Proposal for a COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION on tracking graduates
Date: 2017-05-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: EU statistics, data collection, employment statistics, exchange of information, higher education, integration into employment, job access, vocational training, youth employment

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 30.5.2017  COM(2017) 249 final 2017/0100 (NLE)   Proposal for a COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION on tracking graduates (Text with EEA relevance)  
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

• 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

Reasons for and objectives of the proposal 

The  objective  of  the  proposed  Council  Recommendation  is  to  improve  the  availability  of 
qualitative and quantitative information about what graduates from tertiary education and 
vocational education and training (VET) in Europe do after they complete their education and 
training.  Such  information  can  be  used  by  services  that  help  new  students  make  informed 
choices about what to study, by teaching staff and institutional management as input for the 
design of courses and by government authorities to inform decisions about how to steer higher 
education  and  VET  systems.  The  proposal  aims  to  stimulate  further  development  and 
exploitation of different forms of graduate tracking mechanisms at education system level in 
individual  Member  States  and  to  encourage  greater  cooperation  between  national  actors 
involved  in  tracking  to  share  good  practice  and,  ultimately,  increase  the  comparability  of 
tracking data collected.   

The employability of graduates is of concern in many EU Member States. In some parts of 
the EU, a significant share of tertiary graduates are unemployed or working in jobs for which 
they  are  overqualified.  For  recent  graduates  from  VET  programmes,  the  picture  is  more 
complex.  In some countries, such as Denmark, Estonia and Germany, recent VET graduates 
have high employment rates that even exceed those for tertiary graduates. However, in many 
other countries, including France, Spain and Italy, the equivalent employment rates for VET 
graduates are notably lower and lag well behind tertiary graduates1.  

Good  quality  information  about  what  graduates  go  on  to  do  after  leaving  education  and 
training, and on how they assess the knowledge, skills and competences they gained in school, 
college or university, is essential to understanding both the causes of graduate employability 
problems and the success factors in particular regions, economic sectors or for graduates from 
particular  higher  education  and  VET  disciplines.  This  information  can  then  be  used  to 
identify solutions.   

This  proposal  for  a  Council  Recommendation  and  the  proposed  EU-level  initiatives  that 
accompany it will respond to three main problems in Europe: 

 

1 

A lack of fine-grained information. Basic information on graduate employment and 
social  outcomes  is  available,  including  at  EU  level,  from  existing  data  collection 
exercises,  such  as  the  European  Labour  Force  Survey.    Moreover,  some  Member 
States have developed graduate surveys or set up additional systems to analyse data 
from education, tax and social security databases and register systems (administrative 
data) to track graduates' subsequent careers and earnings. However, in many parts of 
the  EU,  systems  for  collecting,  analysing  and  using  data  on  the  graduate  outcomes 
from  tertiary  education  and  VET  are  not  well  developed.  The  result  is  that  solid 
evidence is often not available.   

the  2016  Education  and  Training  Monitor:  http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/strategic-

See 
framework/et-monitor_en  

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 

 

Missed  synergies.  Although  many  EU  Member  States  are  developing  systems  for 
tracking at the moment, or have plans to do so, there is currently limited exchange of 
knowledge about good practice and mutual learning about what works. 

A lack of comparable data. Existing comparable data are limited in scope and data 
collected nationally are not comparable between countries, making it hard to draw 
lessons  from  differences  in  trends  and  observed  outcomes  across  countries  and 
regions. 

To  address  these  issues,  the  proposed  Council  Recommendation  and  related  EU-level 
initiatives have the following specific objectives: 

 

 

 

To  encourage  the  start  or  further  development  and  improvement  of  graduate 
tracking systems for tertiary education and VET at national level in Europe. In 
order  to  build  a  fuller  picture  of  the  outcomes  of  tertiary  education  and  VET, 
Member States are encouraged to include within their tracking systems people who 
leave education and training without graduating.    

To  encourage  and  facilitate  greater  cooperation  and  sharing  of  good  practice 
between  national  actors  involved  in  graduate  tracking  on  implementing  graduate 
surveys  and  tracking  systems  using  administrative  data,  and  exploiting  their  results 
through networking, mutual learning and counselling activities at EU level.  

To  improve  the  availability  of  comparable  information  on  graduate  employment 
and  social  outcomes.  This  objective  will  be  pursued  through  the  cooperation 
activities  highlighted  above,  in  which  improving  comparability  will  be  one  of  the 
aspects  taken  into  account  in  further  developing  national  tracking  systems.  In 
addition,  this  year  the  Commission  will  launch  a  pilot  phase  of  a  European 
graduate survey to test the feasibility of collecting information on tertiary graduate 
outcomes, building on the results of the Eurograduate Feasibility Study, and continue 
efforts to harmonise social survey questions.  

