Code for "What’s in a Job? Evaluating the Effect of Private Sector Employment Experience on Student Academic Outcomes"

Although subsidized summer jobs programs have been shown to improve youth outcomes, little is known about the effects of private sector employment experiences. We study a unique program that brokers employer-paid summer internships for youth across a variety of industries and occupations. Using administrative data, we employ fixed effects and matching models to estimate the impact of these internships on academic outcomes. We find private sector job experience significantly increases attendance, reduces course failures, and raises proficiency on statewide exams. Participants are more likely to take the SAT and enroll in college with a shift from 2-year to 4-year institutions.

尽管已有研究证实，受补贴的暑期就业项目可改善青少年的发展成效，但学界对私营部门就业经历的影响仍知之甚少。我们针对一项独特项目展开研究，该项目为覆盖多行业、多职业领域的青少年牵线搭桥，提供由雇主付费的暑期实习机会。本研究利用行政数据，采用固定效应模型与匹配模型，评估此类实习对青少年学业成效的影响。研究结果显示，私营部门的就业经历可显著提升青少年的出勤表现、降低课程挂科率，并提高其在全州统一考试中的学业熟练度。参与该项目的青少年更有可能参加学术能力评估测试（Scholastic Assessment Test，SAT），且升入大学的比例显著提升，其就读院校从两年制专科转向四年制本科的比例明显提高。