The recent Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS II) shows that training performance of enterprises is rather different throughout Europe. Several possible reasons and influencing factors are being analysed to explain these differences. When discussing cross-national statistics on training in enterprises also the following question arises: Do differences in price levels for training offers seriously influence the training performance of enterprises? Existing information on enterprises` expenditures per hour of training is not sufficient enough to answer this question because it does not only reflect prices of training offers but also efficiency of enterprises` training organisation in general. Therefore, sources of information on national training prices have to be developed. The paper investigates whether price levels on national training markets may have a major influence on enterprises' training provision. Prices of different training offers are screened in seven European countries (AT, DK, IT, DE, CZ, LT, FR). For this purpose a pragmatic methodology has been developed, of which advantages and shortfalls are scrutinized. Discovered differences in prices are analysed whether they provide an explanation for differences in enterprises' training performance in the seven countries examined. The main focus is on the question, to what extent enterprises' demand of training itself already influences prices on the training market. Also the effect of internal organisation of training (using own training staff) instead of making use of training offers by external providers is explored.

The paper is developed within a cross national project (CVTS revisited Leonardo da Vinci Program cf. www.trainingineurope.com), focusing on the question, why average enterprises' training performance is so different throughout Europe. Price information on national training markets was collected by the partnership, using a pragmatic approach. Average prices for one hour of training for seven typical training offers important for enterprises were calculated. Additional information is gained by 70 interviews with training providers, a short survey on training providers and 125 interviews with enterprises concerning experiences with training providers. Influence of training prices on company training is traced back on the basis of the results of the Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS II 1999).

The presentation will analyse firstly, whether substantial price differences on the seven training markets examined exist. Methodological questions concerning the screening methods used will be discussed. Secondly, it will be discussed whether it is possible to assume that differences in training prices seriously effect the average national training performance of enterprises. Thirdly, the question will be raised, whether a strong interaction between training demand and training prices has to be considered and how the option of enterprises to organise training internally may influence the process of setting prices on the external training market. An outlook stresses further research needs on the relation between training markets and companies` training strategies, exploring the fairly unknown world of European training markets with its different groups of actors.