• 

Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area 

In the Initiative 'Investing in Europe's Youth', adopted on 7 December 2016, the Commission 
stresses  the  importance  of  high  quality  education  and  training  in  supporting  young  people's 
personal development and their transition to high quality employment. In line with the 2017 
Commission work programme, as part of the work to follow-up to the Youth Initiative and the 
New Skills Agenda for Europe adopted in June 2016, the Commission has committed to 'work 
with  Member  States  to  improve  the  availability of  data  on  graduate  employment  and  social 
outcomes  (‘graduate  tracking’)  spanning  also  across  vocational  education  and  training 
(VET)  sector'.  This  commitment  is  in  response  to  the  recognition,  at  both  national  and  EU 
levels,  of  the  importance  of  improving  knowledge  about  graduate  outcomes,  and  thus  the 
evidence base for policy-making and practice in education and training. Such information can 
inform the design of actions to improve the quality and relevance of students' education and 
thus contribute to better management of current and future skills needs or skills mismatches.   

The  2015  Joint  Report  of  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  the  implementation  of  the 
strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) proposes 
as an area for further cooperation the promotion of the relevance of higher education to the 
labour market and society, including through better intelligence and anticipation about labour 

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market  needs  and  outcomes,  for  example  by  tracking  the  careers  of  graduates.  In  the  VET 
area, Member States committed to ensuring continuous information and feedback loops in the 
Riga  Conclusions  of  2015,  which  presented  deliverables  in  the  area  of  VET  for  the  period 
2015-20.   

The  issues  of  addressing  skills  mismatches,  assessing  the  quality  of  education  and  training 
and improving feedback on graduate outcomes are also pertinent to the:  

 

 

 

 

Resolution on promoting socio-economic development and inclusiveness  in  the EU 
through  education:  the  contribution  of  education  and  training  to  the  European 
Semester 2016, which highlights the importance of addressing skills mismatches and 
skills gaps;  

Council Conclusions on entrepreneurship in education from 2014, in which Member 
States  agreed  to  make  use  of  tracking  information,  wherever  possible,  when 
assessing the quality and effectiveness of entrepreneurship education and training;  

Council Conclusions on the Social Dimension of Higher Education of 2013, in which 
Member  States  agreed  to  facilitate  the  provision  of  information  on  educational  and 
labour market-related opportunities and outcomes; and  

Council Conclusions on the employability of graduates from education and training 
of 2012, in which Member States agreed to monitor the share of employed graduates, 
with a view to enhancing the evidence base for policy development on the interface 
between  education  and  training  and  employment,  while  Member  States  and  the 
Commission agreed to collect qualitative information and examples of good practice 
aimed  at  complementing  quantitative  monitoring  and  enhancing  the  foundation  for 
evidence-based policy-making. 

In  addition,  the  Standards  and  Guidelines  for  Quality  Assurance  in  the  European  Higher 
Education  Area  (ESG)  and  the  European  Quality  Assurance  Framework  for  Vocational 
Education and Training (EQAVET) highlight the value of objective, good quality information 
on what graduates do on completion of their education and training. 

• 

Consistency with other Union policies 

By providing information that can be used by policy-makers to monitor and measure graduate 
outcomes,  inform  analysis  of  the  quality  and  relevance  of  the  education  that  graduates 
received,  take  action  to  resolve  any  skills  mismatches  or  skills  gaps  and  design curricula  to 
the 
improve  employability,  graduate 
Commission's priority on boosting jobs and growth.   

tracking  will  contribute 

the  realisation  of 

to 

It also supports the Europe 2020 headline target that at least 40% of people aged 30–34 will 
have  completed  tertiary  education,  as  the  tracking  initiative  will  contribute  to  the 
strengthening  of  career  guidance  for  prospective  students  and  development  of  higher 
education that can meet evolving educational, employment and societal needs. 

In  both  higher  education  and  VET,  the  proposal  is  consistent  with  the  Employment 
Guidelines,  which  prioritise  an  enhanced  labour  and  skills  supply  by  addressing  structural 
weaknesses  in  education  and  training  systems  and  by  tackling  youth  and  long-term 
unemployment. Indeed, the proposal  will contribute to  the successful implementation  of the 
Youth  Guarantee,  as  more  information  on  unemployed  graduates  will  also  help  youth 

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guarantee service providers to better identify young people not in education, employment or 
training (NEETs) within this group and target their intervention. 

2. 

