In most low-income countries, there are limited opportunities in the formal wage sector and a large share of recently graduated students who are unemployed. There is a knowledge gap in development literature that focuses on which type of business training techniques work best for youth entering the labor market. While there is evidence of the importance of soft skills in labor market success (Heckman et al. 2006), there is little known about what matters for entrepreneurship. Can youth be taught skills that will help them become successful entrepreneurs? If so, which type of skills are most necessary for effective entrepreneurship? Traditional “hard” business skills or “soft” inter- and intrapersonal skills?
A large field experiment in Uganda is being conducted to understand the impacts of hard skills and soft skills courses on educational and labor market outcomes as well as on student psychological and reproductive health outcomes. This study randomly assigned recent high school graduates to a high quality, three week in-residence “mini MBA” offered in twenty different regional sites across Uganda. Two versions of the SEED (Skills for Effective Entrepreneurship Development) training camp were randomly offered to students: a course that focuses on hard skills training and a course that focuses on soft skills training. Through a series of surveys, games, and tests, this experiment will help to understand the relative and absolute impacts of hard skills and soft skills trainings on entrepreneurship development and overall labor market success for youth. Researchers are currently analyzing preliminary results from this project.
A large field experiment in Uganda is being conducted to understand the impacts of hard skills and soft skills courses on educational and labor market outcomes as well as on student psychological and reproductive health outcomes. This study randomly assigned recent high school graduates to a high quality, three week in-residence “mini MBA” offered in twenty different regional sites across Uganda. Two versions of the SEED (Skills for Effective Entrepreneurship Development) training camp were randomly offered to students: a course that focuses on hard skills training and a course that focuses on soft skills training. Through a series of surveys, games, and tests, this experiment will help to understand the relative and absolute impacts of hard skills and soft skills trainings on entrepreneurship development and overall labor market success for youth. Researchers are currently analyzing preliminary results from this project.