The number of Irish people with a third-level qualification is the fifth highest in Europe, a new report has indicated.
According to the Quarterly National Household Survey compiled by the Central Statistics Office, in the second quarter of 2002, some 26 per cent of all 25- to 34-year-olds in EU member-states had obtained some kind of third-level qualification. However, the corresponding figure for Ireland during the second quarter of 2002 was 35 per cent, fifth only to Finland, Spain, Belgium and France.
Almost one in four people (23 per cent) aged 15 to 64 had a third-level qualification in the second quarter of 2003, the report also reveals, compared with just over one in six (17 per cent) in 1999, while the number of people describing themselves as students has also increased here in the past five years.
In the second quarter of 2003, 50 per cent of all 20- to 21-year-olds were students, while the total proportion of people aged between 18 and 24 who were students increased to 39 per cent, up from 35 per cent in 1999.
Interestingly, just under 10 per cent of all people aged 25 to 64 were defined as life-long learners. Of these, almost 75 per cent were in employment, with nearly 28 per cent describing themselves as not economically active. A third-level education significantly increases the chance of entering employment, the report shows.
In the second quarter of 2003, the participation rate for persons with a degree or higher was 89 per cent. This compares with a rate of just 50 per cent for those with a primary level education or lower.
There has, however, been a fall in the number of people aged 15 to 64 with only a primary education. In the second quarter of 2003, 17 per cent had attained a primary level qualification, representing a decrease of 9 per cent over the figure reported for the year before. Less than 10 per cent of employed people were pursuing formal education during the second quarter of 2003.
When working students are excluded from the figures, just under 7 per cent of employed people received a formal education in the previous 12-month period. However, almost 10 per cent of those working in the construction and education sectors took part in formal education in the 12 months prior to the survey.