• 

LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY 

Legal basis 

The initiative is in conformity with Articles 165 and 166 of the Treaty on the Functioning of 
the  European  Union  (TFEU).  Article  165  states  that  the  Union  shall  contribute  to  the 
development of quality education by encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if 
necessary,  by  supporting  and  supplementing  their  action,  while  fully  respecting  the 
responsibility  of  the  Member  States  for  the  content  and  organisation  of  their  education 
systems. Article 166 states that the Union shall implement a vocational training policy which 
shall  support  and  supplement  the  action  of  the  Member  States,  while  fully  respecting  the 
responsibility of the Member States for the content and organisation of vocational training. 

The  initiative  does  not  propose  any  extension  of  EU  regulatory  power  or  binding 
commitments  on  Member  States.  Member  States  will  decide,  according  to  their  national 
circumstances, how they implement the Council Recommendation.   

• 

Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)  

While  many  Member  States  have  developed  some  form  of  graduate  tracking,  there  is 
currently  limited  exchange  of  good  practice  and  comparable  data  between  countries,  which 
impedes the analysis of education outcomes and challenges across the EU. 

The added value of action at EU level lies in the ability of the EU to: 

 

 

• 

facilitate 
the  exchange  and  sharing  of  expertise  and  knowledge  between 
organisations  in  different  countries  to  improve  graduate  tracking  at  national  level; 
and 
initiate  an  approach  that  will  provide  new  comparable  data  on  graduate  outcomes 
across EU Member States and increase the comparability of data from existing data 
collection exercises, where feasible and desirable. 

Proportionality 

The proposal creates a coordinated approach to graduate tracking, which will provide support 
to  Member  States  and  the  Commission  in  sharing  good  practice  and  information,  and  in 
developing policies at both national and EU levels. As the commitments Member States will 
make  are  of  a  voluntary  nature  and  each  Member  State  decides  the  approach  to  take  in 
developing its own graduate tracking systems, the measure is considered proportionate. 

• 

Choice of the instrument 

A  Council  Recommendation  is  an  appropriate  instrument  within  the  field  of  education  and 
training,  where  the  EU  has  a  supporting  competence  and  is  an  instrument  that  has  been 
frequently  used  for  European  action  in  the  areas  of  education  and  training.  As  a  legal 
instrument, it signals the commitment of Member States to the measures within the text and 

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provides a stronger political basis for cooperation in this area, while fully respecting Member-
State competence in the field of education and training.   

3. 

• 

RESULTS 
CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS 

EX-POST 

EVALUATIONS, 

OF 

STAKEHOLDER 

Ex-post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation 

Not applicable. 

• 

Stakeholder consultations 

The  decision  to  propose  an  EU  initiative  on  graduate  tracking  was  informed  by  a  wide-
ranging  public  consultation  on  the  review  of  the  EU  modernisation  agenda  for  higher 
education,  completed  in  February  2016.  In  particular,  this  highlighted  concerns  about  the 
employment  outcomes  of  graduates  and  widespread  support  from  Member  State  authorities 
and stakeholders for further EU work to improve the availability of evidence of policy making 
and  practice,  in  particular  concerning  transparency  around  outputs  and  outcomes.  The  full 
results  of  the  consultation  can  be  found  in    the  Staff  Working  Document  (Annex  II) 
accompanying the New Skills Agenda for Europe. 

Key responses included: 
 

71%  of  students  or  recent  graduates  and  61%  of  higher  education  employees 
disagreed with the statement that 'there is a good match between the supply of higher 
education graduates and the knowledge and skills the economy needs'; 
55%  of  respondents  disagreed  with  the  statement  that  'people  designing  higher 
education courses are sufficiently aware of likely skills needs in the labour market'; 
47% of respondents disagreed with the statement that 'higher education  systems are 
functioning well'; and 
Only 29% of students or recent graduates agreed with the statement that 'students are 
supported well to make informed choices about what to study'. 

 

 

 

Since  completion  of  the  public  consultation,  the  specific  proposals  for  an  EU  initiative  on 
graduate tracking were discussed at the meeting of Directors General for Higher Education in 
Bratislava in October 2016, the November 2016 meeting of the  ET2020 Working Group on 
the Modernisation of Higher Education and the 2016 European Education and Youth Forum, 
where broad support was given to a coordinated approach in this area. 

A  recent  CEDEFOP  European  public  opinion  survey  on  vocational  education  and  training 
indicates similar challenges in a number of EU Member States with regard to young people 
who  complete  VET,  with  almost  a  third  reporting  having  experienced  difficulties  at  some 
stage  in  finding  a  job.  Another  CEDEFOP  survey,  European  Skills  and  Jobs,  based  on 
responses of 49,000 adult employees (aged 24-65), indicated that 41% of them believed they 
had few opportunities to find a job matching their skills and qualifications. 

