%0 Report
        %A Darolia, Rajeev
%A Guo, Chuanyi
%A Kim, Youngran
        %T The Labor Market Returns to Very Short Postsecondary Certificates
        %D 2023
        %8 2023 Apr
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 16081
        %U https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp16081
        %X 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.

        %K returns to education
%K postsecondary certificates