The Returns to Attending a Vocational Education School: Evidence from a RCT in Mongolia
Last registered on March 30, 2015
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information
General Information
Title
The Returns to Attending a Vocational Education School: Evidence from a RCT in Mongolia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0000637
Initial registration date
March 30, 2015
Last updated
March 30, 2015 5:38 PM EDT
Location(s)
Country
Mongolia
Region
Primary Investigator
Name
Leigh Linden
Affiliation
The University of Texas at Austin
Contact Primary Investigator
Other Primary Investigator(s)
PI Name
Erica Field
PI Affiliation
Duke University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Shing-Yi Wang
PI Affiliation
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Daniel Rubenson
PI Affiliation
Ryerson University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Linden Leigh
PI Affiliation
University of Texas at Austin
Contact Investigator
Additional Trial Information
Status
On going
Start date
2010-05-06
End date
2016-01-31
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
Vocational Education, Tertiary Education, Youth Employment
JEL code(s)
C93, I21, I38
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Does admission to a Vocational and Technical Education Training (TVET) school increase the wages and employability of poor Mongolians? This study will evaluate the admission to TVET schools on both academic and labor-market outcomes. We hypothesize that being admitted to a TVET school will cause students to have better labor market outcomes. We hypothesize that admission to TVET schools will increase their factual understanding of trades and familiarize the students with the tools actually used by employers. Employers should then find students more productive than they otherwise would, making it more likely that students will be able to find employment and increasing the wages that employers are willing to pay them. To identify these effects, we worked with a select set of TVET schools in Mongolia to conduct admissions lotteries in three admission years, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Baseline data was collected at time of admission application and follow-up data will be analyzed to assess the impact of TVET admission on labor market outcomes.
External Link(s)
The Millennium Challenge Corporation's Mongolia Impact Evaluation Page
Registration Citation
Citation
Field, Erica et al. 2015. "The Returns to Attending a Vocational Education School: Evidence from a RCT in Mongolia." AEA RCT Registry. March 30. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/637/history/3901
Sponsors & Partners

There are documents in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access to this information.

Request Information
Experimental Details
Interventions
Intervention(s)
We evaluate the impact of being admitted to Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) schools in Mongolia. Students are admitted to study a specific trade in 1, 2, or 2.5 year programs.

Intervention Start Date
2010-09-01
Intervention End Date
2016-01-31
Primary Outcomes
Primary Outcomes (end points)
Key outcomes include earnings, employment, type of employment, and graduates' trade-specific skills.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary Outcomes
Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Experimental Design
Experimental Design
This study will primarily evaluate the impact of admission to Vocational Education Schools on both academic and labor-market outcomes. The program to reform TVET schools in Mongolia was sponsored by the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Comparable control and treatment groups necessary to estimate the effect of TVET training was created through randomized admissions process in three consecutive academic years. Out of a pool of ‘qualified’ applicants, students were chosen at random to gain admittance to the school. The randomized design ensured that all qualified applicants have an equal probability of receiving vocational and technical training. Qualified applicants who were not admitted will serve as the control group. Surveys were administered to the entire pool of applicants at the time of the application, including a standardized general knowledge test to measure skill levels and academic performance. Shortly after graduation, a follow-up survey will be administered to collect information on labor-market outcomes, including wages and hours worked. Students will also complete standardized trade tests that measure knowledge and skills in specific trades. This follow-up survey will continue annually for three years.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done by computer
Randomization Unit
Randomization occurred at the level of the individual applicant to the TVET schools.
Was the treatment clustered?
No
Experiment Characteristics
Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
11,000
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
8,126 accepted to TVET schools through admissions lottery, 2,264 not accepted
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
MDE's for Monthly Exposure to Improved Equipment: Upper bound: 0.01 std. deviations for Skills Test scores; 0.42% Employment change; 1.7 USD monthly income change Lower Bound: 0.0056 Std. deviations for skills test scores; 0.24% Employment change and 0.94 USD monthly income change
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB
INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS (IRBs)
IRB Name
Human Subjects Committee for Innovations for Poverty Action
IRB Approval Date
2010-08-06
IRB Approval Number
183.10 August.-003
Analysis Plan
Post-Trial
Post Trial Information
Study Withdrawal
Intervention
Is the intervention completed?
No
Is data collection complete?
Data Publication
Data Publication
Is public data available?
No
Program Files
Program Files
Reports and Papers
Preliminary Reports
Relevant Papers