training 
-  Nominal basic grant for students in WO and HBO 
-  Nominal supplementary grant for students in WO and HBO 
-  Expenditure on interest bearing loans and number of students that claim an interest bearing 

loan 

-  Funding of secondary vocational education 
-  Funding of general secondary vocational education 
-  Student flows and budgetary effects of four alternative policies by the year 2000 relative to 

the base scenario (differences from base scenario in percentages). 

-  Relative shares of financial contributions towards provider 
-  Funding of adult education by source 

 Alternative approaches to financing lifelong learning: Country report, Austria 

This  report  deals  with  the  political,  economic,  as  well  as  social  and  cultural  contexts  in  which 
lifelong learning is situated in Austria. In one of its sections, an estimation of participation gaps in 
various education and training programmes at secondary level II62 and the tertiary level as well as 
in  adult  education  offers  is  carried  out.  On  this  basis,  a  first  cost  calculation  can  be  made  to 
establish how high expenses would have to be to close these participation gaps. 

Another section deals with the cost structure and the development of the major cost components in 
the  fields  of  lifelong  learning:  at  secondary  level  II,  in  adult  education  and  training,  and  in  the 
tertiary sector. In the centre there are the public costs and approaches for reducing them.  
This report contains the following relevant data: 

-  Annual costs for closing the graduation gap and participation gaps 
-  Average distribution of gross costs of training enterprises 
-  Courses of continuing education and training broken down by cost unit 
-  How much would you personally be prepared to spend on continuing education and training 

per year? 

-  Public expenses to be expected for the year 2005, broken down by school type at secondary 

level II 

-  Comparison of the budget years 1994 until 1999 
-  Federal funds for financing the safety net 
-  Public expenditure per student for upper secondary education 

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Annex 6 

-  Expenditure by resource category in public and government-dependent private schools (in % 

of total expenditure) 

-  Cost factors 
-  Discrete and continuous growth rates of the cost factors 
-  Contributions of cost factors to the increase of total expenses per student (figures in %) 
-  Expenses  per  university  student  at  universities,  the  colleges  for  arts  and  music,  the  post-
secondary  colleges  for  teacher  training  and  the  post-secondary  colleges  for  the  training  of 
vocational teachers 

-  Expenditure by resource category in tertiary sector (in percentages of total expenditure) 
-  Growth rates by resource category in tertiary sector 
-  Salaries of instructional staff 
-  Structure of personnel expenses for instruction 
-  Structure of personnel expenses for apprenticeship training 
-  Costs per participant and cost structure 
-  Cost structure in the VWV and change of expenses per participant 
-  Cost factors in VWV and VÖV 
-  Cost  structure  of  the  Vocational  Support  Institutes  (BFIs)  and  change  of  expenses  per 

participant 

-  Cost factors of the Vocational Support Institutes (BFIs) 
-  Cost structure of the Institutes for Economic Development (WIFIs) and change of expenses 

per participant 

-  Cost factors of the Institutes for Economic Development (WIFIs) 
-  EU-resources for Leonardo and Socrates Activities, ESF resources 
-  Public  promotions  for  adult  education  and  expenses  for  federal  institutions  in  adult 

education and training 

-  Shares of the Federal government, the Laender governments, and the local authorities in the  
public  promotions  for  adult  education  and  training  (figures  in  %  of  the  total  promotion 
volume) 

-  Expenses  of  the  Federal  government  for  the  in-service  teacher  training  colleges  and  the 

Administration Academy 

-  Expenses  of  the  Federal  government  for  technical  and  vocational  schools  and  colleges  for 

people under employment 

-  Budget plan for 1997 of the Danube University Krems broken down by types of income 
-  Expenses for education and training measures in the framework of the active labour market 

politics 

-  Additional financing requirements by education sectors 
-  Current financing sources by education sectors 

Alternative approaches to financing lifelong learning: Country report, Finland 

Chapter 1 presents the present rate of participation in education. Chapter 2 describes the objectives 
for increases in educational participation set out in present political documents. Chapter 3 presents 
an analysis of how these objectives have already been reached and how participation in education 
should  still  be  increased  in  order  to  meet  these  objectives.  Chapter  4  describes  the  suggestions 
made  by  the  Committee  for  Lifelong  Learning  to  increase  participation  in  education.  These 
suggestions have been compiled in preparation for political decision-making and provide a view of 

