Digital skills for better jobs: Experimental evidence from a bootcamp training program in Peru

Abstract

We evaluate the impacts of an online digital skills bootcamp for youth in Peru. Using a randomized experiment and combining administrative records on formal employment with survey data, we find that the program significantly increases the probability of working in entry-level technology jobs two years post-training. While some bootcamp courses yield positive impacts on formal employment and income, others show no significant effects — resulting in null average impacts overall. Evidence suggests that these differences may be driven by selection into training tracks and limited local labor demand for certain digital skills. Men seem to experience larger formal gains, while women appear more likely to transition into informal flexible jobs. A cost-benefit analysis suggests that selected tracks yield positive net returns.