Does adult education at upper secondary level
influence annual wage earnings?
by
Anders Stenberg*
February 20, 2007
Abstract
Adult education at upper secondary level (AE) is an integral part of the Swed-
ish educational system. Of the cohort born in 1970, about one third has at some
point been registered in AE. This evaluation of AE is the first to use register
data on the course credits actually attained. The results indicate that credits
equal to one year of AE yield point estimates that range from 5 per cent for
individuals with prior two-year upper secondary school to 15 per cent for those
with prior compulsory school. The positive effects are mainly driven by
courses in health related subjects and computer science. Of the participants in
AE, more than 40 per cent continue to university. The returns to years in higher
education are not found to be different between individuals with and without a
prior AE registration except for those with one year or less at university.
Keywords: Adult education, wage earnings
JEL-codes: J68, H52
* SOFI, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm. E-mail: [email protected]. Fi-
nancial support from The Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation (IFAU) is gratefully ac-
knowledged. I also wish to thank Roger Axelsson, Helge Bennmarker, Louise Kennerberg, Mi-
kael Lindahl, Olle Westerlund and Magnus Wikstrom. All errors in fact or judgment are my own.
IFAU - Does adult education at upper secondary level influence annual wage earnings?