Dual-Client Workforce Development Model: NPower Canada Randomized Control Trial

Last registered on February 21, 2023

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Dual-Client Workforce Development Model: NPower Canada Randomized Control Trial
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010684
Initial registration date
February 17, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
February 21, 2023, 10:28 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Affiliation
University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Department of Economics at the University of Toronto

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2022-05-12
End date
2024-12-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study the effects of NPower Canada's sectoral employment program, which offers skills training to under- or unemployed individuals from low-income communities, aiming to employ them in the information technology (IT) industry. We propose an analysis of the effectiveness of the program through a randomized control trial (RCT) looking at several outcomes, such as employment, continuing education, earnings, job quality, and others. We will combine surveys with government administrative data. Additionally, we intend to perform a cost-benefit analysis and develop a theoretical job search model. To evaluate the results of the RCT, we use a straightforward econometric framework that accounts for multiple hypothesis testing and allows for heterogeneity by participant characteristics or program stream.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kroft, Kory and Matthew Notowidigdo. 2023. "Dual-Client Workforce Development Model: NPower Canada Randomized Control Trial." AEA RCT Registry. February 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10684-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We study the effects of NPower Canada's sectoral employment program, which offers skills training to under- or unemployed individuals from low-income communities, aiming to employ them in the information technology (IT) industry. The program is delivered online and consists of 15 weeks of intensive, no-cost, technical, and professional skills training. At the end of this period, participants receive an industry-recognized certificate (e.g. Google IT Support Professional, CISCO IT Essentials, and CompTIA A+), job matching assistance, and 5 years of alumni laddering services.
Because NPower Canada's workforce training faces excess demand, we use this oversubscription to randomize the treatment among qualified candidates and construct a control group that has no access to NPower's program, but is referred to other services in the community (not associated with NPower). The randomization of treatment is stratified by gender within each cohort, such that the probability of being treated is equal across genders.
Intervention Start Date
2022-05-23
Intervention End Date
2023-12-22

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Employment, continuing education, earnings, job search.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
All outcomes are measured by straightforward survey questions.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Job quality, job satisfaction, mental health, government benefits.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
All outcomes are measured by straightforward survey questions.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Because NPower Canada's workforce training faces excess demand, we use this oversubscription to randomize the treatment among qualified candidates and construct a control group that has no access to NPower's program, but is referred to other services in the community (not associated with NPower). The randomization of treatment is stratified by gender within each cohort, such that the probability of being treated is equal across genders. We study two streams of NPower Canadas's Youth Program Model: Junior IT Analyst (JITA) and Junior Data Analyst (JDA).
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
3300 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
3300 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
2660 treatment, 640 control. Treatment is defined as being assigned to NPower's program, in JDA or JITA streams.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Our power calculation finds Minimum Detectable Effects (MDEs) that represent the treatment effect that we would be able to detect 80% of the time (Power) with 95% confidence (1 - Significance Level), for different effective treatment rates and control group sizes. For employment, continuing education, and earnings the MDEs are within a range of 3%, 2%, and 40-80%, respectively. More details are given in the pre-analysis plan.
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Veritas IRB
IRB Approval Date
2021-09-08
IRB Approval Number
Tracking number: 2021-2731-7222-3
Analysis Plan

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