Graduate  tracking  has  been  discussed  on  several  occasions  with  VET  stakeholders  and 
suggestions  emerging  from  the  debate  fed  into  the  preparation  of  the  present  proposal.  In 
particular,  the  EQAVET  annual  network  meeting  in  June  2016,  the  EQAVET  peer  learning 
activity  on  relevant  indicators  in  September  2016,  and  the  EQAVET  forum  in  2016,  where 

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graduate tracking was a major issue, provided input from the point of view of the VET quality 
assurance community. 

• 

Collection and use of expertise 

The  proposal  is  based  on  an  assessment  of  the  potential  benefits,  risks  and  impact  of  a 
European initiative to further develop graduate tracking mechanisms at national and EU level. 
Promoting  graduate  employability  and  graduate  tracking  have  been  recurrent  themes  in  the 
policy  and  practice  exchange  supported  by  Education  and  Training  2020  and  the  Bologna 
Process,  with  recent  peer-learning  activities  on  promoting  graduate  employability  (February 
2015) and graduate tracking (September 2015). 

The final report of the EUROGRADUATE feasibility study, finalised in 2016, carried out on 
behalf  of  the  Commission,  confirmed  that  graduate  tracking  initiatives  at  system  level  are 
widespread in Europe, although approaches and levels of activity vary considerably between 
countries.  Initiatives  based  on  regular  or  recent  graduate  surveys,  analysis  of  administrative 
data or a combination of these were identified in 25 of the 31 countries surveyed. However, 
only 11 countries were found to run regular graduate surveys (usually annually or every two 
years) and 6 have tracking studies that integrate survey and administrative data. The survey 
also  confirmed  demand  among  stakeholders  for  a  sustainable,  regular  European  graduate 
study.   

Evidence  was  also  gathered  from  the  outputs  of  HEGESCO  and  REFLEX  studies  (2010), 
(supported  respectively  by  FP6  and  the  Lifelong  Learning  Programme),  which  undertook 
large-scale  trans-national  surveys  of  tertiary  graduate  outcomes,  as  well  as  the  Erasmus 
Impact Study (2015), a report on Labour Market Outcomes of VET (CEDEFOP 2013) and the 
European Skills and Jobs Survey (CEDEFOP 2015). 

The  2016  EQAVET  peer  learning  activity  on  indicator  5  (placement  rate  in  VET 
programmes),  also  based  on  national  case  studies,  concluded  that  tracking  VET  graduates 
provided  national  authorities  and  VET  providers  with  crucial  information  to  adapt  VET 
supply to labour market needs and to assess the effectiveness of the VET system. The 2016 
EQAVET Forum specifically discussed VET graduate tracking and suggested features for the 
design and implementation of appropriate systems. 

• 

Impact assessment 

Given the complementary approach of the activities to Member State initiatives, the voluntary 
nature of the proposed activities and the scope of the impacts expected, an impact assessment 
was not carried out. Rather, development of the proposal was informed by previous studies, 
consultation  of  Member  States,  in  particular  those  with  well-developed  graduate  tracking 
systems, and the public consultation on the modernisation agenda for higher education. 

• 

Regulatory fitness and simplification 

Not applicable. 

• 

Fundamental rights 

Member  States  will  commit  to  ensuring  that  they  will  develop  graduate  tracking  initiatives 
that  respect  Article  8  of  the  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  of  the  European  Union,  which 

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states that everyone has the right to the protection of personal data concerning him or her; that 
such data must be processed fairly for specific purposes and on the basis of the consent of the 
person concerned or some other legitimate basis laid down by law; and that everyone has the 
right of access to data which has been collected concerning him or her, and the right to have it 
rectified.  

Through the provision of improved information on graduate outcomes, the proposed Council 
Recommendation  will  also  contribute  to  the  realisation  of  Article  14,  on  the  right  to  access 
education  and  vocational  education  and  training,  and  Article  15,  on  the  right  to  access 
employment. 

The  measures  shall  be carried  out  in  accordance  with  EU  law  on  the  protection  of personal 
data, in particular Directive 95/46/EC, to be replaced on 25 May 2018 with Regulation (EU) 
2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of natural persons 
with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General 
Data Protection Regulation).  

4. 

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS 

The establishment of graduate tracking systems has resource implications at national level and 
will  require  sustainable  and  adequate  funding.  As  shown  in  the  Eurograduate  study,  some 
form  of  graduate  tracking  is  underway  in  25  of  the  31  countries  surveyed,  showing  a 
recognition of the importance of information on graduate outcomes. The use the existing EU 
funding,  such  as  Erasmus+  or  European  Structural  and  Investment  Funds,  to  support  the 
development of national tracking systems will be encouraged, where appropriate and in line 
with their legal basis, as well as their respective financial capacity.  

A budget of €800,000 over two years has been set aside in the Erasmus+ 2017 annual work 
programme  for  the  pilot  graduate tracking  survey.  The  proposed  network  of  experts  will  be 
funded through existing arrangements for ET2020 Working Groups. No additional budget or 
staff resources will be required from the EU budget. 

