Continuing Vocational Training Survey (enterprise survey) (CVTS)

The survey on continuing vocational training in enterprises is an international survey conducted every five years in all European Union countries. The statistical activity is commissioned by Eurostat. The aim of the survey is to collect information on the organization of continuing training, employees' participation in continuing training, and expenditures on continuing training in Estonian companies.

Probability survey

Number and share (among all enterprises) of enterprises that organised continuing vocational training/training courses, by primary economic activity and size class;
number and share (among all enterprises' employees) of employees in enterprises that organised continuing vocational training/training courses, by primary economic activity and size class;
number and share (of total hours worked in all enterprises) of hours worked in enterprises that organised continuing vocational training, by primary economic activity and size class;
number and share (of all enterprises) of enterprises that plan labour force needs and employee skills, by primary economic activity and size class;
number and share (of all enterprises) of enterprises with a training budget, training plan, and training center, by primary economic activity and size class.

Estonian Classification of Economic Activities (EMTAK 2008) based on NACE Rev. 2.
The survey covers the following NACE Rev. 2 categories:
B – mining and quarrying;
C10–C12 – manufacture of food products, beverages and tobacco products;
C13–C15 – manufacture of textiles and wearing apparel; manufacture of leather and related products;
C17–C18 – manufacture of paper and paper products; printing and reproduction of recorded media;
C19–C23 – manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products; manufacture of chemicals and chemical products; manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations; manufacture of rubber and plastic products; manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products;
C24–C25 – manufacture of basic metals; manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment;
C26–C28, C33 – manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products; manufacture of electrical equipment; manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.; repair and installation of machinery and equipment;
C29–C30 – manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers; manufacture of other transport equipment;
C16, C31–C32 – manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials; manufacture of furniture; other manufacturing;
D–E – electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities;
F – construction;
G45 – wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles;
G46 – wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles;
G47 – retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles;
H – transportation and storage;
I – accommodation and food service activities;
J – information and communication;
K64–K65 – financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding; insurance, reinsurance and pension funding, except compulsory social security;
K66 – activities auxiliary to financial services and insurance activities;
L, M, N, R, S – real estate activities; professional, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support service activities; arts, entertainment and recreation; other service activities.

Enterprises engaged in the following activities are surveyed:
mining and quarrying;
manufacture of food products, beverages and tobacco products;
manufacture of textiles and wearing apparel; manufacture of leather and related products;
manufacture of paper and paper products; printing and reproduction of recorded media;
manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products; manufacture of chemicals and chemical products; manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations; manufacture of rubber and plastic products; manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products;
manufacture of basic metals; manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment;
manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products; manufacture of electrical equipment; manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.; repair and installation of machinery and equipment;
manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers; manufacture of other transport equipment;
manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials; manufacture of furniture; other manufacturing;
electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities;
construction;
wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles;
wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles;
retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles;
transportation and storage;
accommodation and food service activities;
information and communication;
financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding; insurance, reinsurance and pension funding, except compulsory social security;
activities auxiliary to financial services and insurance activities;
real estate activities; professional, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support service activities; arts, entertainment and recreation; other service activities.

Continuing vocational training (CVT) – part of non-formal learning that is targeted and organised learning based on a curriculum outside formal education. It is divided into CVT courses and other forms of CVT.

Continuing vocational training (CVT) course – CVT courses are typically clearly separated from the active workplace (learning takes place in locations specially assigned for learning, e.g. a classroom or training centre). They show a high degree of organisation (time, space and content) by a trainer or a training institution. The content is designed for a group of learners (e.g. a curriculum exists). Two distinct types of CVT courses are identified: internal CVT courses and external CVT courses. Internal CVT courses are principally designed and managed by the enterprise itself.

Enterprise – consists of one or more companies (public limited company, private limited company, limited partnership, general partnership, commercial association) or branches of foreign companies or sole proprietors

Number of employees – the number of all the employees in the enterprise regardless of the length of their working week.
Employees include:
‒ the owners working in the enterprise and their family members working without pay;
‒ full-time or part-time employees who are listed as paid employees;
‒ persons who work outside the enterprise (e.g. marketing personnel) but who belong to the staff of the enterprise and are listed as paid employees;
‒ persons who are temporarily absent from work (on sick leave, paid leave, study leave, strike, etc.);
‒ seasonal workers, apprentices (trainees) and out-workers who are listed as paid employees;
‒ persons working under a contract for services.
The number of employees does not include employees of other enterprises who operate in the enterprise in question by performing orders, nor the persons who are absent from work for a long period (on parental leave, in compulsory military service, etc.), who have been absent and have not received pay throughout the reference period.

