ISTAT - Italian National Institute of Statistics

Department for statistical production

Structural Economic Statistics on Enterprises and Institutions, International Trade and Consumer Prices - Unit (SEC)

Roma, Via Tuscolana 1788

The Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS) collects information on enterprises’ investment in the continuing vocational training of their staff. Continuing vocational training (CVT) refers to education or training measures or activities which are financed in total or at least partly by the enterprise (directly or indirectly). Part financing could include the use of work-time for the training activity as well as financing of training equipment.

Information available from the CVTS is grouped around the following topics:

- Provision of CVT courses and other forms of CVT (training/non-training enterprises)

- CVT strategies

- Participants in CVT courses

- Costs of CVT courses

- Time spent in CVT courses

- Characteristics of CVT courses

- Assessment of CVT activities

The CVTS also collects some information on initial vocational training (IVT).

For further information see the CVTS 6 legislation (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/education-and-training/legislation) and the CVTS 6 implementation manual (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/education-and-training/methodology).

The main groupings for enterprises are by economic activity (NACE Rev.2) twenty categories, six size groups.

CVTS 6 covers all economic activities defined in sections B to N and R to S of NACE Rev. 2.

Definitions as well as the list of variables covered are available in the CVTS 6 implementation manual (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/education-and-training/methodology).

Additional information collected:

- persons employed by occupational groups (enterpreneurs, managers and professional staff, clerks, craft and related trade workers/plant&machine operators/assemblers and elementary occupations).

- introduction of questions (Piaac questionnaire) requested by the OECD.

- introduction of questions relating to the Covid impact on training activities.

- number of course hours per subject divided between face-to-face and distance courses.

- introduction of further skills such as the ability to produce original ideas and the ability to self-manage one's work.

The statistical unit for CVTS 6 is the 'ENT. For the first time, 'Ent' is used instead of the legal unit as the statistical unit, according EU Reg. 696/93.

'The Enterprise is the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making, especially for the allocation of its current resources. An enterprise carries out one or more activities at one or more locations. An enterprise may be a sole legal unit or one group of legal units under common control.'

CVTS 6 covers 'Ent' with 10 or more persons employed belonging to certain NACE categories (see 3.3).

The number of enterprises in the target population is 207 295.

Variable A2tot (persons employed) refers to the annual average 2020.

Italy

1999, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020

Not applicable.

Number, EUR.

The reference year for CVTS 6 is the calendar year 2020.

At European level

Basic legal act: Regulation (EC) No 1552/2005 of the European Parliament and the Council

Implementing act: Commission Regulation (EU) No 1153/2014, amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 198/2006

At national level

National Statistical Program (PSN) 2017-2019 Update 2019

Not applicable.

The collected data are protected by statistical confidentiality and are subject to the provisions on the protection of personal data in accordance with the provisions of the Legislative Decree of June 30, 2003, n°196 and Legislative Decree n°101/2018.

The data is not available but obscured if the number of enterprises in the reference cell is less than three.

The collected data are protected by statistical confidentiality and are subject to the provisions on the protection of personal data in accordance with the provisions of the Legislative Decree of June 30, 2003, No. 196 "Personal Data Protection Code" Art. 2 (Purpose), art .4 (definitions), art. 7-10 (rights of the person concerned), art. 13 (information), art. 28-30 (subjects to treatment), art. 104-110 (treatment for statistical or scientific purposes).

The data is not available but obscured if the number of enterprises in the reference cell is less than three.

The statistics on training in enterprises are out of calendar.

Not available.

Regarding CVTS there is no release policy for users.

Every 5 years.

Press release on 30.12.2022, link: https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/279433

Report: https://www.istat.it/it/files//2022/12/REPORT-formazione-imprese.pdf

All users can have easy access to the survey results through the Istat website. As for the other surveys, anyone can ask Istat to produce results in greater detail (for example a greater sectoral breakdown), provided that this request is compatible with the sampling plan. Users will have to cover the actual costs of the additional data processing.

CVTS microdata will be accessible to researchers through the provision of anonymized and perturbed datasets to ensure the privacy of those interested in the survey.

Not applicable.

The microdata will be available within 30 months of the end of the data reference period.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

See attached methodological note.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

To guarantee the quality of this round of CVTS, a call center was available where operators have been specifically trained to support users.

