Publication: The discrepancy between education and the labour market demands (2013)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Various studies and analysis on labour market carried out during the last years at the national level reveals the problem related to the deficit of qualified labour force. Today's economic agents require a higher level of professionalism and specific skills of the employees. As we will see in the pages of this study, the economic agents mention that the most frequently they face the significant gap between their requirements and the professional knowledge of the graduates of professional secondary education, secondary specialized and higher education. Thus, many professional schools prepare trades / professions that are not in demand on the labour market. Even if the obtained specialty is required, the professional training is inadequate to the current employment conditions and requirements solicited by the most employers. This is mostly due to the outdated study programs, not adapted to the current requirements, but also to the poor and outdated material and educational basis for the professional training.

This affects, on the one hand, economic agents competitiveness, but also employment possibilities and the general situation of young people - recent graduates of institutions of vocational secondary education, secondary specialized and higher education. According to data of statistical research "Entrance of young people into the labour market" (the research survey was made on 1.1187 million young people), after leaving the educational system and until the finding of their first significant job (where the young man worked at least 3 months) more than half (57%) of young people had no jobs and were actively seeking. Only 22% of young people found a job immediately after leaving the education system. A quarter of young people have left their first job because of low salaries, and 17.7% went to work abroad.

The overall objective of this research is to investigate sizes of the discrepancy between the professional training offered by institutions of secondary vocational education, secondary specialized and higher education as well as the causes that determine this situation. However, we aimed to outline possible options for improving the situation, some of which being already covered by government policies in this area.

The research is focused on presenting a vision both at national and regional, taking into account the 4 target districts of the project: Ungheni Falesti, Calarasi and Causeni.

For reading the entire study, download the file.