Young worker participation in post-school education and training

Monthly Labor Review

Volumn 121, Issue 6, 1998, Pages 14-21

  Hight, Joseph E ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 0003096499     PISSN: 00981818     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (32)

1. See Alan Eck, "Job-related education and training: their impact on earnings," Monthly Labor Review, October 1993, pp. 21-38. See also Labor Force Statistics Derived From the Current Population Survey, 1948-87, Bulletin 2307 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1988), table C-22, pp. 844-45. Although data on educational attainment of the labor force are available only from 1970, data on the education level of the population are available from 1940 and clearly show an increasing trend, suggesting that the labor force also has become more educated since 1940. See Robert Kominski and Andrea Adams, Educational Attainment in the United States: March 1993 and 1992, Current Population Reports, P20-476 (Bureau of the Census, 1994), table 17, pp. 93-95.
2. See Alan Eck, "Job-related education and training: their impact on earnings," Monthly Labor Review, October 1993, pp. 21-38. See also Labor Force Statistics Derived From the Current Population Survey, 1948-87, Bulletin 2307 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1988), table C-22, pp. 844-45. Although data on educational attainment of the labor force are available only from 1970, data on the education level of the population are available from 1940 and clearly show an increasing trend, suggesting that the labor force also has become more educated since 1940. See Robert Kominski and Andrea Adams, Educational Attainment in the United States: March 1993 and 1992, Current Population Reports, P20-476 (Bureau of the Census, 1994), table 17, pp. 93-95.
3. See Alan Eck, "Job-related education and training: their impact on earnings," Monthly Labor Review, October 1993, pp. 21-38. See also Labor Force Statistics Derived From the Current Population Survey, 1948-87, Bulletin 2307 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1988), table C-22, pp. 844-45. Although data on educational attainment of the labor force are available only from 1970, data on the education level of the population are available from 1940 and clearly show an increasing trend, suggesting that the labor force also has become more educated since 1940. See Robert Kominski and Andrea Adams, Educational Attainment in the United States: March 1993 and 1992, Current Population Reports, P20-476 (Bureau of the Census, 1994), table 17, pp. 93-95.
4. See John Bound and George Johnson, "Changes in the Structure of Wages in the 1980s: An Evaluation of Alternative Explanations," American Economic Review, June 1992, pp. 371-92. See also Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2340 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1989), table 85, p. 320, for historical average weekly earnings in current and constant (inflation- adjusted) dollars.
5. See John Bound and George Johnson, "Changes in the Structure of Wages in the 1980s: An Evaluation of Alternative Explanations," American Economic Review, June 1992, pp. 371-92. See also Handbook of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2340 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1989), table 85, p. 320, for historical average weekly earnings in current and constant (inflation-adjusted) dollars.
6. For examples, see Lisa M. Lynch, ed., Training and the Private Sector: International Comparisons (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1994); Jonathan R. Veum, "Training among young adults: who, what kind, and for how long?" Monthly Labor Review, August 1993, pp. 27-32; and John Bishop, Employer Training & Skill Shortages: A Review of the State of Knowledge, working paper 91-32 (Ithaca, NY, Cornell University, New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, 1991).
7. For examples, see Lisa M. Lynch, ed., Training and the Private Sector: International Comparisons (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1994); Jonathan R. Veum, "Training among young adults: who, what kind, and for how long?" Monthly Labor Review, August 1993, pp. 27-32; and John Bishop, Employer Training & Skill Shortages: A Review of the State of Knowledge, working paper 91-32 (Ithaca, NY, Cornell University, New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, 1991).
8. For examples, see Lisa M. Lynch, ed., Training and the Private Sector: International Comparisons (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1994); Jonathan R. Veum, "Training among young adults: who, what kind, and for how long?" Monthly Labor Review, August 1993, pp. 27-32; and John Bishop, Employer Training & Skill Shortages: A Review of the State of Knowledge, working paper 91-32 (Ithaca, NY, Cornell University, New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, 1991).
9. For a comprehensive statement on data needs, see Lisa M. Lynch, "A Needs Analysis of Training Data: What Do We Want, What Do We Have, Can We Ever Get It?" (mimeo., Tufts University, 1995).
10. Burt Barnow, Linda Giannarelli, and Sharon Long, Training Provided by Private Sector Employers, report prepared for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Labor (Washington, DC, The Urban Institute, May 1996).
11. For an example of an analysis that does use the 1991 NHES and reports similar findings to those presented here, see Teresita L. Chan Kopka and Samuel S. Peng, Adult Education: Employment-Related Training, NCES Report 94-471 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 1994).
12. For a brief description of the NHES, see National Household Education Survey: An Overview, NCES Report 98-246 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 1998); also, Roslyn Korb, Kathryn Chandler, and Jerry West, Adult Education Profile for 1990-91, NCES Report 91-222 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, September 1991). For a more comprehensive report on the survey, see An Overview of the National Household Education Survey: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, NCES Report 97-448 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 1997).
13. For a brief description of the NHES, see National Household Education Survey: An Overview, NCES Report 98-246 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 1998); also, Roslyn Korb, Kathryn Chandler, and Jerry West, Adult Education Profile for 1990-91, NCES Report 91-222 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, September 1991). For a more comprehensive report on the survey, see An Overview of the National Household Education Survey: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, NCES Report 97-448 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 1997).
14. For a brief description of the NHES, see National Household Education Survey: An Overview, NCES Report 98-246 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 1998); also, Roslyn Korb, Kathryn Chandler, and Jerry West, Adult Education Profile for 1990-91, NCES Report 91-222 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, September 1991). For a more comprehensive report on the survey, see An Overview of the National Household Education Survey: 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, NCES Report 97-448 (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 1997).
