Cyprus has the lowest share of upper secondary school students in the whole of the European Union studying in the system of professional education – this is the latest data from Eurostat.

At the end of 2018 only four EU member states registered less than a third of students studying such programs: in Cyprus (17%), Lithuania (27%), Greece and Malta (29% each). Finland (72%), as well as the Czech Republic and Slovenia (71% each) had the highest rates.

In the EU as a whole, among such students boys prevailed to some extent – 58% against 42% of girls. But specifically in Cyprus the advantage of strong sex is much more pronounced: out of 4711 people only 1090 were female.

Pupils usually enroll in professional programs between the ages of 14 and 16, Eurostat explains. Such programs are designed to complete secondary education in order to prepare for higher education or to teach skills related to employment, or both. They may include work-based components (e.g., apprenticeship, dual education programs).