Intervention(s)
To test whether experimentation with the real-life work environment in non-considered occupations affects students’ occupational search, we designed the following intervention in collaboration with several large firms in Switzerland.
All our partner firms regularly offer trial apprenticeships (TA), which are days during which students (typically in grade 8) can shadow and/or try-out tasks in a given occupation within the firm. The idea of TAs is to help students better understand their preferences before applying for apprenticeships during grade 9.
We collaborated with our partner firms to co-design a new model of TA which enables students to experiment with occupations which they did not necessarily consider before (called ”Vorschnupperlehre”/”Pre-TA”).
Students apply for this TA online, with the goal of learning more about one precise occupation. However, they know from the ad that they would experience their targeted occupation for half the time and could experience a different occupation (potentially similar, potentially different) for the other half.
Our experimental sample will consist of all the students who apply and are accepted by the company for this TA. Students who are randomized into the control arm will experience the occupation of their choice, and then a similar or identical occupation for the rest of the time. Students who are randomized into the treatment arm will similarly get to experience their targeted occupation for the first half of the TA. However, for the second half, they will experience an occupation which is different than the targeted one. In other words, the treatment is to experience an occupation they had - most likely - not considered before.
To make sure to get variation in the types of occupations experienced in the treatment group, we categorized all occupations along gender composition and the type of working environment (lab, client-facing, office).