Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15456
Authors: Camille Terrier; Stephen Machin; Sandra McNally; Guglielmo Ventura
Abstract: England introduced University Technical Colleges (UTCs) in 2010, hybrid schools which combine general and vocational education. We use an instrumental variable approach to evaluate the causal effect of attending a UTC on student academic and vocational achievement and on their labour market outcomes. For pupils who enter at age 14, UTCs dramatically reduce their academic achievement on national exams at age 16. For students who enter at age of 16, UTCs boost vocational achievement without harming academic achievement. They also improve achievement in STEM qualifications, enrolment in apprenticeships, employment prospects (by age 19) and probability of studying STEM at university.
Keywords: Technical Education; Tracking; School Value-Added
JEL Codes: I20; I21; I28
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| UTC attendance (R19) | academic achievement (I24) |
| distance to UTC (N93) | UTC attendance (R19) |
| UTC attendance (R19) | vocational outcomes (J24) |
| UTC attendance (R19) | likelihood of enrolling in STEM qualifications (I24) |
| UTC attendance (R19) | apprenticeship prospects (J24) |
| UTC attendance (R19) | NEET status (I24) |
| UTC attendance at age 14 (I19) | academic achievement (I24) |
| UTC attendance at age 16 (I19) | academic achievement (I24) |