About PIAAC

PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) is the most comprehensive international survey on adult skills ever undertaken.

PIAAC was designed and is coordinated by the OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and concerns 26 countries in the world. In Italy, PIAAC is promoted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which commissioned the ISFOL (Institute for the Development of Vocational Training of Workers) to conduct the survey in Italy.

The survey aims to know the fundamental skills of the adult population aged between 16 and 65 years, or those skills which are essential for active participation in social and economic life in the 21st century.

In particular, PIAAC aims to collect information on adults’ literacy and numeracy skills and their ability to solve problems in technology-rich environments. In addition, for the first time in an international study, PIAAC provides indications on how people make use of their skills not only in their personal lives, but also in their work.

PIAAC data will be of great importance to understand what strategies to adopt in the future in order to improve vocational education and training, and also to understand how to enhance and enrich adults’ skills.

PIAAC will be repeated over time in order to obtain information and data on the development of the skills of the adult population.