The Longer-run Effects of Apprenticeships in Ghana: A Pilot Study

In this project we propose to examine the long-term impact of a randomized government-sponsored apprenticeship program in Ghana. In 2013, the Ghanaian government launched the National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP), which was targeted at youth who are unable to continue their education beyond Junior Secondary School. Applicants to the program were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The assignment of selected apprentices (the treatment group) to trainers was randomized conditional on apprentice preferences. A subset of trainers was also randomized to receive bonus payments based on the performance of their trainee on a skills certification test. This long-term follow-up will help us examine the labor market trajectories of youth who received training compared to those who did not. Our experimental design also allows us to rigorously examine the importance of trainer characteristics and incentives for trainee labor market outcomes. This pilot will help our team develop, test, and refine our follow-up survey strategies. This will help us better design and budget our full-scale follow-up.