5. 

• 

OTHER ELEMENTS 

Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements 

Member States will commit to reporting annually to the Commission on their implementation 
and  evaluation  of  the  measures  within  the  Council  Recommendation,  beginning  within  two 
years  of  its  adoption,  while  the  Commission  will  report  to  the  Council  on  the  overall 
implementation of the Council Recommendation within five years of its adoption. 

In  addition,  progress,  including  any  challenges,  will  be  monitored  through  meetings  of  the 
Network  of  Experts,  which  will  provide  a  forum  for  mutual  learning  and  exchange  of  good 
practice.   

• 

Explanatory documents (for directives) 

Not applicable. 

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• 

Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal 

Member State Provisions 

Paragraphs 1-2 

The  proposal  recommends  that  Member  States  improve  the  availability  and  quality  of 
information about the activities of graduates (individuals who have successfully completed a 
given level of education and training), as well as, where appropriate, people who leave higher 
education and vocational education and training without graduating, by establishing, by 2020, 
graduate tracking systems that include: 

 

 
 

The  collection  of  relevant  administrative  data  from  education,  tax  and  social 
security databases; 
The development of longitudinal graduate surveys; and 
The possibility to link, on an anonymised basis, data from different sources. 

Most  existing  graduate  tracking  initiatives  collect  information  about  and  from  graduates 
through either dedicated surveys or through assembling and cross-referencing various types of 
administrative  data  from  educational,  tax  and  social  security  databases.  More  general  data 
collection  exercises,  such  as  Labour  Force  Surveys,  also  collect  data  on  the  employment 
outcomes  of  graduates  from  different  levels  of  education,  but  the  information  generated  is 
more general than that collected through dedicated graduate tracking initiatives. Moreover, as 
is  stated  in  recital  5,  transitions  to  the  labour  market  are  largely  driven  by  the  economic 
context,  level  of  qualification  and  field  of  study.  They  are  influenced  also  by  socio-
demographic  factors,  such  as  sex,  country  of  birth,  citizenship,  ethnic  origin  and  socio-
economic background of the family. It is important, therefore, that graduate tracking systems 
gather  this  information  also  and  present  it  in  a  meaningful  way,  for  example  by  breaking 
down the data according to sex. 

By  recommending  the  linking  of  data  from  different  sources,  combining  quantitative  and 
qualitative  data,  it  will  be  possible  to  build  a  fuller  picture  of  graduate  outcomes  and  the 
impact  of  their  previous  study  choices  on  their  subsequent  choices.  As  outlined  in  the 
introductory text before paragraph 1, this will be done in accordance with national legislation, 
including national and European data protection regulations, available resources and national 
circumstances. 

Paragraphs 3-4 

The  importance  of  ensuring  a  high,  representative  and  continued  response  to  longitudinal 
graduate  surveys  is  clear.  However,  in  consultations,  some  Member  States  have  raised 
concerns about difficulties in tracking graduates who have migrated, either for the purpose of 
education  or  on  completion  of  their  education.  Member  States  will  be  urged,  therefore,  to 
make  efforts  ensure  that  the  learning  outcomes  of  these  graduates  are  included  in  data 
collected, and that they cooperate with other Member States as appropriate.   

An  objective  of  the  Council  Recommendation  is  to  develop  comparable  data  on  graduate 
outcomes.  While  recognising  the  right  of  each  Member  State  to  develop  graduate  tracking 
systems  according  to  their  own  needs,  the  objective  behind  establishing  the  network  of 
experts is to provide a forum for experts, to be nominated by Member States, to work together 

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at European level to improve cooperation and mutual learning, explore options for developing 
mutually  compatible  and  comparable  data,  and  to  consider  the  optimal  frequency  of 
longitudinal surveys.   

The network of experts will be organised and funded in accordance with the arrangements for 
ET2020  Working  Groups,  without  prejudice  to  any  structures  that  may  be  developed  to 
replace  the  ET2020  process.  It  is  envisaged  that  webinars  may  supplement  the  face-to-face 
meetings where appropriate.  

Paragraph 5 

The dissemination and use  of graduate tracking data will be of importance  to  both Member 
States and the Commission. The proposed text outlines the uses to which the data should be 
put:  strengthening  career  guidance,  designing  and  updating  curricula,  improving  skills 
matching,  planning  for  evolving  employment,  educational  and  social  needs,  and  improving 
policy development at national and European levels.  

Paragraph 6 

Ensuring adequate and sustainable funding for graduate tracking initiatives will be crucial to 
their success. For this reason, the proposed Council Recommendation makes reference to both 
national and European sources of funding. Given that the Eurograduate study shows that some 
form of graduate tracking is underway in 25 of the 31 countries surveyed, it is considered that 
Member States already recognise the value of graduate tracking systems. 