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Annex 6 

the questions which are likely to be the focus of political discussions in the near future. Chapter 5 
provides a description of education insurance and the public debate surrounding it. The idea of this 
chapter  is  to  make  visible  some  aspects  of  the  political  atmosphere  in  which  the  strategy  for 
lifelong  learning is being developed. Chapter 6 presents calculations of the costs included in the 
present financing arrangements realising the objectives mentioned in political documents and the 
suggestions made by the Committee for Lifelong Learning would cause with the present financing 
arrangements.  Chapter  7  presents  the  present  funding  arrangements  of  the  various  forms  of 
education and an evaluation of their effects on cost-effectiveness. Chapter 8 presents two examples 
of good practice: the reform of AMK institutions (polytechnics) as an example of a reform aimed 
at  increasing  the  effectiveness  of  educational  financing,  and  the  competence-based  vocational 
qualification  system  as  an  example  of  a  reform  aimed  at  reducing  the  costs  of  education  and 
finding new sources for the financing of education. Chapter 9 presents the conclusions. 
This report contains the following relevant data: 

-  Maximum study grants 
-  Financial aid granted during the academic year 1996-1997 
-  Benefits targeted particularly at adults: the number of recipients and funding 
-  Labour market training allowance: recipients and funding 
-  Annual  additional  costs  to  the  state  caused  by  the  temporary  increase  in  the  number  of 

students in vocational education for young people 

-  Estimate  of  the  additional  costs  and  savings  per  annum  for  the  government  caused  by  the 
implementation of the objectives of the political policy documents and the proposals of the 
Committee for Lifelong Learning 

-  Average annual expenses and unit costs in comprehensive schools, upper secondary schools 

and vocational institutions 

-  Funds allocated for purchasing labour market training services 
-  Student financial aid 
-  Meal subsidies 
-  Travel assistance 

 Alternative approaches to financing lifelong learning: Country report, Sweden 

This country report provides data on: 

-  (Major components of costs) Current costs of education in the compulsory school 
-  Costs of education in the school for mentally retarded 
-  Principal organiser’s cost per pupil per academic year in the upper secondary school 
-  Cost distribution in the upper secondary school (Major components of costs) 
-  Size of the study grant 
-  Remuneration amount for undergraduate programmes in higher education 
-  Costs of basic education by type of cost 
-  Undergraduate education - cost of premises at universities and university colleges 
-  Costs of the main organiser for municipal education and supplementary adult education 
-  Costs of main organiser for upper secondary and supplementary adult education 
-  Average distribution of costs for 121 folk high schools 
-  Cost of basic municipal adult education 
-  Municipal costs for Swedish for immigrants (sfi) 
-  Average costs per student studying 425 clock hours over a year 

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Annex 6 

-  Municipal organiser’s costs for adult education for mentally retarded 
-  Costs of the 11 Study Associations 
-  State contribution to the AmuGruppen AB 
-  Development  of  total  costs  for  purchases  of  labour  market  training  during  1991/92  to 

1995/96 

-  Changes in total cost of educational grants 91/92-95/96 
-  Price per course participant per week by different education organizers 
-  Education grant before and after tax per month 
-  Average education grant paid out per month before tax 
-  Total costs for in-service training 
-  Education costs for job related training 
-  Higher education incomes 
-  Higher education incomes from contract education 
-  The number of students in higher education receiving study support and the amounts paid  
-  Number of students in higher education receiving special adult study support and amount  
-  The State grant for popular adult education 
-  Folk high school income 
-  Grant from the county councils and municipalities 

EEuurroossttaatt 

Education across Europe 2003 

The main aim of this publication is to provide comparable statistics and indicators on education for 
thirty-two countries. These are the fifteen current Member States of the European Union (Belgium, 
Denmark,  Germany,  Greece,  Spain,  France,  Ireland,  Italy,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  Austria, 
Portugal, Finland, Sweden and United Kingdom), two EEA countries (Iceland and Norway), the 10 
acceding countries (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, 
Slovenia and Slovak Republic), the three candidate countries (Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey) and 
two South-East European Countries (Albania and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). 
The main data source are the Eurostat education data collections built around the joint UOE (UIS2, 
OECD,  Eurostat)  tables  on  pupils  and  students,  teaching  staff  and  finance  complemented  with 
special  EU  tables  on  enrolment  at  regional  level  and  foreign  language  learning  in  schools.  The 
statistics  refer  to  public  and  private,  full-time  and  part-time  education  in  the  regular  school  and 
university  system  as  defined  by  the  International  Standard  Classification  of  Education  (ISCED), 
UNESCO, 1997. 

