Involvement of Czech citizens in training and retraining courses

As of late, further education has become an increasingly significant part of an individual’s career. Further education is a form of education for adults after they have entered the labor market, and retraining means the acquisition of new qualifications and improving, extending or deepening one’s qualifications hitherto. Further education is aimed at developing attitudes, knowledge, abilities, know-how, skills and competencies that are crucial for an individual’s competitiveness and their ability to find a place in society. How interested are Czech citizens in training or retraining courses? For what purposes have graduates chosen courses? Are there differences here in terms of age?

In 2010, the Institute for Evaluations and Social Analyses (INESAN) carried out a survey into the attitudes of Czechs towards training and retraining. Data was collected via face-to-face interviews on a sample of Czech citizens, which was selected via quota sampling. A total of 1,103 valid interviews were carried out.

A total of 28 % of respondents had attended training or retraining courses in the past three years. Most often, young people up to age 30 took part (44 %), then people aged 30 to 50 (27 %); people in the 50 and up category took part the least frequently (13 %).

A total of 81 % of respondents who had taken part in some training courses completed a course that was related to their employment. The most common reason was out of necessity due to employment, as the completion of the course was either mandatory or required by law (35 %). Furthermore, 30 % of respondents stated that the course was required or recommended by the employer and 6 % selected a course relating to their employment on their own initiative. Each tenth respondent claimed that the completed course was appropriate for preparing for future employment or for employment other than one’s present position. A total of 19 % of respondents selected a course that was not related to their employment but to free time and their hobbies. 35 % of respondents thus chose a course on their own initiative.

Courses that required mandatory completion or were required by law were attended more often by people aged 30 and up (40 %). On the contrary, courses that the employer required or recommended were attended more often by people under 30 (40 %). People under 30 also visited courses that were related to their employment more often; nonetheless, they chose them on their own initiative (14 %). People especially age 50 and up attended training courses as a hobby and a way to spend their leisure time (25 %).

Training attendees are not significantly differentiated in terms of age in regard to future or other employment.

Graph: For what reasons did respondents take part in training or retraining courses?

Despite the growing relevance of education among older individuals and the promotion of concepts such as lifelong learning, which can improve the competitiveness of the elderly on the job market, the results show that the utilization of training and retraining courses belongs mostly to the domain of young people. Further education is used especially in connection with employment, which also fulfills the main goal of this further education; nonetheless, mostly young people do so, while older individuals use courses to spend their free time.