Abstract: This paper evaluates a mass training program for in-service vocational school teachers in Indonesia. The government rolled out an intensive, field-specific professional development program to enhance teachers’ vocational skills. Training was provided by experienced private sector firms. We assess its effects on teachers’ knowledge, classroom practices, and expectations of students’ outcomes using a randomized evaluation. The results show minimal impact on these areas. Survey data from training applicants suggest several reasons for the lack of effect: a mismatch between training offerings and existing skills gaps, insufficient post-training support, and untreated teachers accessing training from alternative providers.

Abstract: Workers with different education levels consistently do jobs differently. At the same time, despite the growth of higher education, some jobs `upskill' while others `downskill'. We introduce a model in which each education level affords workers a menu of skill packages. We find that more educated workers have lower costs of investing in social, adaptive, and abstract skills. This affects not only the jobs they choose in equilibrium, but means that technological changes can alter the educational makeup of occupations in rich yet analytically tractable ways.