PhD defence Mantej Singh Pardesi

“The Economics of Skill Formation in Firms: Technology, Vocational Training and Worker Careers”

This thesis investigated how companies build the skills they need when technology changes and when they become more productive, and what this means for the careers of the young people they train. Using large German datasets that follow thousands of firms and workers over two decades, it found that firms making big technology investments hire young skilled workers and then take on more apprentices, rather than mainly retraining their existing staff. Firms that catch up with the most productive companies in their industry also train more apprentices, especially small and medium-sized firms. Finally, apprentices who train at the most productive firms earn considerably more over their careers, but the gains are concentrated among the most able apprentices unless the firm is likely to keep them on after training. The thesis concludes that technology and training go hand in hand, and that industrial policy and training policy should be designed together.

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Frank Cörvers, Prof. Dr. Harald Pfeifer

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