Client: Eesti Infotehnoloogia ja Kommunikatsiooni Liit
Period: 2013-2015
The aim of the study was to apply the secure multiparty computation platform Sharemind, developed by Cybernetica AS, on the analysis of data from linked national registries. Sharemind makes it possible to carry out statistical analysis without compromising privacy. In this project, data from the national educational information system and the tax board were used to study the relationships between ICT students’ timely graduation and working during their studies in years 2006-2012.
The research task, formulated in co-operation with the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunication, is motivated by the problem of low graduation rates among students in ICT curricula. It has been suggested that the problem is partly rooted in high rates of employment among students. Qualified ICT experts are in high demand in Estonia and access to well-paid employment could be an obstacle to graduation. Although ICT companies do hire students, the extent of this phenomenon has been unclear.
The results of the study confirm the low rate of graduation among students of higher education in general and ICT students in particular. The likelihood of timely graduation is higher among female than among male students. Surprisingly, it was found that ICT students do not work more than students in non-ICT curricula (with the exception of master’s level studies). In most of the years studied, female students’ employment rates were higher than for male students.
Most ICT students don’t work at enterprises in the ICT sector. Among last year students, the share of those employed in ICT enterprises is up to 30% in bachelor level studies and in applied higher education, 50-60% in master’s level studies.