In the Netherlands auditors can be trained in a part-time educational track in which students combine working and studying or in a full-time educational track. The former training is relatively …rm-speci…c whereas the latter training is relatively general. Applying human capital theory, we expect higher wage growth for full-time educated auditors than for dualeducated auditors. Furthermore, full-time educated auditors may have better outside options than part-time educated auditors. This may make it easier for them to switch employers than for the part-time educated auditors. The predictions on tenure and wages of di¤erently educated auditors are supported by the estimation results in this paper. The part-time, dual track appears an important route for students from lower socioeconomic background.JEL code: C35, C41, J24, J31, J63 key words: human capital formation, mobility, wages, auditors 1
Two tracks of accountancy trainingLittle is known yet about the e¤ects of di¤erential tracks in education on productivity of graduates. At best, there is some research on dual tracks in lower vocational training (Van Imho¤ and Ritzen, 1989;Van der Velden and Lodder, 1995;Plug and Groot, 1998;Sollogoub and Ulrich, 1999).To help …ll this gap, we analyze the di¤erences in labor market position for Dutch auditors who graduated from either the academic program or the dual program.Below, we describe the two programs and lay out the plan of this paper.In the Netherlands, there are two routes to the title " Register Accountant" , equivalent to the titles" CPA" or " CA" used in Anglo-Saxon countries 1 . The entire academic study (the full-time track) nominally takes 6 years, 4 years as a university student and 2 years as a post-doctoral 2 student, combining work (four days a week) and studying (some 20 hours week, including going to school one day a week). The NivRA 3 (or dual or part-time track) nominally takes 7.5 years, working 4 days a week, going to school one day and spending about 12 hours on homework. Academic students …rst enjoy university life (studying 30-40 hours a week) and then spend nominally 2 years in combined education and work, totalling some 52 hours a week. NIvRA students live this combined 52 hours a week life for 7.5 years. NIvRA students work in an accountancy …rm all through their education, from assistant accountant to junior manager to audit manager as they advance through their training program. Academic accountants only combine work and education in the two year post-doctoral segment. They have to …nance the …rst four years in university themselves (or participate in the general government grants and loans program), while the employer will …nance the post-doctoral part. NIvRA students enjoy employer support all along. Their employers generally pay for tuition, text books and sometimes (part of) the salary for days in school. While working of course they get a salary, initially low relative to other secondary school graduates, but 1 See Vaatstra (1996) for a detailed description (in Dutch) of the...