Building future-proof skills for youth employment

Last registered on May 12, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Building future-proof skills for youth employment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011362
Initial registration date
May 04, 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
May 12, 2023, 5:20 PM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Filipe Cavalcanti
Affiliation
FGV EESP
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Bruno Ferman
PI Affiliation
FGV EESP
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PI Name
Luiz Felipe Fontes
PI Affiliation
Insper
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-06-01
End date
2025-08-01
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
coding bootcamps, job training, employment, technology
JEL code(s)
M53, J21, J24
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
One of the most popular explanations for youth unemployment is skill mismatch, especially in a labor market that continually evolves in response to technological changes. Providing young people with the right employability skills through training is thus seen as a major policy priority. This project aims to investigate whether rapid coding courses (coding bootcamps) can equip disadvantaged young workers with the skills needed to succeed in the labor market. Specifically, we will conduct a randomized control trial (RCT) to evaluate the causal effects of a coding bootcamp among a sample of disadvantaged young beneficiaries in Brazil. To do so, we have partnered with an NGO that offers high-quality coding bootcamps worldwide. Through 2023 and 2024, we will randomly offer applicants a spot in their oversubscribed course in Brazil.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Cavalcanti, Filipe, Bruno Ferman and Luiz Felipe Fontes. 2023. "Building future-proof skills for youth employment." AEA RCT Registry. May 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11362-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
In summary, beneficiaries will receive 300-400 hours of programming skills training (Java, Javascript, .Net, or Mobile) followed by job search assistance services. The program is targeted at young people between the ages of 18 and 30 who complete high school in a public school and are unemployed. The organization is committed to guaranteeing the participation of minority groups, such as women, blacks, low-income, and LGBTQIAP+ individuals. The program is offered in four large Brazilian cities: Recife, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Campinas.

The classes are all online, with both synchronous and asynchronous meetings. Students perform practical programming activities during the course to help them make a portfolio in their study area. Job search support includes (i) workshops about doing job interviews and writing a CV, (ii) newsletters with open vacancies, and (iii) direct matching with tech recruiters from organizations with which the bootcamp has a partnership.

The intervention is free of charge, and the bootcamp additionally offers financial support for lower-income individuals to keep up with the course. In particular, the program provides a cash transfer of about 500 Brazilian Reais (BRL) –approximately 100 USD– to cover food and internet expenses, besides lending a laptop.
Intervention Start Date
2023-06-01
Intervention End Date
2024-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We will carry out primary data collection 6 months after the intervention to measure the program's impact on job outcomes, including employment, earnings, job benefits, and job satisfaction. To evaluate long run effects, we will use administrative data from the government on formal labor market outcomes.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We will also use primary data collection to investigate mechanisms – formation of skills (coding and socioemotional) and job search outcomes (strategies, effort, and effectiveness) – and study the program’s impact on other dimensions of well-being (educational outcomes, savings, expectations, etc.).
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Individuals will be first screened using the bootcamp’s standard screening process, encompassing logical and reading tests, and personal interviews. Individuals approved in these phases will be eligible to participate in the program. Due to a limited number of slots in the program and a large number of applicants, eligible students will be randomly selected to join the course. The randomization will occur in batches. A new application process opens approximately every 2 months, and we will randomize eligible students to the program until we have achieved the minimum number of individuals expected in the experiment.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Candidate
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
From 1200 to 1800 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
From 1200 to 1800 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We expect at least 500 individuals in the control group and 1000 in the treatment.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Insper
IRB Approval Date
2023-03-22
IRB Approval Number
Opinion N. 284/2023
Analysis Plan