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Europeans are looking to obtain tertiary education, as more than 45 per cent of the population in 72 regions in the Union plan to obtain such education by 2030.
According to the European Office for Statistics, Eurostat, the share of people aged 25-34 years with a tertiary level of education was below the 45 per cent target in more than two-thirds of all EU regions, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
About 22 regions in the EU, with at least 55 per cent of young people aged 25 to 34 years had attended tertiary level of education in 2021. These regions included the capital cities of Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, Czechia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Hungary, Denmark, Luxembourg, Ireland, Poland, France and Lithuania.
A high share of people attaining tertiary education was recorded in several regions specialised in research and innovation activities, or high-technology manufacturing, such as Utrecht in the Netherlands, Southern in Ireland, Pais Vasco in northern Spain and Province Brabant Wallon in Belgium.
As per regions with fewer attainment of tertiary education, there were a total of 22 regions in the EU, where less than a quarter of people ages 25 to 34 years old had obtained a tertiary level of education in 2021. Among these regions, with the lowest level of tertiary education attainment, including the French overseas territory of Guyane and the Portuguese Autonomous Azores region.
“Many were characterised as rural regions that had a relatively large agricultural sector, with a low level of supply of highly-skilled employment opportunities. Others were characterised by their relatively high specialisation in vocational educational programmes, with students moving into the labour market through apprenticeships and training schemes rather than as a result of obtaining academic qualifications,” Eurostat explains.
However, the lowest regional levels of tertiary educational attainment among 25- to 34-year-olds, were recorded in Centru (17.5 per cent), Sud-Est (15.9 per cent) and Sud-Muntenia (15.3 per cent), all located in Romania.
Another report from Eurostat shows that more EU citizens between the age of 20 and 24, have completed an intermediate level of education, showing that the rates of increase from 76.8 per cent to 84.6 per cent, recorded from 2002 to 2021.
The same report shows that 95 per cent of Europeans have an intermediate level of education, with three regions in Ireland having higher levels, followed by Greece, Croatia, Czechia, Lithuania, France, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia.
In addition, there are 23 regions in the EU where three-quarters of all young people between 20 and 24 years old, have attained intermediate education in 2021.