Number of hours worked ‒ the total number of actual hours worked by all employees of the enterprise during the reference period. In addition to regular working hours, overtime is included. Excluded from the calculation are paid but non-working hours (such as vacations, sick leave, etc.), as well as lunch breaks, time spent commuting to and from work, time spent in formal education (degree programs), vocational training (courses, workshops), and any other time not directly considered working hours. The working hours of apprentices and interns are also excluded.
For example, in 2020, the enterprise employed 10 full-time workers. They worked for 11 months in the year and took 1 month of vacation. On average, there are 168 working hours in a month. Let's assume each employee participated in training for an average of 3 workdays during the year. Thus, the total number of hours worked by the enterprise’s employees in 2020 would be (10 x 11 x 168) – (10 x 3 x 8) = 18,240 hours.

Principal activity of an enterprise – the activity of an enterprise that consumes the most working hours. The principal activity of an enterprise is coded according to a 5-diggit code of the Estonian Classification of Economic Activities (EMTAK).

Other forms of continuing vocational training – the type of training that is typically related to active work and the workplace, but it can also include participation (instruction) in conferences, trade fairs, and similar events for the purpose of learning. These other forms of CVT are often characterised by a degree of self-organisation (time, space, and content) by an individual learner or by a group of learners. The content is often tailored according to the learners’ individual needs in the workplace.

Participant of the CVT courses – a person who has participated at least in one continuing vocational training (CVT) course during the reference period. Each person can be counted only once regardless of the number of times he or she has participated in the CVT courses. Thus, if an employee has taken part in two external CVT courses and one internal CVT course, he or she will be considered as one participant.

Training centre – a training unit with training personnel, training premises, and training equipment. The training centre can be located within or outside the enterprise, or it can be shared with other enterprises. The ownership of the training centre is not important, as some enterprises may run a training centre jointly with other enterprises without actual ownership.

Training plan – a written training plan or programme that covers continuing vocational training (CVT) in the enterprise.
The training plan may include:
objectives of the training activities;
the planned proportion of different forms and types of training;
priority topics and target groups;
information about the trainer;
the scope of the training, schedule, and location;
planned resources.

Enterprise

Enterprises with at least 10 employees whose primary economic activity is:
mining and quarrying (B);
manufacture of food products, beverages and tobacco products (C10–C12);
manufacture of textiles and wearing apparel; manufacture of leather and related products (C13–C15);
manufacture of paper and paper products; printing and reproduction of recorded media (C17–C18);
manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products; manufacture of chemicals and chemical products; manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations; manufacture of rubber and plastic products; manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products (C19–C23);
manufacture of basic metals; manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment (C24–C25);
manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products; manufacture of electrical equipment; manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.; repair and installation of machinery and equipment (C26–C28, C33);
manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers; manufacture of other transport equipment (C29–C30);
manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials; manufacture of furniture; other manufacturing (C16, C31–C32);
electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (D–E);
construction (F);
wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G45);
wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G46);
retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G47);
transportation and storage (H);
accommodation and food service activities (I);
information and communication (J);
financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding; insurance, reinsurance and pension funding, except compulsory social security (K64–K65);
activities auxiliary to financial services and insurance activities (K66);
real estate activities; professional, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support service activities; arts, entertainment and recreation; other service activities (L, M, N, R, S).

Estonia as a whole

1999, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020

Not applicable

Enterprises, employees, hours worked – number;

share of enterprises – percentage (%)

Year

Official Statistics Act;

Regulation (EC) No 1552/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on statistics relating to vocational training in enterprises (Text with EEA relevance);

Regulation (EC) No 452/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 concerning the production and development of statistics on education and lifelong learning (Text with EEA relevance)

None

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 32, § 34, § 35 and § 38 of the Official Statistics Act.

On European level, Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

The dissemination of data collected for the production of official statistics is based on the requirements laid down in §§ 34 and 35 of the Official Statistics Act.
The principles for treatment of confidential data can be found here: Data protection (Privacy policy).

The data are published in the public database of Statistics Estonia and in Eurostat’s database as aggregated data, without identifiers that allow identification. The aggregated data are presented by primary economic activities and size groups. No indicator is calculated based on data from fewer than three enterprises.

Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on the website. Every year on 1 October, the release times of the statistical database, news releases, main indicators by IMF SDDS and publications for the following year are announced in the release calendar (in the case of publications – the release month).

The release calendar is available to consumers on the website Calendar.

All users have been granted equal access to official statistics: dissemination dates of official statistics are announced in advance and no user category (incl. Eurostat, state authorities and mass media) is provided access to official statistics before other users. Official statistics are first published in the statistical database. If there is also a news release, it is published simultaneously with data in the statistical database. Official statistics are available on the website at 8:00 a.m. on the date announced in the release calendar.

Every fifth year

News releases can be found on Statistics Estonia's website in the section News. There was no news release on the latest survey.

A Eurostat article on the survey of continuing vocational training in enterprises can be read here: "How many enterprises provide CVT to their staff?".

Not published

Data are published in the statistical database under the subject areas Social life / Education / Adult education / Continuing vocational training in enterprises in all tables.

The database tables (HTT01 to HTT18) have been viewed 136 times in 2024, 95 times in 2023, 180 times in 2022, 130 times in 2021, 333 times in 2020, 283 times in 2019 and 205 times in 2018. Each table view is counted as a separate viewing. This is based on the database URLs, which show that the data have been selected and the table formed.

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 33, § 34, § 35, § 36, § 38 of the Official Statistics Act.
Access to microdata and anonymisation of microdata are regulated by Statistics Estonia’s procedure for dissemination of confidential data for scientific purposes.

Two datasets of microdata are sent to Eurostat via EDAMIS: before imputation and after imputation. A quality report is also completed.

The metadata related to the statistical activity were viewed 39 times (1 January 2024 – 31 December 2024). This figure does not represent the number of viewers, as the metadata may have been viewed multiple times by a single user.

Eurostat's manual: Continuing Vocational Training Survey.

A proper quality report has been submitted to Eurostat.

To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the European Statistics Code of Practice and the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (ESS QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the EFQM Excellence Model and the requirements in section 7 “Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act.

Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process; this information can take many forms, including feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics and suggestions from employees. This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

The evaluation of the 2020 survey revealed that while quality criteria such as timeliness, accuracy, and accessibility were met, there were usability issues with the VVIS data collection system. VVIS is primarily designed for personal surveys, whereas this survey was aimed at enterprises. Although the system allowed convenient navigation, it was not well-suited for engaging enterprise representatives, as the sample invitation had to be sent to an individual rather than an enterprise.

The main users of the survey results are the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the European Commission, which monitor and analyse the development of lifelong learning in the European Union.

The survey results are also of interest to persons engaged in the educational sector, educational institutions and ministries in Estonia in order to analyse the field of continuing education and assess the need for policy initiatives.

Since 1996, Statistics Estonia has conducted reputation and user satisfaction surveys. Surveys conducted at least once a year target both the existing and potential consumers of statistics. All results are available on Statistics Estonia's website in the section User surveys. The survey referred to does not concern a specific statistical activity but is a general satisfaction survey.

The data are complete and correspond to data composition requirements prescribed by the regulation of the European Commission. See "Legal acts and other agreements".

Not applicable

Overall, the survey data are of good quality and reliable.

The sample was drawn using stratified random sampling, taking into account the economic activity (based on NACE Rev. 2) and size of enterprises. The sample included 20 NACE Rev. 2 categories, and enterprises were divided into three size groups: 10–49 employees, 50–249 employees, and 250 or more employees.

The sample was based on frozen frame of the business registry, which contained data on all active enterprises in November of that year. The enterprises were ranked based on their response burden and permanent random number. Enterprises with more than 50 employees were fully included, and those with the highest response burden were partially excluded to reduce their burden.

Enterprises were weighted based on the sample to ensure the results represented the entire population.

In the 2010 survey population, there were 6,183 enterprises. A sample of 3,000 enterprises was selected, of which 1,859 were small (10–49 employees), 1,000 were medium-sized (50–249 employees), and 141 were large (250 or more employees).

In the 2015 survey population, there were 7,036 enterprises with at least 10 employees. A sample of 3,000 enterprises was selected, of which 1,715 were small (10–49 employees), 1,101 were medium-sized (50–249 employees), and 184 were large (at least 250 employees).

In the 2020 survey population, there were 7,130 enterprises with at least 10 employees. A sample of 3,000 enterprises was selected, of which 1,748 were small (10–49 employees), 1,091 were medium-sized (50–249 employees), and 161 were large (at least 250 employees).

Standard errors are calculated for the main indicators, which are published in the Eurostat quality report.

