These are among the findings of a new Cedefop report, From education to working life: the labour market outcomes of vocational education and training.
Comparing young graduates of 20-24 years of age shows a considerable gap in employment prospects between vocational and general streams. Almost 76 % of 20-24 year olds with secondary or post-secondary vocational education were working compared with 67 % for general graduates.
At present about 23 million young people (aged 25-34) in the European Union are graduates of upper secondary and post-secondary vocational programmes – a figure higher than the population of Romania.
Although short-term employment prospects are better for vocational graduates, project Manager Alex Stimpson warns against complacency.