@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp16081,
            	author={Darolia, Rajeev and Guo, Chuanyi and Kim, Youngran},
            	title={The Labor Market Returns to Very Short Postsecondary Certificates},
            	year={2023},
	month={Apr},
            	institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)},
            	address={Bonn},
            	type={IZA Discussion Paper},
            	number={16081},
            	url={https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp16081},
	abstract={Major policy initiatives and high award rates have led to questions about the value of short-term postsecondary credentials. We examine the labor market returns to very short certificates, including those that require only a few credits to complete, using data from a state that has among the highest awarding rates of such credentials. We do not find strong evidence that rapid certificates (those that require 6 credits or fewer) have lower immediate labor market returns than longer but still short-term certificates (7-36 credits). 
For health students, rapid certificates yield the greatest immediate earnings and employment gains, though these benefits appear to fade out. We also find that, compared to pre-enrollment, health and skilled trades students who earned a rapid certificate are most likely to switch into an establishment whose industry aligns with the field of study.
},
	keywords={returns to education;postsecondary certificates},
            }