Measurement errors can stem from the questionnaire (its wording, design, etc.), the interviewees, the interviewers, and the data collection method.

Data entry errors and logical errors have been eliminated.

The sample frame for the latest survey was a list of active enterprises compiled from the statistical register for business purposes. The primary economic activities of the enterprises are mining and quarrying; manufacturing; electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities; construction; wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; accommodation and food service activities; information and communication; financial and insurance activities; real estate activities.

The sample frame was constructed at the beginning of November 2020 and data collection started in April 2021.

To prevent measurement errors, the respondents of the online questionnaire had access to detailed definitions of the terms used and additional help texts. This reduced the number of cases where the respondents may have misunderstood the topic and therefore provided false information.

See "Unit non-response – rate" and "Item non-response – rate".

R scripts were used to process and edit the data. No additional errors were caused by coding or editing.

Not applicable

The preliminary data are published 18 months after the end of the reference year.

See "Timeliness".

Not relevant

The data have been published at the time announced in the release calendar

100% of the data has been published on time

The data are comparable with the data of other European Union countries because a harmonised methodology is used.

The data are comparable across the whole time series (1999, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020).

See "Comparability – over time"

Not relevant

Not applicable

Not applicable

The internal coherence of the data is ensured by the use of a common methodology for data collection and processing. The survey results for a given year are based on the same microdata and are calculated using the same estimation methods. Therefore, the data are internally coherent.

The main cost associated with the 2020 survey was time spent. Exact figures are not available.

The response rate has decreased compared with the previous survey, which may indicate that the perceived burden on respondents was higher. The online environment used to fill in the survey questionnaire is not the same as the one that enterprises typically use to complete questionnaires for Statistics Estonia.

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

This is a combined sample survey. Most of the data are collected via a questionnaire; the number of employees is prefilled using employment register data.

Every 5 years

Data are collected using the questionnaire 1313 "Continuing vocational training survey". The questionnaire is available on Statistics Estonia's website.

The questionnaire can be completed in three languages – Estonian, English, Russian – in the electronic data submission environment VVIS. The questionnaire is designed to be completed independently by the respondent in an online environment and includes instructions and checks. A small number of enterprises were given the option of submitting data on paper.

The questionnaire is divided into six sections: 1) general information about the enterprise, general information about the competencies of employees and skills and knowledge that need to be developed; 2) forms of training; 3) participants in continuing vocational training, content of the trainings, organisers, and training costs; 4) quality and results of continuing training; 5) factors limiting the provision of continuing training and non-provision of continuing training; 6) training of interns.
Each subsequent section opens once the previous one is completed.

If the completion of the form is interrupted, it can be continued later. To finalise, the completed form must be confirmed; after confirmation, the form cannot be reopened.

When completing the questionnaire, the respondent may receive error messages. Errors are divided into hard and soft ones.

Hard error – data are illogical or mandatory information is missing. Such an error definitely needs to be corrected. The respondent cannot proceed in the questionnaire before correcting the error.

Soft error – more of a warning. Such an error needs to be reviewed.

The respondent can contact customer support in case of any questions that may arise when filling in the questionnaire. For this reason, training is provided to customer support staff and the data collection team before the start of the survey during which the content of the survey is discussed and the questionnaire is reviewed together.

If respondents fail to provide data by the deadline, they will be contacted by means of notification letters and telephone calls and arrangements will be made.

Several automatic checks were implemented in the web questionnaire to prevent erroneous answers. Data were also validated in Eurostat's data transmission program EDAMIS in order to conduct field level and record level checks. Field level checks monitor whether valid codes and ranges are used and check the consistency between a variable entry and allowed entries, whereas record level checks test the consistency between variables for a single enterprise record.

In cases of missing or unreliable data, imputation of estimates is used according to predefined rules. Eurostat has specified core variables that must not be imputed and key variables for which imputation is recommended.

Weights for statistical units are calculated and used to extrapolate the sample survey data to the entire population. The data from selectively surveyed enterprises are expanded to the selectively studied part of the population separately within each stratum. The expansion factor is taken as the ratio of the total number of the general population in the respective stratum to the number of responding units. The survey uses 120 strata formed based on two main characteristics: primary economic activity and enterprise size class by the number of employees.

Microdata are aggregated to the level necessary for analysis. This includes summation of data according to the primary economic activity and enterprise size group.

In the 2020 survey, a total of 11 variables were imputed. The highest imputation rate was 7.6%.

Not applicable

Not applicable

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