Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Based on administrated data, we will be able to observe the sector of employment and the type of occupation the individuals enter. Moreover, we will be able to investigate whether there are additional jobs created in areas with treated schools. For this we will use administrative data on jobs at the local and sectoral level.
Based on administrative records from the educational system, we will be able to analyze the impact of the intervention on the probability of finishing the vocational school with a diploma, and on the final grades.
We will explore effect heterogeneity of the interventions with respect to the situation on the local labor market. For this we will use regional data on sector- and occupation-specific unemployment rates as well as information on the employment rates of previous cohorts of vocational students who graduated in the same vocational schools.
In the school year 2023/2024 we conduct a survey in all participating schools. The first wave of this survey takes place from November 2023 to January 2024, i.e., before the treatment starts. The second wave is planned for May 2024, i.e., after part 1 (counseling program) of the treatment. In both waves we ask several questions about students’ plans for the next year and expected employment outcomes.
The questions about expected employment outcomes include the expected probability of finding a job within (i) 6 and (ii) 12 months (conditional on searching for a job), the (iii) expected wage in the first job, and (iv) the probability that the first job will be interesting and that the students will like the job, and (v) whether they expect that this job will be a job with a fixed-term contract, a job with an open-ended contract, or a free-lancer job.
To measure the knowledge about employment prospects of similar students, we ask about the share of students who find a job within 6 months among those who obtain the same diploma and who decide to look for a job without continuing their studies. We will compare the answers of the students with the actual shares of students who find a job within 6 months. This comparison will allow us to measure the accuracy of students’ beliefs about employment prospects of similar students.
The survey additionally contains several questions to measure the subjective evaluation of the students’ preparation for the labor market. The students are asked to what extent they agree with the following statements: (i) I know how to find job offers that match my profile and where I'm likely to be hired; (ii) I feel ready for job interviews; (iii) to find a good job, you need to be mobile and look in different regions, sectors and professions; (iv) if I'm looking for a job next year, I can count on my family and people I know to find a job; (v) I already have contacts with employers and companies that I can contact directly when I’m looking for a job. We will consider these items separately and we will construct a joint index based on all items.
For the cohort of students treated in 2024, we will additionally explore effect heterogeneity with respect to students’ personality traits (Big Five and Locus of Control). The first wave of this survey takes place in November and December 2023, i.e., before the treatment starts. In this survey we measure the locus of control based on 8 items and the Big Five based on 30 items. We repeat these measures in the second survey, which takes place after the first part of the treatment. This will allow us to additionally investigate the impact of the treatment on the Big Five and the Locus of Control of the students.