4.39 Training

This section reviews and describes the core data collections and year-by-year variations present within the NLSY79 training sections. Descriptive tables present the number of respondents participating in various types of training programs by survey year. Summary variable tables for the NLSY79 provide details on the types of training programs and training providers about which data have been collected across surveys.

Users should keep in mind that these data provide only a partial picture of the entire training investments of an individual. A fundamental concern of the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, which funded the 1979–86 rounds of the NLSY79, was the efficacy of various federally funded employment and training programs in helping youths to acquire skills and secure employment. The 1979–86 “Other Training” sections of the questionnaire supplemented data collected in three other core question series: (1) “On Jobs,” which gathered detailed information on government jobs and associated training; (2) “Government Training,” which highlights other opportunities in which respondents participated over and above those reported in the “On Jobs” section; and (3) “Military,” in which data on formal and on-the-job training for military jobs were collected. In 1987, when funding of the NLS shifted to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the collection of extensive information on government jobs and training information ceased and the “Other Training” section of the questionnaire was restructured. 

In addition to these regularly fielded series, special data collections that focused on high school courses, degrees and certifications, and time use provide supplementary information on NLSY79 respondents' training investments. The "Government Training & Jobs Programs," "Educational Attainment & School Enrollment," and "School & Transcript Surveys" sections of this guide review some of these additional variables.

Core Data Collection: In general, the “Training” and/or “Other Training” sections of each NLSY79 questionnaire (1) collect information on each respondent’s participation since the date of the last interview in three (or more) training programs and (2) confirm and update information on two (or more) training programs in which he or she was enrolled on the date of last interview. For each program, a core set of variables is collected on the type of provider offering the training, start and stop dates (i.e., month and year), whether the training was completed, and the number of hours per week usually spent in each training program (Table 4.39.1).

Table 4.39.1 Core Data Collection: NLSY79 Training 1979-86 and 1988-2004

'Any Vocational/Technical Training Enrolled'1
'Attended Vocational/Technical Program or On-the-Job Training'

'Type of School or Vocational/Technical Program Enrolled In'

'Month/Year Began'
'Month/Year Completed/Left'

'Completed Vocational/Technical Program Enrolled In'

'Hours Per Week Spent at Vocational/Technical Program Taken'

1 Note that the 1979-86 data collections asked only about training programs in which the respondent had been enrolled for more than one month.

Below is a discussion of the variations present in the regular fieldings of the “Other Training” and/or “Training” sections of the 1979–2004 questionnaires, followed by an overview of types of training providers and the primary types of training about which data have been collected within the following five sections of the NLSY79 questionnaire: “Other Training,” “Training,” “Jobs,” “Government Training,” and “Military.”

Year-by-Year Variations: During the 1979–86 surveys, the focus of the NLSY79 training data collection was on the types of formal training programs in which a respondent was enrolled other than those already reported in the previously administered jobs, government training, military, and regular schooling sections of the questionnaire. After 1987, the series of questions concerning government-sponsored training was no longer fielded and the “Other Training” section was renamed “Training.” The types of information collected for the 1979–86 and 1988–2004 survey years differ; each is discussed separately below.  

Data collection during the 1979–86 interviews was limited to only those training programs in which the respondent had been enrolled for one month or more. Specific information on the occupation for which the respondent was being trained was also gathered in these years. In addition to the core sets of variables described above, the 1979 questionnaire included the following sets of questions: (1) retrospective questions on up to three training programs in which the respondent had participated before 1978 and on up to four other types of training in which he or she had ever participated and (2) information on the activities of the respondent during the summer of 1978, e.g., worked at a regular job, at an odd job, was on vacation, participated in a training program, or was enrolled in regular school. Included within the 1979 and 1980 training sections was a series of questions on the types of degrees and/or certifications that the respondent had ever received or received since the last interview. Age restrictions during the 1979 and 1980 interviews limited the administration of these other training questions to respondents who were 16 years of age and older. The supplemental 1981 “Time Use - Time Spent in Other Training” section gathered, from those who had been enrolled during the past seven days in a training program, information on the type of training provider and the hours spent at the training school.

