A number of 22,200 students studied at vocational schools at the start of the 2009/2010 academic year, a decrease of 8.7% compared with the previous year. More than 90% of them receive awards, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the National Bureau of Statistics. The statistical data show that about 80% of the students in secondary vocational education study at colleges, while 11.4% at professional schools. 87.7% of the students in secondary vocational education study at institutions based in rural areas. The men made up 68.4% of the students in secondary vocational education. As many as 13,400 persons were admitted to secondary vocational institutions at the beginning of the 2009/2010 academic year, a 12.6% decrease compared with a year before.18.0% of them finished secondary schools, 13.8% – high schools, while 5.2% - did not complete secondary education. Compared with the 2008/2009 academic year, the number of students studying at the faculty of services fell by 7.5%, while of those studying at the faculty of constructions rose by 4.4%, agriculture – 3.6%, metal processing industry and car making – by 3.3%. The most popular professions include: plasterer, locksmith, cook, seamstress, computer operator, mechanic, tractor driver, carpenter, etc. The number of graduates decreased by 1.1% from the previous year. Seventy-five vocational schools, two of which private, worked in Moldova at the start of the 2009/2010 academic year. They included 23 vocational schools, six of which at penitentiaries, and 52 professional schools.