Other  Eurostat  sources  used  in  the  publication  include  Demographic  statistics,  the  Labour  Force 
Survey  (LFS),  the  2000  LFS  ad  hoc  module  on  Transition  from  school  to  working  life,  the 
European  Community  Household  Panel  (ECHP),  Research  and  Development  statistics,  Health 
Statistics  and  Economic  Statistics.  Data  from  these  sources  are  used  to  describe  the  context  and 
main outcomes of education. 
Indicators on enterprise training are also presented from the 2nd Continuing Vocational Training 
Survey (CVTS2), which is the only source of internationally comparable data in this field. 
This publication contains the following relevant information: 

-  Public expenditure by type of financial transactions as a % of GDP 

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Annex 6 

-  Public expenditure by level of education as a % of GDP 
-  Mean consumption expenditure on education per household as % of total mean consumption 

expenditure per household 

-  Expenditure per pupil/student in public institutions, by level of education 
-  Breakdown by type of expenditure (current, staff, capital -%) 
-  Financial  aid  to  pupils  and  students  as  %  of  public  expenditure  on  education,  by  level  of 

education 

-  Public funding by level of government 
-  Proportions of expenditure from public and private sources of funds by level of education 

EEuurrooppeeaann  IInnvveessttmmeenntt  BBaannkk 

Annual report 2003 - projects financed and statistics 

This  annual  report  is  the  EIB's  statutory  and  reference  publication. It provides details of activity 
during  the  previous  financial  year,  both  within  and  outside  the  European  Union,  and  includes 
statistical  analyses  covering  the  preceding  five  years.  It  contains  information  on  loans  for 
education and training purposes provided within the European Union. 

IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall  LLaabboouurr  OOrrggaanniissaattiioonn  ((IILLOO))  

A CD-Rom entitled "Preliminary database on investment in training" is available on request from 
the Skills and Employability Department (IFP/SKILLS).  

WWoorrlldd  BBaannkk  

Statistics 

The  World  Bank  presents  in  its  website  a  comprehensive  database  of  education  statistics,  which 
makes  a  variety  of  national  and  international  data  sources  (such as UIS and OECD) available in 
one  location,  compiles  World  Bank  data  on  pertinent  education  topics.  The  database  contains 
information on World Bank lending for the different levels and types of education as well as on 
public finance as a share of GDP. 

IIEEAA  

TIMSS  

TIMSS, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, is designed to help countries 
all  over  the  world  improve  student  learning  in  mathematics  and  science.  It  collects  educational 
achievement  data  at  the  fourth  and  eighth  grades  to  provide  information  about  trends  in 
performance over time together with extensive background information to address concerns about 
the  quantity,  quality,  and  content  of  instruction.  Approximately  50  countries  from  all  over  the 
world participate in TIMSS. A project of the IEA  headquartered in Amsterdam, it is directed by 
the  TIMSS  International  Study  Center  at  Boston  College  in  collaboration  with  a  worldwide 
network of organizations and representatives from the participating countries. 

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Annex 6 

The participating countries are providing funding for TIMSS 2003, with special donations from the 
United States National Center for Education Statistics and National Science Foundation, from the 
World Bank, and from the United Nations Development Programme. The annual contribution of 
each  country  to  the  costs  of  coordinating  TIMSS  internationally  is  US$40,000  per  year  for  one 
grade level and US$60,000 per year for two grade levels for three years. 

EEuurroobbaarroommeetteerr  

Eurobarometer survey 185 

This  survey  is  included  in  the  CEDEFOP  publication  “Lifelong  learning:  citizens’  views”.  It 
contains  interesting  information  related  to  lifelong  learning,  and  more  specifically,  on  the 
willingness to pay for education and training, by purpose. 

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