Evaluation of Demand-led Vocational Training Programs in Pakistan

The intervention is implemented at the individual level. Individuals are randomly chosen for one of six training sectors: advanced mobile repairing and software, beautician, computerized accounting, electrician and plumber, mobile repairing, or tailoring. The respective sectors have been selected based on a market needs assessment prior to the intervention’s start.

Individuals in the treatment group participate in a pre-internship and, unless they disqualify due to low attendance rates, continue to the training phase afterwards.

We will collect post-intervention data via a phone follow up survey and hence expect some attrition. This will be illustrated and handled appropriately.

2020-12-16

2021-12-31

- TVET training indicator (Have you ever completed or are currently attending a technical or vocational training such as auto or engine mechanics, carpentry, typing, computer, tailoring etc.?)
- Employment 1 (How would describe your (main) activity in the last 3 months? If employed: type of employment)
- Employment 2 (Did you do any work for pay, profit or family gain during last week, at least for one hour on any day?)
- Hours worked last week (If worked last week: In total, how many hours did you work last week?)
- Monthly income 1 (If employed: What is your income from your main occupation on a monthly basis?)
- Monthly income 2 (If employed: What is your total income on a monthly basis? Including income from all sources not only the main occupation.)

- Job search time (If searching for a job: How many months have you been looking for work? If trained and employed: After finishing the training, how many months did it take you to find this job?)
- Number of applications in job search process (If searching for a job: Since you started looking for work, how many jobs have you applied for?)
- Number of interviews in job search process (If searching for a job: Since you started looking for work, how many interviews have you had?)
- Job satisfaction index (How satisfied are you with your current income from your main occupation? Overall, how satisfied are you with your main occupation?)
- Value of training in finding/exercising a job index (Overall, do you think the training increased your chances to find a job? Do you feel the education and training you received in the past is useful in getting a job? Overall, how useful has been your occupational training for your current work?)
- TVET program suitability for market needs (If trained: How appropriate was the program curriculum to meet market needs? [self-assessed])
- Changes in wage expectations (If trained: Did the training change your wage expectations?)

We conduct a pilot RCT with a single intervention, a combined internship and training program to improve the integration of youths into the labor market. To do so, 210 youths are randomly selected for treatment, whereas 100 youths serve as the control group. Both the treatment and the control group are selected from a pool of eligible individuals who stated their interest to participate in a TVET training and fulfil a set of eligibility criteria defined by the implementing NGO, ACTED Pakistan. They have been interviewed and were equally eligible to continue with the TVET training. The randomization is carried out in several steps: Following a set of interviews for a specific trait, ACTED shared a list of eligible candidates and a randomization into treatment and control group (with varying shares per trait) was carried out. In total, eight such batches of groups for randomization exist.

Stratified randomization, with eight TVET courses as strata. Varying treatment assignment probabilities across strata.

Individual

No

-

310

210 treatment individuals, 100 control individuals

Given the pilot nature of this study, outcomes will be reported only where we have sufficient power.