Total number of students enrolled in vocational programmes at the lower secondary education level, expressed as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled in all programmes (vocational and general) at the lower secondary level. Vocational education is designed for learners to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies specific to a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades. Vocational education may have work-based components (e.g. apprenticeships). Successful completion of such programmes leads to labour-market relevant vocational qualifications acknowledged as occupationally-oriented by the relevant national authorities and/or the labour market.