ERIC Identifier: ED312454
Publication Date: 1989-00-00
Author: Imel, Susan
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult
Career and Vocational Education Columbus OH.
Employers' Expectations of Vocational Education. ERIC Digest
No. 90.
The primary goal of vocational education is to prepare youth and adults for
employment. Vocational educators have always understood the importance of this
goal, and during the 1980s, it has also become a national priority. Changing
demographics in combination with technological developments have placed the
education and training of the work force on the national agenda.
Continuing slow growth of the population means that there will be a smaller
pool of potential workers available to employers in the future (Johnston and
Packer 1987). The composition of the pool will also change. According to a U.S.
NEWS AND WORLD REPORT cover story ("The Forgotten Half" 1989), "the 1990s mark
the end of the era of the white male worker, traditionally the nation's
best-educated employee. Between now and the year 2000, a stunning 57 percent of
all labor-force growth will be black, Hispanic or other minorities, who receive
less schooling" (pp. 46-47). Also, more and more women will enter the work
force, and by the year 2000 approximately 47 percent of the labor force will be
female (Johnston and Packer 1987).
At the same time, the demands of the workplace are changing. "A growing
percentage of jobs, in high or low tech, in the service or the manufacturing
sectors, need a more sophisticated labor force to compete domestically and
internationally ("Preparing Today for Tomorrow's Economy" 1988, p. 4). For
example, a study of manufacturers in the rural South found that automated
manufacturing requires workers with qualitatively different skills and behaviors
including higher-order skills, flexibility, and the ability to participate in
operating decisions (Rosenfeld 1988).
In the current climate, employer expectations of vocational education are of
key interest to a number of groups. This ERIC Digest, an update of ERIC Digest
No. 34 (Axelrod 1984), examines changing employer expectations for vocational
education. First, the types of skills employers expect workers to possess are
described. Next, research findings related to employers' perceptions of
vocational education are presented. Finally, some recommendations are made
related to vocational education's role in preparing youth and adults for
employment.
SKILLS EMPLOYERS WANT
During the 1980s, the range of skills
employers expect workers to have has expanded. This change in employers'
expectations has resulted from the changing nature of workers' roles in the
workplace (Rosenfeld 1988). Although employers are still interested in hiring
individuals who have received occupationally specific training, they also want
individuals with a solid grounding in basic academic skills.
The types of basic skills employers expect their employees to possess have
been listed in a number of publications (e.g., College Entrance Examination
Board 1984; Carnevale, Gainer, and Meltzer 1988; Rosenfeld 1988; "What Employers
Say about Vocational Education in South Carolina" 1986). The following
categories of skills are a synthesis of these lists: basic skills in reading,
writing, and math; communication skills, both speaking and listening;
problem-solving ability; employability skills; reasoning skills; leadership
skills; computer literacy; interpersonal skills;
ability-to-learn/learning-how-to-learn skills; and collaborative/teamwork
skills.
WHAT EMPLOYERS SAY ABOUT VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Given their
changing expectations for employees, what do employers say about their
experiences with vocational graduates? Both national and state studies of
employers' perceptions of vocational education that were conducted prior to 1985
revealed that on the whole employers were satisfied with vocational graduates.
According to a majority of state studies, vocational graduates were rated higher
than other entry-level employees on most dimensions except for that of
employability (e.g., basic literacy, work habits and attitudes, interview
skills). Pre-1985 national studies also showed that employers were satisfied
with the performance of vocational graduates and preferred them as workers over
those who had not had such training ("What Employers Say about Vocational
Education in South Carolina" 1986).
Results of studies conducted since 1985 demonstrate that employers continue
to view vocational graduates favorably (Donovan 1986; Hollenbeck 1987; "What
Employers Say about Vocational Education in South Carolina" 1986). In his study
of South Dakota employers, Hollenbeck (1987) found that when respondents hired
high school graduates for entry-level positions, over 60 percent had a strong
preference for vocationally trained individuals. Respondents reported that
vocational education graduates are more enthusiastic, require less training, and
are preferred over college- or military-trained persons as well as individuals
with several years' work experience.
A study of South Carolina employers also reported a preference among
employers for hiring vocational graduates ("What Employers Say about Vocational
Education in South Carolina" 1986). Forty-six percent of the respondents said
that they definitely preferred vocational graduates, whereas 27 percent
preferred them "to some extent," with the remaining 27 percent having no
preference.
Hollenbeck also examined South Dakota employers' perceptions of the
differences between vocationally and nonvocationally trained workers, and,
again, vocational graduates were rated more favorably. According to employer
comments, vocationally trained workers had better work attitudes, exhibited more
common sense, and were more enthusiastic than their nonvocationally trained
counterparts.
