Participating in non‐formal learning: patterns of inequality in EU‐15 and the new EU‐8 member countries

We concentrate on the following research questions: (1) Do the structure of the educational system and its interaction with the labour market affect the training gap between low‐skilled blue collar workers and high‐skilled white collar workers? and (2) Do the ways that institutional systems shape opportunities for lifelong learning differ between EU‐8 and EU‐15 member countries? We used aggregate and national data on participation in non‐formal learning from European Union countries, based on an ad‐hoc module included in the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU‐LFS) 2003. Analysis indicated that, as suggested by theory, institutional factors are significant for EU‐15 member countries. The predictive power of these factors for EU‐8 member countries is rather low and varies significantly by countries.