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Can information about jobs improve the effectiveness of vocational training? Experimental evidence from India

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  • Chakravorty, Bhaskar
  • Arulampalam, Wiji
  • Bhatiya, Apurav Yash
  • Imbert, Clément
  • Rathelot, Roland

Abstract

We use a randomized experiment to evaluate the impact of providing richer information about prospective jobs to vocational trainees on their employment outcomes. The setting of the study is the vocational training program DDU-GKY in India. We find that including in the training two information sessions about placement opportunities make trainees 18% more likely to stay in the jobs in which they are placed. We provide suggestive evidence that the effect is driven by improved selection into training: as a result of the intervention, trainees that are over-optimistic about placement jobs are more likely to drop out before placement.

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  • Chakravorty, Bhaskar & Arulampalam, Wiji & Bhatiya, Apurav Yash & Imbert, Clément & Rathelot, Roland, 2024. "Can information about jobs improve the effectiveness of vocational training? Experimental evidence from India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:169:y:2024:i:c:s0304387824000221
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2024.103273
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Goller & Chiara Graf & Stefan C. Wolter, 2024. "The virtues of going virtual," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0224, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    2. Samuel Bazzi & Lisa Cameron & Simone Schaner & Firman Witoelar, 2021. "Information, Intermediaries, and International Migration," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2021n30, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    3. Chakravorty, Bhaskar & Bhatiya, Apurav Yash & Imbert, Clément & Lohnert, Maximilian & Panda, Poonam & Rathelot, Roland, 2023. "Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on India’s rural youth: Evidence from a panel survey and an experiment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    4. Chakravorty, Bhaskar & Bhatiya, Apurav Yash & Imbert, Clément & Lohnert, Maximilian & Panda, Poonam & Rathelot, Roland, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 Crisis on Rural Youth: Evidence from a Panel Survey and an Experiment," GLO Discussion Paper Series 909, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Training policies; Rural areas; Education; RCT; Information imperfections; Information intervention;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • M53 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Training

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