Paragraph 7 

Member  States  will  be  asked  to  agree  to  report  to  the  Commission  annually  on  the 
implementation and evaluation of the Council Recommendation, beginning within two years 
of its adoption. It is not envisaged that this reporting will be onerous: rather, Member States 
will  be  asked  to  report  on  the  extent  to  which  graduate  tracking  initiatives  are  being 
developed,  along  with  a  brief  evaluation  of  outcomes  or  any  challenges  they  may  face. 
Regular reporting will enable the network of experts to tailor its work to specific needs. 

Commission provisions 

Paragraph 8 

In  higher  education,  the  Commission  will  develop  the  pilot  phase  of  a  European  graduate 
survey, which will improve the availability of comparable information on graduate outcomes 
and  build  on  the  results  of  the  EUROGRADUATE  Feasibility  Study.  This  study  concluded 
that there was support among policy makers and stakeholders for comparable data on graduate 
outcomes across European systems, and that a European graduate survey could be a means to 
support  the  development  of  survey-based  graduate  tracking  in  countries  where  such  studies 
are not currently undertaken or where reforms are underway.   

In light of the potential added value of such a survey, but also the associated challenges, the 
Commission  intends  to  follow  a  staged  approach:  a  pilot  phase,  to  develop  and  test  data 
collection tools in a limited number of European countries, followed by a decision on whether 
to proceed to a full European graduate survey. The survey is scheduled to begin in September 
2017 and report within two years. 

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Paragraph 9 

It  is  recognised  that  graduate  tracking  systems  in  vocational  education  and  training  are,  in 
many cases, less developed than those that track higher education graduates. For this reason, 
the  Commission  will  focus  on  capacity  building  support  to  put  in  place  graduate  tracking 
systems,  based  on  good  practices  identified  through  mapping  across  Member  States,  and 
facilitating cooperation with regard to the use of graduate tracking data.   

Paragraph 10 - 13 

The  final  four  paragraphs  state  the  Commission's  intention  to  establish  and  support  the 
network  of  experts,  ensure  that  data  and  related  analyses  are  made  available,  including 
through  the  use  of  online  tools,    support  the  use  of  European  sources  of  funding,  where 
appropriate  and  in  line  with  their  legal  basis,  and  to  report  to  the  Council  on  the 
implementation of the Council Recommendation within five years of its adoption. 

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2017/0100 (NLE) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION 

on tracking graduates 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  and  in  particular 
Articles 165 and 166 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

The employability of graduates leaving education and training is a matter of concern 
in  many  Member  States,  in  particular  because  the  employment  rate  of  recent  higher 
education  graduates  in  the  Union  has  not  fully  recovered  after  the  2008  financial 
crisis2 and the employment situation of graduates of vocational education and training 
programmes varies across Member States. 

Therefore,  Member  States,  in  cooperation  with  social  partners,  were  encouraged, 
through the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States for 20153, 
to  promote productivity and employability through an appropriate supply  of relevant 
knowledge, skills and competences. 

To  achieve  that  objective,  good  quality  information  about  what  graduates  do  after 
obtaining their qualification or leaving education and training is essential, in order to 
both understand the causes of graduate employability problems in particular regions, 
economic  sectors  or  for  graduates  from  particular  higher  education  or  vocational 
education  and  training  disciplines,  and  to  identify  solutions  for  those  employability 
problems. The value of such  information  is highlighted in  in both  the Standards and 
Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)4 and 
the  European  Quality  Assurance  Framework  for  Vocational  Education  and  Training 
(EQAVET)5. 

(4)   However, since the systems for collecting, analysing and using data on the outcomes 
for graduates from higher education and vocational education and training are not well 
developed in many parts of the Union, information is often not sufficient for students 

2 
3 

4 
5 

COM/2015/0690 final 
Council Decision (EU) 2015/1848 of 5 October 2015 on guidelines for the employment policies of the 
Member States for 2015 (OJ L 268, 15.10.2015, p. 28)     
ISBN 952-5539-04-0  
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2009 on the establishment 
of a European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (OJ C 
155, 8.07.2009, p. 1)  

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to  make  informed  choices  about  what  to  study,  or  for  the  design  of  educational 
programmes or government policy.   

(5)  Moreover, transitions to the labour market are largely driven by the economic context, 
level  of  qualification  and  field  of  study.  They  are  also  influenced  by  socio-
demographic factors such as sex, country of birth, citizenship, ethnic origin and socio-
economic background of the family6. Therefore gathering data on the impact of those 
various factors is essential to address the issue comprehensively.  

(6)   Although many Member States are developing systems for tracking, the exchange of 

knowledge, good practice and mutual learning is limited. 

