The Impact of Vocational Teachers on Student Learning in Developing Countries: Does Enterprise Experience Matter?

Although a large number of students around the world attend vocational schools, there is little evidence about what factors matter for learning in these schools. Using data on approximately 1,400 vocational students in one eastern province in China, we employ a student fixed-effects model to identify whether teacher enterprise experience, direct occupational experience, and not just program training increases students' technical skills. We find this to be the case, especially for students who began the program as high performers. In contrast, "professional certification" that is given to teachers who participate in short-term training programs has no positive impact.