Andrea Greilinger

Greilinger, Andrea (2015): Effects of apprenticeship marketing on employer brand dimensions—A difference-in-differences approach, LFI Working Papers (No. 1), München.

Keywords: small and medium–sized enterprises, employer branding, recruitment, personnel marketing,
apprenticeship marketing, occupational choice

Andrea Greilinger

2015

Abstract

In contrast to previous studies, this paper uses a quasi–experimental design to empirically analyze the causal effects of two frequently used recruitment measures in practice for SMEs’ apprenticeship marketing—firm presentation and site visit—on pupils’ perceived employer brand. Despite the great importance of apprentices in sufficient quantity and quality for the success of SMEs, little is known about effective strate gies for influencing recruitment outcomes among young job seekers. Therefore, a unique panel data set was collected in cooperation with 14 craft firms and pupils from 34 schools in Germany. Using difference –in–differences analysis, the results show that the implementation of firm presentations and site visits is leading to an increase in the SMEs’ employer brand evaluations. In addition, it was found that the SMEs’ recruitment staff and the appeal of the recruitment measures are important as, in the worst scenario, both negatively influence the pupils’ employer brand ratings.