(7)  

(8)  

Since existing comparable data are limited in scope and data collected nationally are 
not comparable to that collected in other Member States, it is challenging to draw any 
conclusions from differences in trends or outcomes across countries and regions. 

The results of the public consultation7 on the Union's modernisation agenda for higher 
education revealed concerns that higher education is not providing graduates with the 
knowledge,  skills  and  competences  that  they  need  to  thrive  in  a  rapidly  evolving 
educational  and  employment  environment,  and  that  there  remain  continued  skills 
mismatches in some Member States. 

(9)  Member States have called for action at Union level, aimed at improving the flow of 
information  about  employability,  skills  mismatches  and  labour  market  needs.  In 
particular,  the  2015  Joint  Report  of  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  the 
implementation of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and 
training (ET 2020)8 proposes the promotion of the relevance of higher education to the 
labour market and society, including through better intelligence and anticipation about 
labour market needs and outcomes, for example tracking the career of graduates. 

(10)  Member  States  also  committed  themselves  to  ensuring  continuous  information  and 
feedback  loops  in  the  Riga  Conclusions  of  2015  on  a  new  set  of  medium-term 
deliverables in the field of VET for the period 2015 – 2020, through actions such as 
the use of data on VET graduate employability and a combination of data on learning, 
labour market entry and career, developing capacities of actors at national level to use 
graduate  data  for  adapting  curricula,  occupational  profiles  and  the  content  of  VET 
qualifications to new economic and technical requirements.  

(11)  Subsequently,  in  the  Resolution  on  promoting  socio-economic  development  and 
inclusiveness in the EU through education: the contribution of education and training 
to  the  European  Semester  20169,  Member  States  highlighted  the  importance  of 
addressing skills mismatches and skills gaps as a matter of priority. 

6 

7 
8 
9 

On the impact of the sex and migration background on transition from school to the labour market, see 
OECD/European Union (2015), Indicators of Immigration Integration 2015 – Settling In, Chapter 13  
COM(2016) 381 final   
OJ C 417, 15.12.2015, p. 25  
Draft Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, 
meeting within the Council, on promoting socio-economic development and inclusiveness in the EU 
through education: the contribution of education and training to the European Semester 2016, 5685/1/16 
REV 1  

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(12)  This  built  on  previous  work.  Member  States  agreed,  in  the  Council  Conclusions  on 
entrepreneurship  in  education10  from  2014,  to  make  use  of  tracking  information, 
wherever  possible,  when  assessing  the  quality  and  effectiveness  of  entrepreneurship 
education and training. 

(13) 

In 2013, Member States agreed, in the Council Conclusions on the Social Dimension 
of  Higher  Education11,  to  facilitate  the  provision  of  information  on  educational  and 
labour market-related opportunities and outcomes. 

(14)  Member  States  also  agreed,  in  the  Council  Conclusions  on  the  employability  of 
graduates  from  education  and  training12  of  2012,  to  establish  a  benchmark  that  by 
2020  82%  of  20-34  year-old  graduates,  having  left  education  and  training  no  more 
than  three  years  before  the  reference  year,  should  be  employed  and  to  monitor  the 
share  of  employed  graduates  from  education  and  training,  with  a  view  to  enhancing 
the  evidence  base  for  policy  development  on  the  interface  between  education  and 
training and employment, while Member States and the Commission agreed to collect 
qualitative  information  and  good  practices,  in  order  to  complement  quantitative 
monitoring and enhance the foundation for evidence-based policy making. 

 (15)  Therefore, the European Commission, in the Communication on a New Skills Agenda 
for Europe13, has prioritised the improvement of skills intelligence and information for 
better career choices by proposing an initiative on tertiary graduate tracking to support 
Member  States  in  improving  information  about  the  transition  of  graduates  to  the 
labour market. 

RECOMMENDS THAT MEMBER STATES: 

In  accordance  with  national  and  European  legislation,  in  particular  Directive  95/46/EC 
concerning the protection of personal data14, available resources and national circumstances, 
and in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders: 

1. 

Improve  the  availability  and  quality  of  data  about  the  activities  of  graduates15  and, 
where  appropriate,  people  leaving  higher  education  and  vocational  education  and 
training without graduating, including through the establishment by 2020 of graduate 
tracking systems that include:   

(a) 

(b) 

the  collection  of  relevant  administrative  data  from  education,  tax  and  social 
security databases;  

the development of longitudinal graduate surveys at education system level, in 
recognition  of  the  importance  of  qualitative  data  on  people's  transition  to  the 

10 
11 
12 
13 
14 

15 

OJ C 17, 20.1.2015, p2-7 
OJ C 168, 14.6.2013, p. 2   
OJ C 169/04, p11 
SWD/2016/0195 final 
Directive  95/46/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  24  October  1995  on  the 
protection of  individuals with  regard  to  the  processing of  personal  data and on  the free  movement  of 
such data (OJ L 281, 23.11.1995 p. 31). 
For the purposes of this Council Recommendation, 'graduate' refers to a person completing any level of 
higher  education  or  vocational  education  and  training.  It  is  recognised,  however,  that  some  Member 
States have initiatives to track school leavers also. 