The CVTS has to be regarded as the main source of data on the investments of Italian and EU enterprises aimed at improving a key "intangible" asset: their human capital. It is the only official survey in Europe about the "Human Resources strategies" of enterprises. In this respect, the survey can be hardly challenged by competing sources and its contents of information is extensively used - as a "structural" data base - to develop analyses and policies for a quite long period before the results of the next survey would be made available. That of sharing basic classifications and methodologies with the standard EU official business surveys - in the ESS framework - is another advantage and makes most of CVTS results directly comparable with other relevant economic indicators. At the same time, the potential of the CVTS is significantly reduced because of some intrinsic limitations of the survey. The frequency (5 years) is too long: on the one hand, does not meet the users' needs and, on the other hand, makes the planning of the survey extremely difficult for the data producers (often allocating the internal resources on a yearly basis). The sectorial coverage, not including the non-business sectors, is focusing too much on the training activities and practices of manufacturing and service industries. Finally, the data collection methodology is a key issue, as well. It is largely agreed that a CAPI methodology should be recommended to carry out the CVTS. As a result, the largest EU countries currently relying on mixed methodologies of data collection (including CAWI) which are quite effective and less expensive than CAPI. Of course, the results of a CAWI survey cannot have the same level of quality as the results of a CAPI survey and a big problem in the quality of CVTS data has emerged with reference to "training costs" whose estimates are hardly comparable across countries.

The CVTS is a unique source providing quantitative information on enterprises' investment in continuing vocational training of their staff, providing information on participation, time spent and costs of such training. The CVTS also provides qualitative information on enterprise strategies towards training, on the skills targeted as well as on obstacles to continuing vocational training. Accordingly CVTS data are used to evaluate and better understand training practices across Europe and allow policy decision-making on vocational training.

CVTS data are widely used across the EU in particular for the monitoring and evaluation of EU policies in the field of vocational training.

Main users of CVTS statistics, with particular reference to CVT strategies (objectives, decision process) are:

• Policy makers at European level (e.g. European Commission, European Parliament, other European agencies)
• Policy makers at national level (e.g. ministries)
• International organisations (OECD, UN)

Main users of CVTS statistics, with particular reference to CVT characteristics (internal/external courses, other forms, subjects, providers), CVT volume (participants, hours), CVT costs and CVT quality, outcomes and difficulties are:

• Social actors (e.g. employers' associations, trade unions)
• Media
• Researchers, students
• Enterprises: for own market research activities or for consultancy services in the information sector

No user satisfaction survey or any other type of user satisfaction monitoring is conducted.

The final dataset covers all NACE sectors, enterprise size groups and variables as requested in the CVTS 6 legislation.

Not applicable.

The distance function adopted in the calibration process of CVTS 6 data has been adopted in order to minimize the weighted distance between direct and final weights is a linear distance function with bounds: 0.005, 2.485. The final estimates of the auxiliary variables (number of enterprises and number of persons employed) converge to their known totals, within the estimation domains (defined as combination of the NACE 20 “Economic Activities” with the “Size Classes”).

The gross sample of the CVTS6 included 31 622 enterprises. It was designed as a stratified random sample, with strata defined by the combination of three characteristics: 1) six size classes (according to the number of persons employed, (10-19) (20-49) (50-249) (250-499) (500-999) (1000 and more), 20 “Economic Activities” (combined NACE Rev.2) and 21 “Administrative Regions” (i.e. NUTS2 regions for Italy).

The sampling frame from which the sample was drawn is the Italian Business Register (BR) called ASIA (2019 archive). The reference population of the survey included 207 295 enterprises, as a consequence the initial sample was a total sampling fraction of 14.1%. Sample allocation among strata has been obtained via a multivariate and multi-domain procedure based on Bethel’s methodology for optimal sample allocation (Bethel, 1989).

