Number of vocational education enrolments has increased by 3.6 %
Data1 compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in the school year 2020/2021 vocational basic and vocational secondary education enrolments accounted for 27.7 thousand, which is by 3.6 % more than a year ago, while the number of entrants has decreased by 1.9 %.
Number of entrants continues to decline
From 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020, 10.9 thousand students have been enrolled in vocational education programmes, which is 215 less than in the previous period. Engineering, manufacturing and construction as well as services related study programmes were the most popular ones among the first-year students. 33.9 % and 22.7 % of students started studying in these programmes, respectively.
Within the engineering, manufacturing and construction field, motor vehicles, ships and aircraft (33.1 %), building and civil engineering (24.4 %), as well as mechanics and metal trades (14.7 %) were the most popular programmes. Within the services field, the greatest number of entrants was recorded in the programmes of hotel, restaurant and catering (60.5 %) and hair and beauty services (24.6 %).
Share of entrants aged over 30 increased by 0.3 percentage points (11.5 %). By comparison, share of entrants in this age group 10 years ago comprised only 3.6 %.
Most students in engineering, manufacturing and construction, least in health and social welfare
The largest number of students in vocational education is still in the fields of engineering, manufacturing and construction (9.5 thousand), as well as services2 (6.3 thousand), which is 34.3 % and 22.6 % of the total number of students, respectively. In turn, since school year 2015/2016 the number of students in the humanities and arts has increased by more than a third. This school year, 4.4 thousand students study humanities and arts, which is 15.8 % of the total number of students in vocational education. 3.1 thousand or 11.2 % study social sciences, commercial sciences and law, while 2.5 thousand or 9.1 % study natural sciences, mathematics and information technology (IT), which is 309 students more than in the previous school year. Compared to the previous year, the number of students in agricultural programmes has increased by almost a third - 1.1 thousand or 3.9 % of total number of students. The lowest number of students remains in health care and social welfare programmes, which are acquired by 813 or 2.9 % of all students.
The majority of students (24.1 thousand or 87 %) study in vocational upper secondary education programmes, 3.5 thousand or 12.5 % study vocational education programmes after completing a secondary education (post-secondary non-tertiary education), while 0.5 % are involved in vocational lower secondary education programmes.
Choice of study programmes differs between male and female students
Although the share of women in vocational education (44.2 %) has slightly decreased compared to previous years, it is still 4.4 percentage points higher than in 2010 (39.8 %). Among the students enrolled in this school year, 45.3 % were female students and 54.7 % were male students.
The largest share of male students is in natural sciences, mathematics and information technology, as well as engineering, manufacturing and construction programmes - 94.4 % and 88.2 % of the total number of students in these programmes, respectively. In turn, the predominance of female students is observed in health care, services, social sciences and humanities programmes - 91.9 %, 71.3 %, 70.8 % and 70.3 %, respectively. The most equal distribution of male and female students is in agricultural programmes, which are studied by 44.9 % of women and 55.1 % of men.
Number of graduates continues to decline
In the previous school year, 6 thousand students received vocational education, which is by 5.8 % less than in 2019. One third (33.7 %) or 2 thousand obtained qualifications in the field of engineering, manufacturing and construction, while 1.5 thousand or 24.3 % - in services (including 0.9 thousand in hotel and restaurant service programmes). In 2020, the number of graduates in vocational education was34.2 % lower than 10 years ago. One of the reasons is the sharp decline - by 34.3 %, in the number of young people of the 15-19 age group in the total population over this period (due to both lower birth rates and migration).
During the school year 2020/2021, vocational education programmes are offered by 54 educational institutions (including 41 vocational education institutions). One third of the students study at the six largest educational institutions according to the number of students: Riga State Technical School, Riga Technical School of Tourism and Creative Industry, Ogre Technical School, Daugavpils Construction Technical School, Riga Technical College and Liepaja State Technical School.
1 Information on vocational education has been arranged based on the data of the Ministry of Education and Science and CSB.
2Services field covers: hotel, restaurant and catering services, hair and beauty services, travel, tourism and leisure services, sports, transport services, etc.
Media requests:
Communication Section
E-mail: media@csb.gov.lv
Phone: +371 27880666
More information on data:
Inita Circene
Social Statistics Data Compilation and Analysis Section
E-mail: Inita.Circene@csb.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366686
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