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labour market, or to further education and training, and their subsequent career 
paths; and  

(c) 

the possibility for public authorities to link, on an anonymised basis, data from 
different sources, in order to build a composite picture of graduate outcomes. 

Content of data to be collected 

2. 

Collect data that includes: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a) the following quantitative data 

(i) socio-biographical and socio-economic information  

(ii) study intensity 

(iii) study method 

(iv) qualification(s) 

(v) credits received 

(vi) field of study 

(vii) transition to employment or further education and training 

(viii) earnings 

(ix) type of contract 

(x) employment status 

(xi) occupation, professional status and/or activity 

(xii) geographical and/or sectoral mobility 

(b) the following qualitative data 

(i) relevance of study to employment 

(ii) participation in volunteering or civic engagement activities 

(iii) career progression and satisfaction 

(iv)  perceptions  of  the  quality  and  relevance  of  their  education  and  training 
experience 

Longitudinal graduate surveys 

3. 

Encourage a high, representative and continued response rate to longitudinal graduate 
surveys,  including  the  tracking  of  graduates  who  have  migrated,  whether  for  the 
purposes of education and training or on completion of their education and training.   

European Cooperation 

4. 

Participate  in  a  network  of  experts,  to  be  organised  in  line with  existing  governance 
structures for cooperation within the Education and Training 2020 framework, without 

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prejudice  to  any  new  structures  which  may  follow  it,  which  will  encourage 
cooperation and mutual learning, explore options for developing mutually compatible 
and comparable data and consider the optimal frequency of longitudinal surveys.   

Dissemination of data and exploitation of results 

5. 

Ensure  the  timely,  regular  and  broad  dissemination  of  data  and  exploitation  of  the 
results, with the objective of: 
(a)  strengthening  career  guidance  for  prospective  students,  current  students  and 
graduates; 
(b)  designing  and  updating  curricula  to  improve  acquisition  of  relevant  skills  and 
employability;  
(c)  improving  skills  matching  to  support  competiveness  and  innovation  at  local, 
regional and national level; 
(d) planning for evolving employment, educational and social needs; and  
(e) contributing to policy development at both national and Union level. 

Funding 

6. 

Ensure  the  sustainability  of  graduate  tracking  initiatives  by  allocating  adequate  and 
multi-annual resources, making use of national or European sources of funding, such 
as Erasmus+ or European Structural and Investment Funds, where appropriate and in 
line  with  their  existing  resources,  legal  basis  and  priorities  defined  for  the  period 
2014-2020,  without  any  prejudice  to  negotiations  on  the  next  Multiannual  Financial 
Framework. 

Reporting and Evaluation 

7. 

Within two years from the adoption of this Recommendation, and annually thereafter, 
report 
this 
to 
Recommendation. 

implementation  and  evaluation  of 

the  Commission  on 

the 

HEREBY RECOMMENDS THAT THE COMMISSION: 

8. 

9. 

Develops the  pilot  phase  of  a  European  graduate  survey in  tertiary  education,  which 
aims to improve the availability of comparable information on graduate employment 
and  social  outcomes  and  which  will  build  on  the  results  of  the  Eurograduate 
Feasibility Study16. 

Provides capacity building support in vocational education and training, as needed, for 
the  establishment  of  graduate  tracking  systems,  based  on  good  practices  identified 
through a comprehensive mapping across Member States, and facilitates cooperation 
among  authorities,  providers  of  vocational  education  and  training  and  guidance 
services with regards to the use of graduate tracking data. 

10. 

Promotes mutual learning and strengthens cooperation by establishing and supporting 
the network of experts. 

16 

The Eurograduate Feasibility Study covers only higher education.  

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11. 

12. 

Ensures that data collected and related analyses are made available for use by Member 
States and stakeholders, including through existing online EU tools. 

Supports  the  use  of  European  sources  of  funding,  such  as  Erasmus+  or  European 
Structural  and  Investment  Funds,  where  appropriate  and  in  line  with  their  financial 
capacity,  legal  basis  and  priorities  defined  for  the  period  2014-2020,  without  any 
prejudice to negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework. 

13. 

Reports  to  the  Council  on  the  implementation  of  this  Recommendation  within  five 
years of its adoption. 

HAS ADOPTED THIS RECOMMENDATION:  

Done at Brussels, 

For the Council 

The President 

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