The 1982–84 questionnaires included an expanded series detailing (1) the firm specificity of each training program, i.e., whether a respondent had enrolled in a given occupational training in order to qualify for a specific job at a specific firm; (2) the involvement, if any, of the respondent’s employer in encouraging or requiring the training and whether the training took place during regular work hours; (3) the source of money to pay for the training, e.g., employer, self, friends, government, or bank, with a distinction made between outright grants and loans; (4) the relationship to the respondent of those persons who encouraged enrollment in the training, e.g., friend, relative, employer (former or prospective), job counselor, teacher, etc.; and (5) the primary reason the respondent enrolled in the specific occupational training program, e.g., jobs are plentiful, pay is high, program sounded interesting, or [the training] related to the job at the time.

Because the 1987 survey was conducted mainly by telephone, the interview was abbreviated and only one question was asked about training. In this survey, respondents simply reported whether any training or assistance had been received from any government-sponsored program.

The 1988–92 series dropped the one month training duration limitation, the question that specified the job or occupation for which the respondent was being trained, and some of the provider types, e.g., barber/beauty school, flight school, and nurses program, that had been coding categories since 1979. The 1988 reference period was the last two years; other surveys referred to only the period since last interview. Company training programs run by the employer were differentiated from those conducted at the work place by someone other than the employer and those that took place outside of work. The number of training programs for which data were released was expanded to four. New questions included who paid for or sponsored each training program, whether the training was used on the respondent’s current/most recent job, whether the training resulted in the respondent getting a different job, and the type of training that had been provided, e.g., skilled classroom training, basic/remedial skill training, on-the-job training, work experience, etc. Definitions of each training type and of some of the providers offering such training, drawn from the 1991 NLSY79 Question by Question Specifications, are listed in Table 4.39.2. Table 4.39.3 presents, by survey year, gender, and race/ethnicity, the number of respondents enrolled in the six types of training programs for which data were collected during the 1988–94 interviews.

Beginning in 1990, two questions were added on the relationship of each training program to the respondent’s promotion possibilities, i.e., was the training necessary to get a promotion and did it assist the respondent in obtaining a promotion. Information was collected beginning in 1991 on the primary reason the respondent enrolled in the training program (this question had been taken out after 1984 but was returned to the survey in 1991), the specific employer who sponsored the training, and whether a guaranteed student loan was used to pay for the training.

Table 4.39.2 Training & Training Providers: Definitions from the NLSY79 Question-by-Question Specifications (1991)

Apprenticeship Program: A formal program in which a person agrees to work in return for wages and training in a skilled trade or art for a prescribed period of time.

Business School: Is not to be confused with business classes in college or graduate school. It does not contribute to an undergraduate or professional degree.

Classroom Training - Basic Skill: Includes academic instruction in a classroom setting leading to specific certification for a GED or academic instruction in basic education such as English or math. See description of GED below.

Classroom Training - Job Skill: Includes vocational instruction in a classroom setting, designed to teach work tasks of a particular job group, for example, auto mechanics, health services, clerical training, etc.

Correspondence Course: Training courses offered through the mail.

General Educational Development Test (GED): A certificate that is equivalent to a high school diploma obtained as a result of taking the General Educational Development Test. The test provides a valid means of measuring the educational proficiency of individuals taking the test in comparison with high school graduates.

On-the-Job Training: Includes institutional instruction in a work setting intended to enable an individual to learn a skill and/or qualify for a particular occupation through demonstration and practice.

Vocational Rehabilitation Center: Facility offering specialized training to prepare disabled persons to enter or re-enter the work force.

Vocational Technical Institute: For example, a beauty school, auto mechanics training, welder's school, etc.

Work Experience: Includes short-term or part-time work with employing agency to enhance employment ability of an individual through development of good work habits and basic work skills.

Note: Descriptions of service providers and training types specific to federally funded employment and training programs can be found in the 1979-91 Question-by-Question Specifications. Users should note that, to some extent, these types of training and training providers are respondent-defined.

