Digital Skills for Employment: Evidence from a Pilot Bootcamp Programme in Haiti

This paper evaluates a pilot bootcamp programme in Haiti, which combined a four-month digital skills bootcamp with a subsequent internship. Despite a small sample size, using a quasi-experimental design, we find significant and positive impacts on key labour market outcomes one year after bootcamp completion. Compared to similar non-graduates, bootcamp graduates are significantly more likely to be working for pay, work as dependent employees, hold permanent contracts, and perform data analysis tasks. They also work more hours and earn significantly higher monthly incomes. In addition, graduates are less likely to be enrolled in education, suggesting that the bootcamp programme is viewed as a viable alternative to further formal education. Graduates also report significantly higher satisfaction levels, with all findings remaining robust to key robustness checks. Despite the high costs, a cost-benefit analysis suggests that the programme is cost-effective.