The ESCO handbook contains general information about ESCO version 1.0 (ESCO v1), the first fully fledged version of ESCO. It gives a general overview of the different aspects of the classification and is divided in four parts: 

• I. What is ESCO?: ESCO is a common classification language designed to connect people to jobs. In this chapter, you will learn how it works and how it is structured.
• II. Developing ESCO: In this chapter, you will find information about the process that led to the publication of ESCO v1 including the actors involved, the governance structure and the different steps in the development of the classification.
• III. Using ESCO: ESCO terminology can be used to support job matching, job searching, career management or labour market analysis. In this chapter, you will learn more about the added value of ESCO and examples of how it can be utilised.
• IV. Keeping ESCO up-to-date: In this chapter, you will learn how ESCO has been designed to adapt to the evolution of the labour market and the education and training sector, in order to remain fit for purpose.