The 1993 series of training questions included the collection of information on (1) up to six training programs in which the respondent was enrolled since last interview and (2) up to four in which he or she was participating as of the last interview date. For those respondents who were enrolled at either point in time in a training program sponsored by an employer, a new question elicited information on whether the respondent had to be working for that employer for a period of time before training was made available.

Those enrolled in any training program were asked a series of (1) skill transferability questions, i.e., the amount of skills learned in each training program that the respondent thought would be useful in doing a different kind of work for the (same) employer or in doing the same kind of work for a different employer and (2) high school course relevancy questions, i.e., whether the skills learned in this training program added to those acquired in high school courses in which the respondent had enrolled and, for those who did not take such high school courses, how much of what was learned in the training program could have been learned in high school.

Table 4.39.3 Number of Respondents Participating in Training by Survey Year,
Type of Training, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity: NLSY79 1988-94

Year

Basic Skill Classroom Training

Job Skill Classroom Training

On-the-Job Training

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

All Respondents

1988

338

170

168

1374

741

633

538

302

236

1989

255

128

127

1016

540

476

446

246

200

1990

66

30

36

1066

548

518

437

237

200

1991

39

15

24

863

453

410

311

183

128

1992

46

21

25

853

421

432

283

154

129

1993

40

19

21

1000

495

505

294

143

151

1994

57

21

36

956

464

492

268

129

139

Non-Black/Non-Hispanic Respondents

1988

181

96

85

824

459

365

314

169

145

1989

133

72

61

612

341

271

251

138

113

1990

32

16

16

643

325

318

237

118

119

1991

18

7

11

514

275

239

149

93

56

1992

17

11

6

478

251

227

134

77

57

1993

17

8

9

586

296

290

128

62

66

1994

24

10

14

524

269

255

128

68

60

Black Respondents

1988

110

49

61

355

166

189

147

87

60

1989

86

39

47

263

131

132

136

73

63

1990

18

5

13

260

132

128

122

75

47

1991

10

2

8

213

110

103

100

53

47

1992

18

8

10

215

100

115

89

44

45

1993

17

7

10

256

124

132

101

45

56

1994

26

9

17

262

124

138

94

44

50

Hispanic or Latino Respondents

1988

47

25

22

195

116

79

77

46

31

1989

36

17

19

141

68

73

59

35

24

1990

16

9

7

163

91

72

78

44

34

1991

11

6

5

136

68

68

62

37

25

1992

11

2

9

160

70

90

60

33

27

1993

6

4

2

158

75

83

65

36

29

1994

7

2

5

170

71

99

46

17

29

Year

Job Search Assistance

Work Experience

Other Training

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

All Respondents

1988

103

47

56

189

113

76

287

172

115

1989

48

20

28

146

81

65

195

113

82

1990

26

8

18

83

44

39

168

93

75

1991

20

3

17

70

46

24

126

70

56

1992

22

12

10

73

45

28

151

77

74

1993

30

13

17

70

33

37

150

73

77

1994

29

9

20

82

45

37

113

44

69

Non-Black/Non-Hispanic Respondents

1988

50

32

18

109

65

44

179

108

71

1989

13

6

7

82

44

38

120

70

50

1990

12

4

8

46

20

26

108

60

48

1991

9

2

7

34

24

10

78

41

37

1992

11

6

5

36

23

13

89

51

38

1993

8

5

3

32

14

18

91

46

45

1994

11

3

8

39

26

13

63

19

44

Black Respondents

1988

39

10

29

47

29

18

59

37

22

1989

28

12

16

47

29

18

40

20

20

1990

8

2

6

21

13

8

33

21

12

1991

9

1

8

16

10

6

26

18

8

1992

9

6

3

16

9

7

31

15

16

1993

15

6

9

18

11

7

35

20

15

1994

10

2

8

20

13

7

28

15

13

Hispanic or Latino Respondents

1988

14

5

9

33

19

14

49

27

22

1989

7

2

5

17

8

9

35

23

12

1990

6

2

4

16

11

5

27

12

15

1991

2

0

2

20

12

8

22

11

11

1992

2

0

2

21

13

8

31

11

20

1993

7

2

5

20

8

12

24

7

17

1994

8

4

4

23

6

17

22

10

12

In addition to this expanded set of questions on formal training experiences of NLSY79 respondents, the 1993 survey collected, for the first time, information on informal training opportunities. Those respondents with a current (or most recent) civilian job were asked a series of questions designed to tap the methods used to either learn their job and/or to upgrade skills required on that job.

