This meta-analysis synthesizes 39 studies (1990–2022) on the effects of formal Vocational Education and Training (VET) on labor market outcomes using causal counterfactual methods. Using Hedges’ g and Robust Variance Estimation, we find that VET versus general education yields a small positive effec…
We examine how the personality trait grit relates to post-compulsory educational choices using survey data linked to register data. Exploiting variation in self-reported grit within a cohort of students finishing compulsory school, we find that higher grit is associated with a higher likelihood of s…
This paper examines the earnings and job satisfaction of Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates in the European Union (EU) using two definitions of vocational education: a self-reported definition and a more specific definition that incorporates work-based learning. The incidence of third…
This paper investigates the effects of migration and work experience on university-to-work transitions of German university graduates. We use a job search model, signaling and social network theory to discuss different links between the duration of labor market entry, graduate mobility and work expe…
The paper studies a unique education reform that decreased the length of secondary-level vocational education from 4 to 3 years, reducing the time spent on general subjects while keeping the time spent on vocational training. We use a difference-in-difference strategy by comparing reformed schools w…
We use sequence analysis to compare the different trajectories that individuals take through the education system and into work and identify the characteristics that could be used to target those who are at most risk of poorer labour market outcomes. As well as age 16 exam performance, we find that …
We analyse the economic returns in lifetime labour income of various educational paths in Germany. Using recent data, we calculate cumulative labour earnings at different ages and for different educational paths while controlling the parental background of individuals. We find that after the age of …
This paper estimates the effects of attending a vocational higher track secondary (HTS) school compared to a general HTS school. It considers the case of Germany, where both schools provide access to tertiary education. Identification uses selection-on-observables and instrumental variables strategi…
We study the returns to apprenticeship and vocational training for three early labor market outcomes all measured at age 25 for East and West German youths: non-employment (i.e. unemployment or out of the labor force), permanent fulltime employment, and wages. We find strong positive effects of appr…
The case for education can be made from many perspectives. This paper makes the case for education based on economic outcomes. Surveying the most recent empirical evidence, it shows the crucial role of education for individual and societal prosperity. Education is a leading determinant of economic g…
Using two representative samples of some 74,000 students and 11,000 graduates, respectively, we analyse the accuracy of students’ wage expectations given their individual characteristics. We find that students are aware of the effects of most of their own characteristics, as a large number of determ…
The national Norwegian school reform of 1994, which gave students statutory rights to at least 3 years of upper secondary education, had a significant impact on educational attainment among immigrant youth. In particular, we find that the immigrant transition rate from compulsory schooling to comple…
The vocational education and training (VET) sector is a major pathway to postschool education for indigenous students, yet questions are being raised about the capacity of the VET system to provide successful outcomes for the indigenous apprentices and trainees it attracts. Within a system plagued b…
The main aim of this paper is to identify those school-level and locality-level factors that significantly affect each of the three stages in a young adult's educational trajectory in North West England: GCSE results, track taken at age 16 and 'A'-level scores. By applying three-level models to data…
The vocational education and training (VET) sector in Victoria went through some significant changes between 1993 and 1998. These changes included amalgamation of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes and the creation of a market for the provision of part of the state-funded VET, in whic…