A study conducted by the National Alliance of Business (Donovan 1986) and the
South Carolina study examined why some employers do not benefit from vocational
education. Both found that when employers do not hire vocational graduates, it
usually has to do with a lack of need for the graduates (i.e., not hiring) or
general lack of knowledge about availability of vocational programs rather than
with reservations about the quality of training provided to vocational
participants.
These three studies used a variety of methods to examine different facets of
employers' experiences with vocational graduates, so it is not possible to
generalize from their results. Nevertheless, the following common themes related
to employer expectations for vocational education emerged from the studies'
findings:
BASIC SKILLS
Employers believe that vocational education
should focus on developing applied basic skills. Although most employers felt
that graduates of vocational programs had adequate basic skills to perform
entry-level jobs, they acknowledged that basic skill deficiencies can hinder job
performance and limit an employee's ability to profit from further training.
COMMUNICATION
Lack of communication between vocational
educators and employers has resulted in the failure of employers to hire
vocational graduates as well as the failure of vocational educators to develop
appropriate training programs.
IMAGE
Employers expressed a need for an improved image for
vocational education. Although they are satisfied with vocationally trained
employees, many employers still perceive vocational education as a "dumping
ground" from which good students are diverted.
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
In addition to applied basic skills,
employers expressed a need for employees to have employability skills. Again,
although they were generally satisfied with vocational graduates in this regard,
a number of employers expressed concern about what they perceive to be a decline
in the traditional work ethic.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Despite the fact that changes in the
workplace require workers with a broader range of skills, employers still seem
satisfied with the vocationally trained graduates that they hire. However, based
on employer comments about their experiences with vocationally trained
employees, the three studies (Donovan 1986, Hollenbeck 1987, and "What Employers
Say about Vocational Education in South Carolina" 1986) made a number of
recommendations for vocational education:
o More communication and closer collaboration between
business/industry and education
o In order to improve its image, more and better publicity
concerning vocational education
o The teaching of basic academic skills such as reading, math,
and writing integrated into vocational instruction
o Identification of and instruction in a common core of
employability skills that are transferable across occupations
including problem-solving and decision-making skills and the
skills necessary for getting and keeping a job
o In order to develop work maturity skills, more opportunities
for supervised work experience that provide close articulation
between in-school educational experience and on-the-job
experience
o Emphasis on applied basic skills and employability skills in
secondary programs and technical skills in postsecondary
programs
REFERENCES
Axelrod, V. "Employers' Expectations of
Vocational Education." ERIC Digest No. 34. In Overview on Excellence. ERIC
Digests Nos. 31-35, by J. Miller and others. Columbus: ERIC Clearinghouse on
Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, The National Center for Research in
Vocational Education, The Ohio State University, 1984. (ERIC Document
Reproduction Service No. ED 252 963).
Carnevale, A. P.; Gainer, L. J.; and Meltzer, A. S. "Workplace Basics: The
Skills Employers Want." Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training and
Development; Washington, DC: Employment and Training Administration, U.S.
Department of Labor, 1988. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 299 462).
The College Entrance Examination Board. "Academic Preparation for the World
of Work." New York: CEEB, 1984.
Donovan, M. A. "Findings on Employer/Vocational Education Survey."
Washington, DC: National Alliance of Business; Columbus, OH: National Vocational
Education Professional Development Consortium, 1986. (ERIC Document Reproduction
Service No. ED 272 734).
"The Forgotten Half." U.S. News & World Report 106, no. 25 (June 26,
1989): 4-53. (ERIC No. EJ 391 616).
Hollenbeck, K. "Employer Perceptions of Vocational Education in South Dakota.
Volume I: Findings and Recommendations." Columbus: The National Center for
Research in Vocational Education, The Ohio State University, June 1987. (ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED 304 547).
Johnston, W. B., and Packer, A. H. "Workforce 2000--Work and Workers for the
21st Century." Indianapolis, IN: Hudson Institute, 1987. (ERIC Document
Reproduction Service No. ED 290 887).
"Preparing Today for Tomorrow's Economy: State Responses to Structural
Change." A Working Conference Convened by Jobs for the Future, May 1988.
Rosenfeld, S. A. "Educating for the Factories of the Future." Education Week,
June 22, 1988.
"What Employers Say about Vocational Education in South Carolina. A Study of
Vocational Education." Report #5. Columbia: South Carolina State Council on
Vocational and Technical Education, April 1986. (ERIC Document Reproduction
Service No. ED 290 923.)
