What are Soft Skills Worth to Technically Skilled Women?

Last registered on November 15, 2024
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
What are Soft Skills Worth to Technically Skilled Women?
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014762
Initial registration date
November 04, 2024

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
November 15, 2024, 1:23 PM EST

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

Locations

Country
India
Region
Uttar Pradesh

Primary Investigator

Name
Narges Hajimoladarvish
Affiliation
Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sharon Barnhardt
PI Affiliation
Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-05-16
End date
2025-12-31
Keywords
Education, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines the impact of a 40-hour soft skills training program on employment outcomes for educated young women in a developing country context, an area where existing research is limited, and findings have been mixed. Specifically, we assess how this training influences key employment indicators, including labour force participation, long-term career intentions, employment status, job satisfaction, and tenure. Additionally, the study evaluates improvements across eight targeted soft skills to determine the program’s effectiveness in preparing participants for sustainable employment. This research aims to provide insights into the role of soft skills training in enhancing job prospects and workplace satisfaction among young women in India.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Barnhardt, Sharon and Narges Hajimoladarvish. 2024. "What are Soft Skills Worth to Technically Skilled Women?." AEA RCT Registry. November 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14762-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention is a 40-hour soft skills training program. The training will be provided to 1000 young females residing in Uttar Pradesh (UP). The program consists of three modules; masterclasses, videos and role-play to mimic real-world situations. The program covers various soft skills, including problem-solving, storytelling, smart thinking, negotiation, collaboration, emotional intelligence, productivity and communication. The program is designed to give candidates a unique edge in the labour market and to empower young girls to become future leaders.

Intervention Start Date
2024-07-01
Intervention End Date
2024-12-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Key outcomes at the endline are employment status, intention to work through a lifetime, work satisfaction, tenure, expectation about finding a job and confidence in public speaking.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We use a randomised order of phase-in to study the short-run effects of the program on employment outcomes. After recruiting 1000 learners, we will conduct the baseline survey and then use stratified randomisation to assign learners to treatment and control groups. First, the treatment group receives the training, and after three months, we conduct the endline survey for both groups. The control group only receives the training after the endline survey. Stratified randomisation is based on whether participants are graduating or already working and whether they opted for Saturday, Sunday or either session.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is done through random draws by a computer.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization is individuals. However, we use stratified randomization based on whether participants are graduating, unemployed or already working and whether they opted for Saturday, Sunday or either session. We had 9 strata.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
1000 participants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We expect to have around 500 learners in each of the treatment and control groups.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
With 1000 learners, our design is powered to detect a minimum detectable effect size of approximately 0.15 standard deviations for treatment effect between the groups if we assign 500 to the treatment and 500 to the control group.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Institutional Review Board of Ashoka University
IRB Approval Date
2024-04-26
IRB Approval Number
24-X-10004-Hajimoladarvish
Analysis Plan