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Certifying skills of unemployed youths in South Africa

Last registered on August 27, 2015
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Certifying skills of unemployed youths in South Africa
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0000819
Initial registration date
August 27, 2015

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
August 27, 2015, 2:23 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
South Africa
Region
Gauteng / Limpopo

Primary Investigator

Name
Martin Abel
Affiliation
Harvard University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Patrizio Piraino
PI Affiliation
University of Cape Town
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PI Name
Rulof Burger
PI Affiliation
Stellenbosch University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2015-07-01
End date
2016-06-01
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
Reference Letter, Skill Certification, Youth Unemployment
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This project tests two interventions to reduce information asymmetries in the low/medium-skill sector of the South African labor market. We invite unemployed youths, who registered with the South African Department of Labour, to one of two treatments: i) participants complete an aptitude test in English and Math and receive a certificates with the result, ii) provide job seekers with a reference letter template and encourage them to have it filled out by a previous employer.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Abel, Martin, Rulof Burger and Patrizio Piraino. 2015. "Certifying skills of unemployed youths in South Africa." AEA RCT Registry. August 27. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.819-1.0
Former Citation
Abel, Martin, Rulof Burger and Patrizio Piraino. 2015. "Certifying skills of unemployed youths in South Africa." AEA RCT Registry. August 27. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/819/history/5106
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2015-07-01
Intervention End Date
2016-02-29

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We are interested in both job search behavior and in firm demand (e.g. interview invitations, job offers).
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Job seekers registered with the Department of Labour are randomly assigned to different treatment groups (at the individual level). Random assignment is stratified by gender. The intended sample size is 1,500. Multiple rounds of follow-up data collections are administered via phone in the 6-9 months after the intervention.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is done via STATA.
Randomization Unit
Individual. Stratified by gender.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
5-7
Sample size: planned number of observations
1500
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
500
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Stellenbosch University IRB
IRB Approval Date
2015-04-16
IRB Approval Number
HS1171/2015
IRB Name
University of Cape Town IRB
IRB Approval Date
2015-03-25
IRB Approval Number
39-2015
IRB Name
Harvard University Committee on the Use of Human Subjects
IRB Approval Date
2015-06-22
IRB Approval Number
IRB15-1258
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials