Percentage of students by programme orientation (ISCED 2, 3, 4 &5)

Definition

Number of students at a given level of education enrolled in general or vocational/technical education programmes expressed as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled at the same level of education (in both general and vocational/technical education) in a given academic year.

Data source

Census or records of secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary educational institutions and programmes.

Source definition

UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Calculation method

Number of students enrolled in each type of education programme (classified by orientation) in a given level of education, expressed as percentage of the total enrolment in that level of education in a given year.

Data required

Enrolment data by orientation and level of education.

Interpretation

The relative concentration of students in a particular orientation of education depicts on the one hand high preference and capacity, on the other hand may reflect job opportunities as well as relative earnings across different occupations and industries.

Limitations

Cross-country comparability of this indicator can be affected by different ways in which national secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education systems are organized according to different orientations (e.g. general, technical-vocational, etc.).

Purpose

To inform about the orientation and capacity of secondary education programmes, as well as the potential supply of skilled workers in different specializations.

Quality standards

This indicator requires complete and reliable data on enrolment by orientation of secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education and clear distinction between different orientations of education. For each level of education, the percentage in all orientations of education must sum up to 100.

The UIS sets standards, develops questionnaires and quality control protocols for country data reporting, and maintains the global database on the structure of education, and data on enrolment by orientation of education.

Types of disaggregation

By sex.