The country note provides an overview of the key characteristics of the education system in Belgium. It draws on data from Education at a Glance 2023. In line with the thematic focus of this year’s Education at a Glance, it emphasises vocational education and training (VET), while also covering other parts of the education system. Data in this note are provided for the latest available year. Readers interested in the reference years for the data are referred to the corresponding tables in Education at a Glance 2023.
The output of educational institutions and the impact of learning:
• High-quality VET programmes integrate learners into labour markets and open pathways for further personal and professional development. However, the quality and importance of VET programmes differ greatly across countries. In some countries, half of all young adults (25-34 year-olds) have a vocational qualification as their highest level of educational attainment, while the share is in the low single digits in other countries. In Belgium, 27% of 25-34 year-olds have a VET qualification as their highest level of attainment: 24% at upper secondary level, 2% at post-secondary non-tertiary level, and 1% at short-cycle tertiary level.
• Across the OECD, unemployment rates for 25-34 year-olds with vocational upper secondary attainment are lower than for their peers with general upper secondary or post-secondary nontertiary attainment. This is also the case in Belgium, where 7.8% of young adults with vocational upper secondary attainment are unemployed, compared to 9.7% of those with general upper secondary attainment.
• Although an upper secondary qualification is often the minimum attainment needed for successful labour-market participation, some 25-34 year-olds still leave education without such a qualification. On average across the OECD, 14% of young adults have not attained an upper secondary qualification. In Belgium, the share is lower than the OECD average (12%).
• Workers in Belgium aged 25-34 with vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment earn 25% more than those without upper secondary attainment, whereas the earning advantage for workers with general upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment is 23%. However, in almost all OECD countries, tertiary degrees provide a significantly larger earnings advantage. In Belgium, 25-34 year-old workers with bachelor’s attainment (or equivalent) earn 42% more than their peers without upper secondary attainment, while those with master’s or doctoral attainment (or equivalent) earn 71% more.
• Tertiary attainment continues to increase among the working age population. On average across the OECD, tertiary attainment is becoming as common as upper secondary or post-secondary nontertiary attainment among 25-64 year-olds. In Belgium, 46% of 25-64 year-olds have tertiary attainment, a larger share than those that have upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment (37%).
