Too many countries send young people into adulthood without the skills or support they need to thrive at work. That is the central warning of Education at a Glance 2025, the latest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s annual series of global education reviews.
This year’s edition devotes particular attention to career education, workforce readiness and the critical transition from grades 10-12 — what the report calls upper-secondary schooling — into employment or further study. The findings are stark: While some countries provide clear pathways from classroom to career, many — including the United States — leave too many teenagers unready for the next stage of life.
Released each autumn since 2010, the report compares data from 38 member nations and about a dozen partner economies. The current version covers more than a billion students worldwide. It is filled with tables and charts on topics from preschool enrollment to the wage premium for education and training beyond high school, including diplomas, academic degrees and vocational certificates — all of which it groups under what it calls tertiary education.
