The progression paths of students and graduates in Latvian higher education have not yet been tracked at national level. However, higher education institutions have been legally obliged to collect administrative data on their students and graduates and report annually to the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia (CSB) and the Ministry of Education and Science. This data includes the number of newly enrolled students (by sex, level of study programme, state budget or tuition fee, and year of birth), the total number of students (by study programme and level, sex and year of birth), and the degrees or qualifications awarded (by sex, study programme, state budget or tuition fee, and year of birth). It contains no information on the progression of students or graduates. At least some HEIs use the data to track their own students and graduates. Several universities also conduct individual surveys to follow them.
The tracking situation is currently undergoing development. Recent legislation is expected to result in changes in national and institutional tracking practices. Since August 2011, HEIs have been legally required to provide the Ministry of Education and Science with data on student progress, and on the employment and professional development of graduates over the three years following graduation.
Liechtenstein has a small higher education system consisting of just three accredited higher education institutions: the University of Liechtenstein, the International Academy of Philosophy and the Private University Liechtenstein. There is no systematic tracking of student or graduate progression paths at either institutional or national level, although administrative data is systematically collected by the National Statistical Office. Student tracking in Liechtenstein is problematic because 90% of upper secondary school leavers move abroad to study, mainly in Switzerland and Austria. The National Statistical Office therefore collects data on students and graduates in Liechtenstein and receives data on students and graduates from Liechtenstein enrolled in Switzerland and Austria. The database contains information on all of them concerning their personal details (sex, place of residence and nationality) and study characteristics (institution attended, type of degree, subject, country and region of study). As student data received by Liechtenstein from the Swiss and Austrian statistical offices is anonymous, it cannot be used to track the progression paths of students through different HEIs or their entry to the labour market after graduation. However, the Schulamt (national office in charge of schools) and the National Statistical Office are planning to develop a national tracking system.
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Lithuania
Register of Students Focus Students
Main purpose(s)
The Register of Students has been commissioned by Statistics Lithuania and the Ministry of Education and Science. It contains information on the prior education of students, their courses of study (e.g. course changes, dropout and final degree) and personal characteristics (e.g. sex and socioeconomic background). Data is regularly provided by higher education institutions and aggregated, analysed and circulated by Statistics Lithuania and other statistical offices. The main aim is to collect reliable and up-to-date student data for decision-making bodies. The data also enables individual higher education institutions to draw conclusions about their student population. At present, the register is still at a developmental stage.
administration & statistics policy planning resource allocation QA Links/Further Reading
Institute for Labour and Social Research Public Policy and Management Institute
www.dsti.lt/index_en.html www.vpvi.lt/en/institute/
Graduate surveys Focus
Graduates
Main purpose(s)
Several independent studies on graduates have been carried out by different bodies. The Ministry of Finance commissioned a study on the successful integration of university graduates into the labour market and its determinants, which lasted from May 2009 to May 2010. The Institute for Labour and Social Research carried out two studies on graduate progression paths in 2003 and 2004, both based on surveys of graduates and employers. In addition, two more specialised studies were conducted on the situation of specialists with higher education (2005/06) and law graduates in the labour market (2007/08). Here too, graduates and employers were questioned. The Public Policy and Management Institute (PPMI) carried out a study on ‘Competencies of graduates of Master studies and the needs of the Lithuanian economy‘, commissioned by the Science Council of Lithuania. It analysed the labour market integration of students who graduated between 2001 and 2005. The PPMI conducted a second study in 2010 in which 2 500 graduates were surveyed. They were questioned about matters such as employment prospects, their opinions on the knowledge and experience gained during their studies, and their salary and career progression.
QA
Since 2010, information on the courses of study chosen by students has been collected and processed in a central national level database called the ‘Register of Students‘. The data is used to track the progression paths of students during their courses.
Different independent surveys have been carried out. The government has conducted several graduate surveys as part of a plan to evaluate study programmes and to close those that do not meet set requirements. The higher education system has expanded considerably and the government wants to control and survey this expansion. A national project to create a high-quality career services management system has been implemented and funded by the European Social Fund. It will include a graduate career monitoring system. The project started in April 2010 and will run for three years. Commissioned by the Ministry of Education, it is implemented by a university consortium.
Individual universities also maintain their own student tracking databases. Several of them conduct graduate surveys but with no discernible common approach.
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