Latest Research – Youth Employment

A recent study led by Dr. Alicia Modestino of Northeastern and the PIC’s Director of Evaluation Joseph McLaughlin helps further our understanding of the benefits of private sector internships participation in these programs has impact on longer-term college and career outcomes for students.

Relative to a comparison group with similar demographic and schooling characteristics, students participating in PIC private sector internships had:

• improved attendance in high school
• reduced course failures
• higher participation in SAT
• increased high school graduation rate (5.4 percentage points)
• higher postsecondary enrollment rate (6.1 percentage points).

Importantly, benefits in high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment rate were strong among less advantaged students (those who did not attend exam schools).

A synopsis of the study can be found on the Brookings Institute blog and the full study can be accessed on the website of the American Economic Association (there is a paywall).