Longitudinal Studies on Training Impact

🎯 Key highlights of a study from the Economics of Education Review that looks at how continuous work-related training impacts people's careers in Switzerland🇨🇭. 📘 The research is important because it uses detailed government data on both education and employment over several years to get a very clear picture of the effects. It helps us understand if training truly leads to better job outcomes and who benefits the most, especially in a country with a lot of adult training but little government regulation. 🔍 Purpose & Relevance: - Investigates how CET impacts earnings and unemployment risk. - Uses Swiss data, where adult education is largely privately organized—offering insights relevant to liberal labour markets like those in Anglo-Saxon countries. - Highly relevant for policymakers, employers, and VET practitioners seeking evidence-based strategies to upskill the workforce. 🎯 Key Themes & Takeaways: 💼 Labour Market Outcomes of CET: - CET increases annual earnings by 3.4% on average. - Reduces unemployment risk by 2.1 percentage points—nearly halving the baseline rate. - Shortens unemployment spells by up to 0.17 months. 📊 Methodology Strength: - Uses regression-adjusted matched difference-in-differences with entropy balancing. - Controls for selection bias and pre-treatment trends—enhancing causal credibility. 👥 Effect Heterogeneity: - Strongest earnings gains for low-income workers (8.1% in the lowest tercile). - Unemployment risk reduction most pronounced among high-income earners. - Vocationally trained workers benefit from both higher earnings and lower unemployment—highlighting VET’s dual dividend. 🎓 VET & Skills Focus: - Vocational education emerges as a key driver of CET effectiveness. - Even short, non-formal courses (avg. 48 hours) yield measurable returns. - Employer-financed training (78% of cases) plays a pivotal role—suggesting firms recognize CET’s productivity value. 📉 Limitations & Cautions: - Effects may be understated due to conditioning on pre-treatment income. - Results may not generalize to state-funded or highly regulated labour markets. - Non-work-related training shows negligible labour market impact—reinforcing the importance of vocational intent. 🧠 Final Thought: This study reinforces the strategic value of VET and CET in modern labour markets. It’s not just about formal qualifications—targeted, work-related training can be a powerful lever for economic mobility and resilience. #LifelongLearning #VocationalTraining #SkillsDevelopment #AdultEducation Stefan Denzler Jens Ruhose Stefan Wolter EfVET European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training (EVBB) European Vocational Training Association - EVTA EURASHE eucen EUproVET EU Employment and Skills Cedefop European Training Foundation WorldSkills International OECD Education and Skills SEPIE - Servicio Español para la Internacionalización de la Educación International Labour Organization IEFP - Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional

How strong could you get from just one 20-minute strength session per week? A massive 7-year analysis provides some insight. This great study from James Steele and colleagues modelled data from 14,960 people (average age 48, SD 11) who completed “minimal-dose” strength training once per week for up to 352 weeks (~6.8 years). The program was highly standardised and incredibly simple: ▪️ One (supervised) session ▪️ Six machine-based exercises ▪️ One set (4–6 reps) to momentary muscular failure ▪️ 10 seconds lifting, 10 seconds lowering (each set lasted ~80–120 seconds) As for total time in the gym? Always under 20 minutes. Despite being so brief, the strength gains were substantial. Participants improved their strength by 30–50% in the first year, before plateauing at around 50–60% above baseline six years later. Strength improved fast, then levelled off as expected. But here’s the part we often forget: When it comes to ageing, even maintaining strength is a win. Without training, these same individuals would likely have lost at least 6% of their strength over six years. Instead, they gained 50–60%. All while training (albeit hard) only once per week for 20 minutes. The potency of strength training is incredible. ------------------------- 📊 Data from: Steele J, Fisher JP, Giessing J, Androulakis-Korakakis P, Wolf M, Kroeske B, Reuters R. Long-Term Time-Course of Strength Adaptation to Minimal Dose Resistance Training Through Retrospective Longitudinal Growth Modeling. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2023 Dec;94(4):913-930.