Elisabeth Artmann (IAB)
Thomas Kruppe and Julia Lang
Online instruction in subsidized further training has rapidly expanded in the last few years, yet little is known about the relative effectiveness of online vs. face-to-face teaching of these courses. Combining survey and administrative data and applying an event-study approach, we analyse the effects of an exogenous and unanticipated switch from in-person to online instruction on unemployed course participantsÂ’ labour market outcomes. For the full sample, we find a moderate, but somewhat imprecisely estimated positive effect of online vs. in-person teaching on participantsÂ’ probability to be employed subject to social security contributions in the three years following training begin. This is primarily driven by an increase in fulltime work which also translates into higher quarterly earnings starting around six months after training begin. Heterogeneity analyses show that particularly men and higher educated individuals benefit from online instruction in the medium run, though the effects fade out over time. For women and individuals above the median age, the effects on employment and earnings increase over time and become significantly positive in the third year after training begin. Overall, our results suggest that online courses can be an effective means to provide subsidized further training.