Those respondents with a CPS employer who had implemented workplace changes in the past 12 months that necessitated the learning of new job skills were asked for information on (1) the type(s) of changes, e.g., a new product/service/equipment was introduced; an upgrade of employee’s basic skills or computer skills was needed; employer policies regarding safety, compensation, or benefits were changed; etc.; (2) whether the training was acquired from (not already reported) classes/seminars, supervisors, coworkers, self-study, or some other means reported by the respondent; and (3) for each training mode, the number of weeks and hours per week spent in such training and the degree to which respondents thought skills learned in each program would be useful in doing a different kind of work for the (same) employer or in doing the same kind of work for a different employer. Respondents with a CPS employer who reported that they were not able to perform 100 percent of their current job duties at the time they first started doing the job were asked the same set of training and skill transferability questions listed above. Loewenstein and Spletzer (1994) review training questions in the 1993 NLSY79 and other data sets, including the 1991 CPS, the 1986 NLS of the High School Class of ‘72, and the Employment Opportunity Pilot Project, and present some initial findings from the 1993 NLSY79.

Types of Training Providers: Information has been collected during all survey years on the type of organization providing the training in which NLSY79 respondents participated. Provider types for which data have been consistently gathered across survey years include company training, business school, vocational/technical institute, and apprenticeship program. Questions fielded during select survey years specified other training providers such as nurses program, barber/beauty school, flight school, seminars or training programs at work/outside of work, and vocational rehabilitation center. Table 4.39.4 lists those types of training providers that appear as coding categories in the 1979–93 “Other Training/Training” sections of the questionnaire. Users should note that names of identical and additional agencies can be found in (1) the 1979–87 government training and jobs programs questions; (2) the 1979 degrees and certifications data collection; and (3) the 1980 time use in “other training” series. Table 4.39.5 presents, by survey and gender, the number of respondents attending programs offered by these training providers.

Types of Skill Training Across Questionnaire Sections: Comparable types of training data collected within various sections of the questionnaire, i.e., the “Government Training,” “Jobs,” “Military,” “Training,” or “Other Training” sections, have been grouped together in Table 4.39.6. Variables represented in the table include those that have the following types of training represented either within their variable title or as a coding category: basic skill training, occupational skill training (classroom), occupational skill training (on-the-job), or occupational skill training (apprenticeship program). Questions on employer-specific training were fielded during select survey years and are also included in Table 4.39.6. Variables dealing with participation in programs called “work experience” are excluded since the focus of such activities is the development of good work habits and not the acquisition of basic or occupational skills.

Table 4.39.4 Types of Training Providers Identified in the "Other Training"
& "Training" Sections of the NLSY79 Questionnaire: 1979-2004

Type of Training Provider

Survey Years

Apprenticeship Program

1979-86, 1988-2004

Barber or Beauty School

1979-86

Business College/School

1979-86, 1988-2004

Company Training Program

1979-86

Company Training (Formal) - run by an employer or military training (excluding basic training)

1988-2004

Correspondence Course

1979-86, 1988-2004

Flight School

1979-82

Nurses Program

1979-86

Seminars or Training Programs - at work run by someone other than employer

1988-2000

Seminars or Training Programs - outside of work

1988-2000

Vocational or Technical Institute

1979-86, 1988-2004

Vocational Rehabilitation Center

1988-2000

Note: Excludes similar and other providers specified in the 1979-86 "Government Training," the
1979 "Degrees and Certifications," and 1980 "Time Use" sections of the NLSY79 questionnaires.