15. As reported by many researchers, including Bound and Johnson, in "Structure of Wages," 1992.
16. For more information on the 1991 NHES and subsequent surveys, see sources cited in footnote 7 above.
17. The high school degree group includes those who also had some vocational or technical training after high school but no college, while the some-college group includes those who have an associate's degree.
18. Because most of the data on post-school education and training activities concern the prior 12 months, limiting the analysis to single years (17, 19, 21, and 23 years) would allow for comparisons to be made of workers in their first year after leaving full-time school and working at a job. Unfortunately, however, the sample was too small, and the age groups were expanded to 12-year intervals.
19. Rounded to the nearest whole year.
20. Employment-related training includes any courses that respondents said they were taking mainly "to improve, advance, or keep up to date on [their] current job"; or those taken "to train for a new job or a new career." Respondents who answered "yes" to the question, "Did you also have any employment- or career-related reason for taking [the training]?" also are included in this measure.
21. If respondents indicate that they have taken some kind of employment-related training, they are then given a list of various kinds of such training and asked to answer "yes" or "no" to each item on the list.
22. The wording in the 1991 NHES for this type of training was "Word processing or computer software training." For some evidence of the effect on earnings of lacking these skills, see Alan B. Krueger, "How Computers Have Changed the Wage Structure: Evidence from Microdata, 1984-89," Quarterly Journal of Economics, February 1993, pp. 33-66.
23. See Norman Bowers and Paul Swaim, "Recent Trends in Job Training," Contemporary Economic Policy, January 1994, pp. 79-88.
24. Bowers and Swaim came to the same conclusion using 1983 and 1991 Current Population Survey data.
25. For example, the proportion for the 39- to 49-year-old group in 1990-91 was 65.3 percent. In 2000-2001, when members of the group will be aged 50 to 60, the proportion will necessarily be at least as great as it was in 1990-91, and probably greater. This means that 50- to 60-year-olds in 2001-2002 will have participated in part-time education and training activities at a greater rate than did their predecessors in 1990-91. A similar case can be made for other age groups as well.
26. Recall that the NHES is not a longitudinal survey and thus some caution should be used when interpreting the data in this way; there may be some upward bias. Consider, for example, that particularly among older workers, there will be persons who will attain college degrees during the intervening years from 1990-2001, and these individuals will most likely have done so by attending education and training on a part-time basis. Thus, we would expect to observe greater rates of participation among older college graduates. The fact that we do not (at least not beyond the 17- to 27-year-old group), suggests that the tendency for participation in part-time adult education to increase over time has been strong enough to more than offset this potential bias in the data as it is presented here.
27. These data may be downward biased to an extent. Some 39- to 49-year-olds without a high school diploma in 1990-91, for example, may attain one by the time they enter the 50- to 60-year-old cohort in 2001-2002, thus putting downward pressure on the number of 39- to 49-year-olds without high school diplomas. Similar reasoning may be applied to other groups as well. In addition, some recall bias may exist in the evidence from these data that post-school participation in adult education and training is increasing. Older age cohorts are more likely to fail to recall participation in such activities because, on average, they were involved in them longer ago. Recall problems would have to be extremely large, however, to lead to different conclusions because younger age cohorts said they participated at such high rates relative to older age cohorts. Even if comparisons were limited to 28- to 38-year-olds and 39- to 49-year-olds, where recall differences would tend to be minimal, the conclusions hold. Finally, the structure and sequencing of questions in the 1991 NHES should minimize recall difficulties regarding this issue. Respondents are first asked, "Please tell me whether or not you have been involved in any of these in the past 12 months," after which they are asked to respond to each item in a list of possible education and training activities. If the respondent answers "no" to every item on the list, they immediately are asked if they have ever participated in any such activities, using the same list, which still should be fresh in their minds from the previous question.
28. Jonathan R. Veum, "Training among young adults: who, what kind, and for how long?" Monthly Labor Review, August 1993, pp. 27-32. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) is part of the larger National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS); it collects data on young men and women who were 14 to 22 years of age in 1979, interviewing the same respondents annually since then. According to Veum, the NLSY "provides some of the most comprehensive data currently available on training." For more information about the NLS, see BLS Handbook of Methods, Bulletin 2490, April 1997, pp. 50-56.
29. Jonathan R. Veum, "Training among young adults: who, what kind, and for how long?" Monthly Labor Review, August 1993, pp. 27-32. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) is part of the larger National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS); it collects data on young men and women who were 14 to 22 years of age in 1979, interviewing the same respondents annually since then. According to Veum, the NLSY "provides some of the most comprehensive data currently available on training." For more information about the NLS, see BLS Handbook of Methods, Bulletin 2490, April 1997, pp. 50-56.
30. Nonetheless, Veum reported that 38 percent of persons who were aged 21 to 29 years in 1986 received training at some time during the 1986-91 period, roughly comparable to the 35-percent figure for 17- to 35-year-olds presented here.
31. Although the focus of the present study is on young adult workers, the comparison of the NHES with the CPS uses all workers, mainly for the sake of convenience - these results were taken from other studies that used all workers. (The NHES includes workers who were older than age 16 when the survey was conducted; the CPS data are for those 16 years and older.) As can be seen from the second and third rows of the table, the NHES shows similar results for both young workers and all workers. For the NHES, see Chan Kopka and Peng, Adult Education; for the CPS, see Eck, "Job-related education and training," table 8.
32. See, for example, Veum, "Training among young adults"; Eck, "Job-related education and training"; as well as others cited above.