The estimates of interest variables were calculated using valid answers provided by 17 617 enterprises of the theoretical sample, active at least six months and belonging to the survey field in 2020, based on the theory of the constrained weighting estimator (Deville, j.-C Särndal), used in most ISTAT sample surveys on businesses. Calibration of sample weights, calculation of interest rate estimates, and evaluation of related sampling errors were calculated using ReGenesees software (R-based system for complex and sample-based model-assisted analysis). The calibrated weights associated with the responding enterprises have achieved the convergence of the estimates of total auxiliary variables (number of enterprises and number of persons employed) to the corresponding known totals, within the shared estimation domains. The universe used for the calculation of known totals, taken from the 2020 Italian Business Register and therefore aligned temporally with the survey period, consists of 198 683 companies active at least 6 months a year and belonging to the field of observation of the investigation.

See table 13.2.1 "Sampling errors - indicators" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

It is largely agreed that a CAPI methodology should be recommended to carry out the CVTS. Unfortunately, after the first two waves, the European Commission has not be longer able to fund the undertaking of large CAPI surveys in member countries. As a result, the largest EU countries are currently relying on mixed methodologies of data collection (including CAWI) which are quite effective and less expensive than CAPI. Of course, the results of a CAWI survey cannot have the same level of quality as the results of a CAPI survey and a big problem in the quality of CVTS data has emerged with reference to "training costs" whose estimates ae hardly comparable across countries.

See table 13.3.1 "Coverage error" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

See table 13.3.1.1 "Over-coverage - rate" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)". 

Not applicable.

There have been measurement errors for the hours worked and the total hours of courses, as the enterprise despite the instructions in some cases indicated for the hours worked, the total annual per capita instead of the sum of all the hours worked by the staff, while for the course hours the company indicated the total hours of the courses and not the sum of the hours of all the participants. In these cases, a telephone call were made to correct these values.

Non-response was prevented by calling back the surveyed enterprises and using, if available, administrative sources. To reduce the non-response phenomenon the following measures were taken: all enterprises have received three reminders by mail.

See table 13.3.3.1 "Unit non-response - rate" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

See table 13.3.3.2 "Item non-response - rate" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

The data capture technique used in this edition is based on GINO++ Gathering Information Online. It is a generalised system, designed and developed entirely by internal resources of the institute. This system is based on PHP technology as general purpose tool and it is designed in order to implement different types of data collection controls (soft and hard) as defined according to the data check plan. Therefore, it allowed the detection and correction of the route errors, measure errors (for quantitative variables) and domain errors, as well as of the main inconsistencies and discrepancies between two or more answers.

Not applicable.

2020

The number of months from the last day of the reference period to the day of publication of first results is 22.

The number of months from the last day of the reference period to the day of publication of first results is 30.

Countries should transmit data to Eurostat no later than 18 months after the end of the reference year.

See table 14.2 "Project phases - dates" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

Not applicable.

See table 15.1 "Comparability - geographical" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

Some additional variables/information related to COVID-19 were collected, see table 15.1.

Not applicable.

See table 15.2 "Comparability - over time" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

Not applicable.

See table 15.3 "Coherence - cross-domain" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

CVTS results for a given reference year are based on the same microdata and results are calculated using the same estimation methods, therefore the data are internally coherent.

Not available.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

See table 18.1 "Source data and data collection" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

Every 5 years.

See also table 18.1 "Source data and data collection" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

Microdata analysis, in the presence of outliers direct contact with enterprises or comparing with budget data. The data acquisition application worked well enough and there were no errors in data encoding. There were some missed answers because several questions had not been considered mandatory. In most cases the problem was solved by via a phone call or by email. Furthermore, it is not possible to quantify the errors because the check and correction was made immediately after the submission of the questionnaire by the enterprise.

Not applicable.

See table 18.5.1 "Imputation - rate" in annex "IT - QR tables CVTS 2020 (excel)".

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

For the compilation of the questionnaire, the enterprises highlighted the following problems:

(a) problems in discriminating between internal and external courses, as quite often a mix of internal/external resources is used.

(b) quantification of CVT contributions paid (often they are paid in bundle with a number of different taxes and fees).

(c) quantification of the direct costs of training courses when - quite often - the enterprise uses services (or infrastructures) provided for free by public or non-profit institutions; this could lead to have costs of courses close to zero.

(d) for the same reason, it is almost impossible to quantify in monetary terms the support received in kind by external institutions.

(e) the accounting of "hours of training" (even considering only training courses) seems quite problematic for most. Among the users there were concerns about the inclusion in the training performance of mandatory activities which could have biased the perception of the real trend in training performance and costs.