Postsecondary and labour market outcomes of vocational vs. general higher track secondary pupils

This paper estimates the effects of attending a vocational higher track secondary (HTS) school compared to a general HTS school. It considers the case of Germany, where both schools provide access to tertiary education. Identification uses selection-on-observables and instrumental variables strategies. Attending a vocational HTS school has no effect on HTS graduation and a small negative effect on planned university attendance. There are positive effects on career planning, i.e. whether the pupil has a clear plan where to apply after school. After controlling for selection, vocational HTS pupils face higher earnings at early ages, with little differences at later ages.