Table 4.39.5 Number of Respondents Participating in Training Programs
by Survey Year, Type of Program, and Gender: NLSY79 1979-2004

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Total

Male

Female

Survey Year/ Reference Period2

Attended One or More
Training Programs 1

Vocational or 
Technical Institute

Company Training

Apprenticeship Program

Before 1/1/78

587

285

302

295

157

138

91

53

38

47

39

8

Since 1/1/78

1004

494

510

383

213

170

108

69

39

47

38

9

1980

1142

566

576

319

190

129

114

65

49

37

29

8

1981

1074

542

532

278

187

91

108

66

42

33

26

7

1982

1167

581

586

309

159

150

122

72

50

43

34

9

1983

1191

633

558

266

150

116

159

87

72

24

21

3

1984

1141

569

572

191

110

81

180

93

87

26

20

6

1985

1010

506

504

177

100

77

126

64

62

32

23

9

1986

1101

590

511

193

100

93

189

134

55

30

26

4

Since 1986/Prior Int.

1989

1049

940

335

156

179

714

432

282

74

62

12

1989

1551

815

736

140

71

69

587

341

246

83

53

30

1990

1542

800

742

168

72

96

645

368

277

38

30

8

1991

1192

626

566

104

56

48

480

285

195

22

16

6

1992

1209

614

595

117

54

63

468

258

210

17

14

3

1993

1365

656

709

111

47

64

543

286

257

17

10

7

1994

1267

605

662

120

62

58

501

260

241

19

13

6

1996

1582

773

809

126

61

65

603

304

299

20

19

1

1998

1475

721

754

117

47

69

542

288

254

13

9

4

2000

1434

685

749

109

60

49

570

276

294

3

3

-

2002 1155 556 597 84 42 42 8693 410 459 21 16 5
2004 1078 513 565 54 31 23 854 399 455 12 9 3
                         

Survey Year/ Reference Period 2

Business College/School

Correspondence Course

Barber or Beauty School

Nurses Program

Before 1/1/78

47

9

38

27

14

13

35

3

32

47

6

41

Since 1/1/78

69

10

59

60

36

24

42

8

34

57

6

51

1980

89

18

71

76

46

30

30

3

27

47

1

46

1981

70

11

59

66

29

37

33

2

31

49

6

43

1982

66

13

53

87

55

32

33

4

29

49

3

46

1983

75

24

51

123

74

49

26

6

20

32

4

28

1984

50

15

35

87

48

39

21

4

17

37

5

32

1985

67

16

51

53

36

17

20

4

16

32

3

29

1986

75

26

49

67

38

29

34

6

28

20

2

18

Since 1986/Prior Int.

142

59

83

79

44

35

-

-

-

-

-

-

1989

61

19

42

145

84

61

-

-

-

-

-

-

1990

52

11

41

32

19

13

-

-

-

-

-

-

1991

27

5

22

33

20

13

-

-

-

-

-

-

1992

33

12

21

37

15

12

-

-

-

-

-

-

1993

26

8

18

30

22

8

-

-

-

-

-

-

1994

20

10

10

28

17

11

-

-

-

-

-

-

1996

31

13

18

22

10

12

-

-

-

-

-

-

1998

27

10

17

36

23

13

-

-

-

-

-

-

2000

22

13

9

27

8

19

-

-

-

-

-

-

2002 18 6 12 15 8 7 - - - - - -
2004 14 8 6 18 8 10 - - - - - -

Flight School

Seminars/Training
Programs at Work

Seminars/Training
Programs outside Work

Vocational Rehabilitation
Center

Before 1/1/78

16

14

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Since 1/1/78

20

17

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1980

9

8

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1981

11

9

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1982

12

10

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1983

8

7

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1984

10

10

0

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1985

7

5

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1986

5

4

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Since 1986/Prior Int.

-

-

-

306

136

170

360

164

196

33

21

12

1989

-

-

-

289

142

147

271

126

145

24

18

6

1990

-

-

-

260

128

132

302

148

154

24

15

9

1991

-

-

-

241

124

117

279

123

156

15

6

9

1992

-

-

-

211

102

109

222

91

131

18

11

7

1993

-

-

-

223

98

125

287

120

167

18

14

4

1994

-

-

-

194

93

101

254

104

150

12

8

4

1996

-

-

-

312

154

158

326

140

186

12

4

8

1998

-

-

-

239

117

122

314

140

174

15

7

8

2000

-

-

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