Abstract

According to EUROSTAT surveys in the EU-27, Italy records the highest number of students in tertiary education in culture-related fields – compared to the total number of higher education students – confirming the inclination of a large number of young people towards cultural studies and related professions. At the same time, however, Italy ranks last with regards to the percentage of sector workers with a tertiary education degree, and the percentage of people working in the cultural sector in Italy is below the European average. This article discusses the surveying methods and data obtained by the inter-university consortium AlmaLaurea regarding the outcomes of the educational paths in the cultural and creative sectors, within the context of higher education. Starting from the analyses carried out by AlmaLaurea on the characteristics and performances of people with a tertiary level of educational attainment in culture-related studies, the article also includes an assessment of the mismatch between tertiary education and the cultural labour market in Italy. Moreover, it performs an analysis of the first surveys conducted by Almalaurea about the effects of Covid-19 on the employment of people with a tertiary level of educational attainment.