Flagship project
European Statistical Training Programme (ESTP)
Delivered EU-wide statistical training that strengthens European statisticians' skills and promotes harmonised, high-quality European statistical practices.
The challenge
The European Statistical System (ESS) needs continuous, high-quality professional training to keep pace with evolving statistical methods, new data sources, digitalisation, AI, EU legislation and increasing demand for comparable European statistics. Eurostat requires a coordinated programme that supports National Statistical Institutes (NSIs), Other National Authorities (e.g. Central Banks), Eurostat staff and other eligible participants with consistent, practical and EU-harmonised learning across diverse statistical domains, formats and levels of expertise.
Our goal
The ESTP programme is tailored to meet the specific training needs of the European Statistical System. Courses offered for staff members in the statistical offices focus on harmonised European concepts and legislation, as well as the national implementation practices. As the contractor, we support Eurostat by designing, organising and delivering training courses, both in-person and virtual that promote harmonised concepts, practical skills, professional independence, knowledge exchange and consistent application of European statistical standards and methodologies.
Our approach
We implement the ESTP through a structured delivery model covering course administration, participant coordination, skilled experts/trainers, training facilities, teaching materials, course design and delivery, evaluation, and reporting. We combine project management with both practical and academic expertise from experienced experts. Courses use a balanced mix of theory and practice, including case studies, group work, practical exercises, Q&A sessions and interactive tools. This mix ensures that we can deliver engaging courses in both in-person and virtual formats. We maintain close communication with Eurostat, National ESTP contact points and participants, to ensure the courses run smoothly from start to finish, and implement continuous improvements based on feedback from both experts and participants.
Impact in numbers
Throughout the first half of 2026, the programme has already enabled 71 participants to attend ESTP training courses, with the annual programme halfway through completion. Participants have come from 30 countries across Europe, supporting broad knowledge exchange across the European Statistical System.
Key highlights
- The project delivers a comprehensive European training offer for official statisticians and other related professionals, covering statistical methods and tools, innovation in official statistics, sectoral and regional statistics, macroeconomic statistics, social statistics and business statistics.
- A key highlight is bringing together colleagues from across Europe, into a coordinated learning environment that combines practical expertise with academic and methodological insight. Peer learning, exchange of national practices and dissemination of harmonised EU concepts, legislation and methods, are encouraged in the programme as well as welcoming participants to ask any questions that they have and ensuring that the environment provided feels safe enough for them to do so.
Voices from the field
The course content was relevant, informative, and well structured. The classroom facilities and overall learning conditions supported the training effectively. I also appreciated the support provided by the course organizers and the smooth administration throughout the course.
The program was professionally organized and enabled the acquisition of new knowledge, exchange of experiences and strengthening of professional competencies in the field of forest statistics.
I was very satisfied with the delivery of the ESTP Course. My impression is that the course went very well, with a good level of engagement and active participation from the participants. They showed interest in the topics covered, asked relevant questions, and contributed to a positive and constructive training atmosphere. In addition, the group was well structured, as participants came from different institutional and professional backgrounds. This was useful for the course, as it allowed participants to share different perspectives and practical experiences.