Long-Term Returns to Vocational Training: Evidence from Military Sources.

Although several studies have examined the effects of vocational training on earnings, little empirical attention has been devoted to long-run returns. This paper reports on an investigation of returns to a sample, drawn from the NLS data, of mid-career white male workers who received military vocational training in World War II and immediately thereafter. In contrast to the largely ambiguous regressions from short-run studies, the cross-section earnings regressions reported here strongly suggest that those who use their vocational training receive long-term premiums. Those who took training but report not using it appear to earn no premiums, indicating that the training effects are job-specific.