We are happy to announce the successful completion of our study on the future development of the European Master in Official Statistics. The one-year project was commissioned by EUROSTAT, the statistical office of the European Union.
The aim of this study was to assess the implementation, achievements and challenges of the European Master's in Official Statistics (EMOS) ten years since its creation. The study also examined recent trends and developments in European higher and statistics education to identify any opportunities or risks for EMOS. Our objective was to determine if EMOS effectively serves its purpose to educate qualified graduates to work in the field of official statistics, and to provide recommendations for its future development, addressing both imminent and long-term challenges. The study combined a set of qualitative and quantitative methods including survey, interviews, social network analysis and a cocreation workshop. The data allowed us to identify several challenges that EMOS is facing, such as limited visibility, untapped international potential, difficulty attracting students and retaining graduates in the public sector. Despite these challenges many EMOS network partners indicated that belonging to the network brings useful collaborations between academia, national statistics institutes and other partners, and increases their visibility and reputation. We found that the potential of EMOS network can be further exploited by developing more collaboration in teaching, development of joint degrees, learning mobility and crossborder traineeships.
Having synthesised all the study findings, data and insights, we proposed three scenarios for future development of EMOS to EUROSTAT. This study not only highlighted the critical challenges and strengths of EMOS but also charted a path forward, ensuring its continued relevance and impact in the field of official statistics education in Europe.
