In Simple Words
Transferable credentials work like a universally recognized driver's license for specialized technical skills. Instead of learning company-specific routines that only apply to a single employer, trainees earn official certifications (such as A+ computer repair or certified nursing assistant) that prove their competency to any business in that industry, opening up broad career mobility.
Low-wage job seekers in three US programs
- Without the sectoral program
- 45% worked in jobs paying at least $11 an hour
- With the sectoral program
- 59% worked in jobs paying at least $11 an hour
SEIS reports that 59% of trainees versus 45% of controls worked in a job paying at least $11 an hour during the two-year evaluation. This is a whole-program result. The source describes transferable credentials as a possible contributor, not a separately randomized cause.
See source →Research question
Non-traditional workers and workers of color often experience labor market discrimination and lack recognized credentials, restricting their entry into high-paying sectors. Without standardized certification, individual skills remain unverified and non-portable across prospective employers.
Participants
Human low-income adults and youth participating across nine evaluated sectoral programs in the United States.
Study Design
Synthesis of certification outcomes from four randomized controlled trials evaluated by Maguire et al. (2010), Hendra et al. (2016), Fein et al. (2018), and Roder & Elliott (2021).
Results
Sectoral programs substantially increased industry-recognized credential attainment; earnings gains were driven by placement in higher-paying credentialed jobs rather than total hours worked, yielding hourly wage increases of nearly $4/hour (a 31.7% increase, p < 0.01) in YearUp and a 14 percentage point increase in jobs paying over $11/hour (59% vs. 45%, p < 0.01) in SEIS.
Takeaway
Structure sector training programs around widely accepted industry certifications to establish portable skill signals for non-traditional job seekers.
Source and citation
See source →Read alongside the research
Plain-English glossary
Original explanations, informed by the references below. Examples are illustrations, not data from the studies above. The research text stays unchanged.
- Percentage points
The difference between two percentages.
ExampleA rise from 40% to 50% is 10 percentage points. Relative to the starting value, that is a 25% increase.
Office for National Statistics · Percentages ↗Read more about percentage points →