Vocational Training Offers Pathway to Employment for Low-income Youth in Georgia

Students from economically and socially vulnerable groups make up more than one-third of the graduates of vocational education and training (VET) programs in Georgia, according to new research released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Dropout rates for these students are high, but more than half of those who graduate find work in their chosen field.

The study divided vocational students into three groups of low, medium and high socioeconomic status, using a combination of subjective self-perception and objective factors – family and personal income. Students with low status had a dropout rate of 42 percent, the highest of any group. But they also had the highest share – 55 percent – of those who were ultimately employed in their professional field of study.

“Understanding the socio-economic status of our students is key to the ongoing reform of the system of vocational education and training,” said Tamar Kitiashvili, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport. “The findings of this research will help us to modify enrollment procedures, stimulate and support economically and socially vulnerable students and make VET programs more effective and inclusive.”

The study results were greeted with optimism by experts since 31 percent of Georgian youth are currently classified as not in employment, education or training (NEET). This is an indicator that measures the share of young people who face a high risk of marginalization, since they are neither working, nor seeking employment, nor pursuing any kind of education or training. Expanded and refined VET programs could offer a solution here, with abundant benefits both for inactive young people and the Georgian economy.

“Quality education is at the heart of sustainable development that leaves no one behind,” said UNDP Head Louisa Vinton. “Vocational education and training can be a pathway to prosperity for young Georgians.”

“Switzerland is Georgia’s strong supporter in reforming the national system of vocational education and training related to agriculture,” said Danielle Meuwly, Regional Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office for the South Caucasus. “While Georgia benefits from Swiss and, in general, international expertise and experience in this area, it is important to shape the reform based on reliable evidence and comprehensive research.”

The study, prepared by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is the first-ever attempt to analyze the socio-economic status of vocational students in Georgia, examine whether vocational education and training lead to employment and explore the linkages between vocational training and the labor market.

The study pointed to the need to make VET more accessible for persons with disabilities, who accounted for only 4.9 percent of graduates in 2019.

The research was carried out in 2020 by the Georgian research organization ACT, using government databases and phone interviews with 1,000 randomly selected VET students and graduates. It is available on the UNDP website: https://www.ge.undp.org/content/georgia/en/home/library/poverty/VET-research.html